# Krate springer question



## ADReese (Sep 4, 2022)

I'm pretty clueless on muscle bike stuff and need some guidance. I have a '54 24" balloon tire that I made into a pig style bike. I would love to upgrade the forks to a springer. Would a krate fork be the best match for my short head tube?
Thanks!


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## Oldbikeguy1960 (Sep 4, 2022)

An actual Krate fork would fit, but they are getting hard to buy and expensive. I am using a 26" Schwinn style fork on mine, and rethreaded the fork lower down for the cones and used a 1" ID Harley axle spacer to take up the extra.
You could cut it, but not necessary and some aftermarket forks are threaded far down anuway. Unless you are worried about total originality of vintage parts that would work.
If you really want a Krate style springer, get one of the 1990s reproduction ones or the Black Friday forks. It will be much more reasonable and save a Krate fork for someone restoring an original Krate/Picker bike.


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## ADReese (Sep 4, 2022)

Thank you for the info. I'll have to keep an eye out for a crate style springer then. I'm totally cool with a 90s reproduction one but the bfk ones don't have quite the same look.


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Sep 4, 2022)

@Oldbikeguy1960 @ADReese being it is a 24 inch frame couldn't he run a 26 springer as he would be running a 20 inch front? I thought the 20 inch Krate ran a 24 inch springer?


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## ADReese (Sep 4, 2022)

I could definitely do that but my bike has the short head tube. As mentioned earlier I could do a 26" with a spacer but I prefer to not do that if possible. I'm planning on running the 24" s2 wheel in the front.  I dig the beefy front tire.


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## Oldbikeguy1960 (Sep 4, 2022)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> @Oldbikeguy1960 @ADReese being it is a 24 inch frame couldn't he run a 26 springer as he would be running a 20 inch front? I thought the 20 inch Krate ran a 24 inch springer?



Yes the Krate springer was the 24" version and the 26" should be fine. My Pig Bike has the 26" springer with a 20" lightweight wheel and it looks awesome that way.
He will need to compensate for the length difference in the steer tube but I did that on my frame and it came out great with more threads and the Harley axle spacer. 
Zoom in on the top of the fork to see the setup.


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## Oldbikeguy1960 (Sep 4, 2022)

You can thread the tube further down and cut the steer tube off. the spring bracket can be bent a little to line it up with the bearings.
The 24" wheel will work great on that firk.
Or you can get a Reproduction Krate springer.


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## ODDER (Sep 4, 2022)

The BFK forks are 20” besides having a different bend than any of the other schwinn forks.


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## Oldbikeguy1960 (Sep 4, 2022)

I forgot about the length, but bends are only important if he is going for vintage. Most of the Pig Bikes I see use the aftermarket forks.
If he goes the route I did with vintage parts the 90s Reproduction forks would still be the lowest cost option for 24" style forks.


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## BatWaves (Sep 28, 2022)

Wow Andy! That thing is slick!


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## Grey Ghost (Oct 13, 2022)

Oldbikeguy1960 said:


> Yes the Krate springer was the 24" version and the 26" should be fine. My Pig Bike has the 26" springer with a 20" lightweight wheel and it looks awesome that way.
> He will need to compensate for the length difference in the steer tube but I did that on my frame and it came out great with more threads and the Harley axle spacer.
> Zoom in on the top of the fork to see the setup.
> View attachment 1690847



That’s insane!

You could use a taller sissy bar though.


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## Oldbikeguy1960 (Oct 13, 2022)

Grey Ghost said:


> That’s insane!
> 
> You could use a taller sissy bar though.



I had a 5' sissybar in high school, bought it at Browns Department Store for $5.95 plus maybe 5% tax. That was around 1974.
I had to bend this one myself from a 10' stick of 1/2" conduit.
It's like the 5' sissybar never existed and 4' bars are over $100 most of the time.
Yeah, that bike was a little over the top. It was originally a Pig Bike someone got from me and put a later banana seat and grips on. The guy got rid of the Solo Polo and the teardrop red grips, and when I tried to rebuild it as a Pig Bike it just wasn't the same. 
So now it really isn't the same.


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## Grey Ghost (Oct 14, 2022)

I was kidding about your sissy bar, it’s plenty tall!


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## Oldbikeguy1960 (Oct 14, 2022)

I know man. I was only telling the story of its height.
I actually wanted it to be 6' tall but I couldn't find anything 12' long to make it with unless I ordered it, and the shipping was more than the tube!
Thanks for responding to my bike man.
Rob


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