Those who have been reading this blog for some time, are no doubt familiar with my rants against unicrown forks. "The bike is nice... if it weren't for that unicrown fork," and so forth. When the topic comes up, some agree, others question my fixation on this detail, and others still want to know what a unicrown fork is. Now that I am temporarily living with a unicrown forked bike, the time seems right to elaborate.A vey basic primer in bicycle fork construction: A traditional fork on a traditional lugged steel bike is made up of two blades and a crown, whereby the blades and crown arebrazed together - just like the tubes and lugs on the frame itself. There are many fork crown designs in existence, but the general concept is the same. Now, a unicrown fork is constructed differently in that there is no crown. The two fork blades are bent towards each other at the top, then (typically) welded together at the steerer tube. A unicrown fork is simpler and less expensive to make than a lugged crown fork, which is why it has become so ubiquitous among contemporary bicycle manufacturers.
For some time now I've been trying to figure out the history of the unicrown fork, and I keep reading about the first mountain bikes, BMX bikes, and the quest for rigidity - suggesting that its origins were in the 1980s. But then I see antique bicycles- like this ancient Sterling pathracer at the Larz Anderson show last summer - which to me look like they are sporting hundred year old versions of unicrown forks. I have also seen what I can only describe as antique crownless flat-top forks - which appear to be similarly constructed, but are squared-off, rather than round. Would someone care to educate me on their history?
The thing about unicrown forks, is that I don't actually dislike them per se, at least not in of themselves. What I dislike is when they are incongruent to the overall design of the bicycle. On a welded frame, a unicrown fork looks perfectly natural - integrating harmoniously with the bicycle frame. Just like I prefer lugged frames to welded frames, I similarly prefer lugged forks to unicrown forks. But objectively speaking, a unicrown fork looks fine on a welded frame - like on the D2R Boogie above.
Unicrown fork on a welded DBC Swift, also looks appropriate. The frame joints and the unicrown fork match, and all are filed equally smoothly.
Unicrown fork on an ANT mixte. Now, if I were getting an ANT, I would opt for his segmented fork or his dual-plate crown fork - just because I prefer those styles and they are kind of his specialties. But I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with ANT using unicrown forks on TIG-welded bikes - again, the overall design is harmonious.
The only time a unicrown fork actually bothers me, is when it is attached to a lugged frame - which is done quite frequently nowadays. Azor/Workcycles puts unicrown forks on their lugged frames, as do Batavus, Velorbis (balloon tire models only) and Abici (above), just to name a few. The reason is most likely a cost-cutting measure, undertaken perhaps with the hope that most customers simply won't notice. And it bothers me, not because I think that unicrown forks in themselves are "bad," but because I feel that a traditional lugged bicycle - especially when the manufacturer takes pride in describing it as such - calls for a traditional lugged fork. When the frame is lugged but the fork is not, the overall look of the bike comes across as disjointed to me; it doesn't "flow." It's only my opinion, but I think it's a fairly simple and logical notion as far as design goes.Do you care what kind of fork your bicycle has? What do you think of unicrown forks - in of themselves, and in combination with lugged frames?
My Bella Ciao bicycle likes to be picked up by the rear portion of the curved top tube. This is such a stable position that I can even carry it with one hand without the bicycle buckling.When heldin this manner, I feel that the bike's center of gravity is directly under my hand, which is probably what accounts for the stability of this position.Also, my hand is snugly stuck in that little space between the upward sweep of the curve to one side and the top-downtube connector on the other - an important factor, because this way my hand cannot slip, even if the bicycle is wet from rain.
By contrast, this is what happens when I attempt to lift my Gazelle in the same manner. It's not that the bicycle feels too heavy - in fact, lifting it by that loopy spot makes it feel lighter than otherwise. But something is off in the balance, and the Gazelletries to flip over sideways, onto me, when held in this manner. It feels as if the center of gravity is not under my hand, but somewhere else. With the Pashley Princess I previously owned, this effect was even more pronounced - when lifted by this portion of the frame, the bicycle seemed to twist in my arms and threaten to bring both of us down. On the other hand, the vintage Steyr Waffenrad I rode in Austria was amenable to being picked up by the top tube of its "swan" frame. For reference, my Pashley was somewhere in between the weight of the Gazelle and the Bella Ciao, and the Steyr was as heavy as the Gazelle- so again, it is not merely a matter of weight.
This is how the Gazellewants to be lifted: by the seat tube. It stays stable and does not buckle when grasped in this position, despite feeling heavier than in the previously shown method. Could it be that for bicycles that prefer this method, the center of gravity is more toward the rear?
To get my bicycles home I must carry them up the porch stairs, through a narrow doorway, and then through another narrow doorway,after turning around in a cramped hallway. That may not seem like a big deal to those who have several flights of stairs to negotiate, but consider that I am a female with limited upper body strength and a bicycle like aGazelle or a Pashley is half my weight once it's loaded with bags. Getting a good grip on the frame is key if I don't want to drop the bike or, worse, have it fall on top of me. If you own a heavy step-through bicycle, how do you lift it and how do you carry it up the stairs?
One of my own two kitties, photographed during a moody moment through the spokes of my Pashley Princess.
My other kitty, looking longingly at the Co-Habitant's Pashley Roadster.
This gray kitty belongs to reader J.E.P., photographed with his newly acquired 1979 Raleigh Sprite.
Trisha's new kitten Wally, on her Peugeot mixte. From Let's Go Ride a Bike.
Dottie's beautiful kitty sniffing her Rivendell Betty Foy. From Let's Go Ride a Bike.
The white kitty in this spectacular shot belongs to KT of 
Shelly's kitty Lazlo, from 
C_C_Rider's Guest Kitty, from 
Submitted by 
The intriguing Smudgie belongs to Maschka at bikeforums. He is performing the same acrobatic maneuver with two different bicycles. Maybe it is his bicycle dance?
Machka's Sabre (RIP), photographed with her Maruishi touring bike.
This photo of little Willow was submitted by 
This basket-cat belongs to Beth Terry from 
This feline camper is from the website of David Naylor.
And this sweet kitty is asleep in one of David Hembrow's bicycle baskets.