reducing 15mm thru axle fork to 12mm

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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joejack951
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by joejack951

Trek Boone/Crockett (and 920 with same process but slightly different parts) installation video is up:


joejack951
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by joejack951

Pics coming soon but just received some fun new parts: special flangeless thread adapters for Salsa Firestarter/Warbird/Cutthroat forks and threaded inserts for Brother Mehteh forks.

I’ve also recently had quite a few requests for forks that came with a 15mm diameter and 130mm long thru axle with M14x1.5 threads from the likes of Diamondback, Mongoose, Motobecane, Whyte, and a few other smaller brands. While I don’t yet produce a threaded insert for these forks, they can all be converted using a modified M14x1.5 to M12x1.5 thread adapter which I have for Trek 920 forks. If interest continues for these forks I’ll likely produce the threaded insert in M12 fork but for now there is a readily available option if needed.

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joejack951
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by joejack951

Been a little while since I've updated this thread so I'll bump it one more time to mention that I have just added many new kits to my Ebay store, including kits for a variety of open mold forks and the Lauf JAF fork: https://www.ebay.com/str/jjpellc

I was even able to bail my local shop out when a customer really want some Enve wheels for his Niner but the 15x100 fork became a sticking point: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFx6xHJlLjE/

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prebsy
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by prebsy

Hey Joe Jack, fellow Delawarian here. I'm looking to pick up the Focus RAT conversion kit. I know you hinted at 50g savings. Did you have a final weight on that axle and end caps?

joejack951
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by joejack951

prebsy wrote:
Mon Nov 09, 2020 7:29 pm
Hey Joe Jack, fellow Delawarian here. I'm looking to pick up the Focus RAT conversion kit. I know you hinted at 50g savings. Did you have a final weight on that axle and end caps?
Yeah, Delaware! :D

Here's the original Focus axle plus insert compared to my kit. Not quite 50 grams.
Attachments
IMG_5712.jpeg
IMG_6733.jpg

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prebsy
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by prebsy

Focus rat parts from joe jack including swapping end caps on my novatec 411sb. Now i can swap between bikes easily.Image
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joejack951
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by joejack951

It's been a little over a year since I began making conversion kits in earnest. I believe I started with something like 10 parts and swore that ought to cover just about everything. The pics below show just how wrong I was! Some 'family photos' for your enjoyment:

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SpeedyChix
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by SpeedyChix

Very glad you're doing these, it's helped keep my current fork in use.
adrenaline junkie

joejack951
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by joejack951

Awesome, SpeedyChix!

Newcomers to the thread or anyone who has questions about the basic process of converting most 15x100 forks will want to check out this animation:



I’ll be making more animations to cover the non-standard kits like those for Salsa, KTM, Rondo, and Trek Boone, Crockett, and 920 forks all of which use a flangeless thread adapter which installs from the inside of the dropout.

AdaptJosh
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by AdaptJosh

Hi all,

In case anyone from the UK stumbles accross this thread in an effort to solve this problem for their own bike (much like I did at first), I thought it would be wise to leave a quick note. I have started to sell Joe's adapters here in the UK and I'm currently offering a selection of bike models with the aim to expand in the future. If you don't find an adapter on my store for your specific bike then please get in touch, Joe and I would be more than happy to figure out a solution for you.

My ebay store: https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/adaptcycles/ ... XWqDrSyH7Q

My facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Adapt-Cycles-102246138558727

Cheers!
Josh
15mm to 12mm fork conversion kits available, more info on this page: https://www.facebook.com/Adapt-Cycles-102246138558

Buy here (UK): https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/adaptcycles/ ... 7675.l2562

joejack951
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by joejack951

First prototypes for a 20x110 to 15x110 kit for Boxxer forks. So far I know of three variations and plan to accommodate them all. This kit is installed on one of the early forks that used the stepped 20mm Maxle.

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Comments, questions? Interest in beta testing for me?

DaveK92
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by DaveK92

Hi all,

Long shot but I bought a set of Zonda wheels for my Canyon Endurace ON ebike, there was no sizes mentioned for the fork or the Alexrims wheels and unfortunately it's a 15mm axle and Campagnolo only make an adaptor for Scirocco wheels.

I'm having trouble finding an adaptor as there doesn't seem to be any universal adaptors. Is there any chance one of these adaptors would fit? Is the issue just the thread size? I'm not sure if I can even return the wheels and given the limited options with 15mm I don't really have much choice.

It doesn't need to be flush just functional. If I measure using the PDF is there a chance one of these adaptors would fit?

joejack951
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by joejack951

DaveK92 wrote:
Sun May 16, 2021 12:02 am
Hi all,

Long shot but I bought a set of Zonda wheels for my Canyon Endurace ON ebike, there was no sizes mentioned for the fork or the Alexrims wheels and unfortunately it's a 15mm axle and Campagnolo only make an adaptor for Scirocco wheels.

I'm having trouble finding an adaptor as there doesn't seem to be any universal adaptors. Is there any chance one of these adaptors would fit? Is the issue just the thread size? I'm not sure if I can even return the wheels and given the limited options with 15mm I don't really have much choice.

It doesn't need to be flush just functional. If I measure using the PDF is there a chance one of these adaptors would fit?
Are you sure about the Endurace ON having a 15mm axle? I'm seeing 12mm mentioned in a few reviews but oddly I can find nothing on Canyon's website. I'm VERY interested if Canyon is providing these with 15mm axles.

There is definitely no such thing as a universal adapter. Just check my photos above to see some of the various permutations of the 15mm fork that are out there.

If you have a set of calipers to take measurements, that's ideal but a metric ruler or tape measure is often passable. One thing I definitely want to see is pictures of everything you measure, plus photos of both dropouts from the front and the outside and the thru axle, particularly any text on it.

DaveK92
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by DaveK92

Sorry this is a little difficult to do solo with a tape measure. The front axle won't go through the Zonda wheel but the rear wheel goes through fine. From what I understand 15mm was popular with mountain bikes, then early thru axle road wheels before 12mm was standard. Even gravel bikes seem to be 12mm, I don't see why they would go with 15mm given the limited options especially since the bike is a mid drive motor so upgrading wheels is an option...

https://i.imgur.com/0mVQxyM.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/hwPT2vZ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/rb8pm8h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/brlI8lb.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5Z4IfNM.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cbM15YY.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/DH40h6N.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/w5VCMrh.jpg

by Weenie


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joejack951
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by joejack951

DaveK92 wrote:
Sun May 16, 2021 10:45 pm
Sorry this is a little difficult to do solo with a tape measure. The front axle won't go through the Zonda wheel but the rear wheel goes through fine. From what I understand 15mm was popular with mountain bikes, then early thru axle road wheels before 12mm was standard. Even gravel bikes seem to be 12mm, I don't see why they would go with 15mm given the limited options especially since the bike is a mid drive motor so upgrading wheels is an option...
So that definitely confirms a 15mm front thru axle. Why Canyon spec'd one, who knows. Perhaps it was as simple as that's what was available (fork and/or hubs) at the time. Regardless, this seems like a fairly straightforward conversion but I do need more measurements. See attached pictures detailing how to inspect the dropout thickness and the thru axle length. Your numbers will be different but the inspection process is the same. One odd thing I see about your fork is that there appears to be a cap of sorts on the threaded side. Hopefully that just unscrews or pops out. It will need to be removed in order to install one of my thread adapters.

Note that when you measure the dropout thickness, be sure not to include the shoulder which is only there to aid aligning the hub in the fork.
Attachments
Axle Overall Length.jpg
Dropout width_threaded.jpg
Dropout width_thru hole.jpg

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