Wicked Fork Specs

davidjmcconnell

New member
Greetings from the wickedly hot Mojave. I'm new here, so pardon my formality:

I have Wicked Fat Chance serial # 08059W, which I purchased from a dealer in Santa Rosa in 1989 – all I remember is that they advertised in the Mountain Bike Action rag, and they had a sand pit out back where I rode the hell out of the Wicked against a Kestrel before making up my mind which one to buy. For your amusement, I’ve attached a picture of what the Wicked looked like when I hauled it out of the garage the other day for an overhaul, after sitting idle for 11 years while I rode my Cannondale tourer exclusively. I'm about to turn 60, and it's time for me to start having fun on a bike again.

Back in 1998, when I was doing a lot of downhill riding, I fitted my Wicked with a Marzocchi Z2 BAM fork, which was great for that purpose. Unfortunately, along with a lot of other stuff, the original lime green unicrown fork walked away during my move to Nevada in 2005, and now that I want to return the bike to as close to original spec as I possibly can, I need to know its specs so I can get my hands on a proper fork, even if not an original Fat City. I know that it's got a 1" threaded steering tube, and from what I've read I believe that the rake is 1-3/4". From the serial number I believe that the frame size is around 19", so the information I think I need to know to do this right is 1) the length of the steering tube, 2) maybe the length of the steering tube threading, 3) the length from the axle to the crown race, 4) the fork spacing, and 5) maybe the overall length of the fork assembly.

Thanks for your time; any assistance any of you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
 

colker

Well-known member
th easiest way out is a tange unicrown, 1in steerer, which will probably have 395mm of AC distance. It will look good w/ an early 1in ahead stem. And lighter too.
finding a threaded fork... only by chance.:)
 

WD Pro

New member
I have a real nice 1" threaded curved blade Tange unicrown with nice dropouts :



They only have a short steerer but looking at your frame, you only need a short one.

Let me know what min length you need as they could be ideal (if postage doesn't kill it).

WD :D
 

davidjmcconnell

New member
@Retro Dude: I'd say that 18" is probably the size I have - the autographed build card I got with the disappeared in a box of bike parts at the same time as the fork. But I recall thinking when I was looking at it, "Isn't that a bit small for a guy who's 6'4"?" Then I got on it and thrashed it around, and I realized that it was just about the perfect size for what I wanted to do with it. The length of your head tube will be a good reference for coming up with my bike's steerer length, as is the a-c length. That's probably all the info I'm going to need, so thank you guys very much!
 

colker

Well-known member
@Retro Dude: I'd say that 18" is probably the size I have - the autographed build card I got with the disappeared in a box of bike parts at the same time as the fork. But I recall thinking when I was looking at it, "Isn't that a bit small for a guy who's 6'4"?" Then I got on it and thrashed it around, and I realized that it was just about the perfect size for what I wanted to do with it. The length of your head tube will be a good reference for coming up with my bike's steerer length, as is the a-c length. That's probably all the info I'm going to need, so thank you guys very much!

you have a 19.5 in.. and it is still small for you.
 

Retro Dude

Member
Gotta 2nd what Colker said, I'm 5"8" and the 18" Wicked fits perfect - yours should be 19.5".

A quick measure would settle it pretty quick and for a Wicked it's center of BB to top of top tube.
 

davidjmcconnell

New member
You're both undoubtedly right, colker and Retro Dude. Take a look at my photo again and see how extended the seat post is. Also, when I bought the bike, longer (185?) Cook Bros crank arms were mounted because the stock ones didn't allow me enough stroke. I'll check the frame measure - I've forgotten more about bikes and measurement in the last 15 years than I can believe - and all that'll be one more question answered. Thanks for your input; always appreciated.
 

Retro Dude

Member
Forgot to say welcome to fatcogs.

Took a closer look at your bike, very nice - IRD seatpost, cooks Bros cranks, & salsa stem...perfect!
 

davidjmcconnell

New member
Thanks for the welcome, Dude. I've now had another guy contact me who says he has a proper fluorescent green Wicked fork that's too short for his 21" frame. I'm going to take the Marzocchi off the frame tomorrow and measure the steerer tube, and if it's the right length I'll probably score it off of him. It's kind of pricey, but to have the exactly correct fork on it again would probably make the cost worth it. Besides, I'll probably be able to wring some money out of the Marzocchi on eBay or someplace - it needs an overhaul because it isn't damping at the moment, but it's surprisingly clean for all I put it through.
 
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