Tange Switchblades: what was the point

[novekili]

Well... Some NOS ones are going for more than 100 euros on the bay... The point is that I bought them because I've always like them, but with 30 euros more I could have got some old school pace - much better forks.. Still, I'll stick to my switchblades for looks.

Actualy, they are senseless, and they perfectly match my senseless GT...

 

[cannondale king]

i had jimmy's off him with the clockwork frame they where hte prestige one's looked bloody loverly id say almost nos but to ride was a no no they might have gotten marked i got £92 for them that i spent on some pace rc30's

 

[legrandefromage]

I had nothing but bad karma with Pace, put me off for life.

Switchblades all the way.

 

[Dr S]

I love em and have used them since they first came out. I currently have a pair on my Saracen- Prestige legs, Ti bolts and a Ti steerer and they come in at under 2lbs so not that heavy at all. I also have various Pace forks and admire the merits of either fork. The Switchblade is just that little bit rarer and a little bit better looking IMO.

 

[one-eyed_jim]

I've just bought a very nice Tange Switchblades, maybe overpaying it (70 euros with a flexstem and an lx derailleur).
I've always liked it so I just got it. BTW: it weights a ton (1kilo 200 grams) and it doesn't seem too supple: what was the point of compostite forks apart from looking terribly cool? Tire clearance?

I figured it had to be to do with (among other things) avoiding the heat affected zone of a welded fork. Bontrager was obsessed by that kind of detail, as the multiple gussets and reinforcements on his frames show.

KB used to be a fairly regular contributor on USENET, and the Googlegroups archive now goes all the way back to the beginning of the rec.bicycles group. I remembered reading some of his posts on the subject when I bought my Tange Switchblade, and Googled up this post.

Talking about cutting the steerer off an old fork to use as a replacement steerer in a Bontrager composite fork, he says:

I wouldn't hack anything off a fork for a steerer. You lose butt
length in the process and the steerer of a brazed fork is weaked by the
heat from the brazing, which is what the forks were designed to avoid.

http://groups.google.fr/group/rec.bicyc ... =fr&q=fork


KB's posts were always worth reading. He's a very smart guy, and was always willing to share his knowledge:

http://groups.google.fr/groups/profile? ... 6mXc24h6ww

 

[frankhutton]

Re: what's the point

New steel tube has amazing strength and elasticity. ...this is reduced if you heat or bend it....composite forks avoid heating or bending at the critical area i.e. the top where the leverage is greatest. Composite forks preserve the qualities of the tubing.....simple.