I posted about it on the Facebook page for vintage Raleigh bikes and had an offer of a large fork from 'Clint' who is in Wisconsin. Clint was going to investigate prices for shipping it. Michael says he has a spare from his Raleigh Record, but I think that it will be a bit smaller. No luck on e-bay.
It was also suggested that I could get Bob Jackson cycles to build me a new fork, but from his website I see that the cost is £150. Ouch.
Then a friend suggested that I look up Tony Greening, and ex-cycle racer and now frame builder. He only lives about half-a-mile away. He straightened the frame on the previous incarnation of this bicycle many years ago. My LBS had suggested that he could weld it up, but might advise against it. I didn't bother asking about that option.
Luckily I have a spare fork in my garage and the blades are the same length as the broken one, though the steering tube is shorter by about a centimetre. Tony suggested that he could remove the steering tube from in the crown with his lathe and buy a length of steel pipe from Ceeway a purveyor of bicycle tubing and parts for bike builders, which he would then create a new steering tube to fit.
After I got home I thought that I could saw the steering tube out of the crown of the broken forks, so that is what I did. After all, it is already the right length and threaded.
I have now given this to Tony and he will use the lathe to get rid of the excess metal and then fit it to the forks.
22 July 2018 Tony Phoned on Friday and had it ready for me. Here is what the rebuilt fork looks like:
Notice the shape of the crown is not a 'Raleigh' shape. I have now resprayed the black part of the forks and rebuilt the bike, and everything is super.
I am on the road again, though I do need some new bar tape on the handlebars.
Finish.
