Box Crown Forks...
Max (a Fat fan) said:
Hey- I've got some general questions about the box crowned forks (which I love). I noticed MikeyNYC has them on both a 1988 and 1990 Wicked. What years were they used on the Wickeds - were they an option or did all Wickeds of a certain period come with them? I've got a 1990 Slim with a box crown but some of the other 1990's I've seen have unicrowns.
Also a Question for MikeyNYC: would your "extra" box crown fit on RedRacer's 21" 1990 Wicked? and if so, at what price? Inquiring minds want to know. -Max
PS- are most box crowns made with Reynolds 531 - or did they use different steel for road and mountain ? (My Wicked had a Reynolds 531 sticker but the Slim doesn't)
Max,
Here is what I have heard or seen (anyone who wants to correct me, feel free to chime in)The Box Crown Forks were around from the beginning of Fat City in 1982, so I guess it was the first fork that they produced. I once had a Fillet Brazed 1982 Fat Chance which was like # 13 (that now belongs to Rick in North Carolina) and that frame has a Fillet Brazed Box Crown Fork with a sealed crown! (no hole at the bottom of the steerer) I think that the Box Crown fork was available up until like 1992 when they were only available standard on the Tandem which was a custom ordered thing anyway, but at any time before 1992 or so you could always get one as a upcharged option, just look up any of the older catalogs or price lists that are scanned and online...
My first 1987 Wicked came with a Reynolds 531 Box Crown fork but was ordered specially, as did my first ever Fat which was a 1984 Team Comp. The Team Comp that I had came with Reynolds 531 decals on the fork but I bent that thing, so maybe it was actually Prestige? Later (1984-85) models of the Team Comp were made with Prestige tubing and had Box Crown forks with Prestige decals on them, and I saw a 1991 "Team Comp" sold on ebay recently with prestige decals all over the frame and Box Crown fork, so it was defintely made from at least 2 different types of tubing for the mountain forks...plus I have also seen some early and custom Box Crown Forks that were a bit wider and Beefier then most of the ones that I owned and I was told that they were made from Reynolds 531 Jack Taylor Tandem Fork Blades to make a really strong fork.
I don't know much about the Road bikes (Slim Chance) that were made with the box crown forks, but they are pretty rare! I imagine that they went to the Uni-Crown to save weight and labor as the Box Crown Forks are a bit heavier and really labor intensive.
The reason that I never owned a Fat with a Uni-Crown fork was that I always admired the unique design and the way that the box Crown would standout in a sea of other bikes, to me it was just a signifying example of Fat City that I just thought was way cool!
I don't think that my "extra" Box Crown fork will work on RedRacer's Wicked because it seems to be meant for the geometry of a more relaxed frame like the older "Fat Chance" as it has a very deep fork rake, but it is probably for use with a 21" frame and it also is spoken for...I'm either keeping it, or if I do let it go a buddy of mine has first dibs on it!
I hope that I was helpful and look forward to seeing other's thoughts on the Fat City Box Crown Fork!
Also, keep a look out for the upcoming photo debut of my newly renovated 1990 Wicked Fat Chance frame (that I originally scored from Sky - VeloCulture) and another Box Crown Fork (that I actually got for FREE from a guy that simply didn't want it!) which just came back from Vicious Cycles with a KILLER new Paint Job and decal set!
L8R,
Michael-NYC