Fork Stay vs Chain Stay

Amir Avitzur

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Jul 13, 2025, 5:31:08 AMJul 13

to Framebuilders

Can fork stays be used as chainstays?

I ask because I have an application that requires very narrow chainstays, and it’s easier to source narrow fork stays than narrow chainstays.

Amir Avitzur
R"G Israel

tho...@kokopedli.com

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Jul 13, 2025, 6:10:15 AMJul 13

to Amir Avitzur, Framebuilders

In my world, that depends on other design criteria that are not mentioned...

Such as length, which fork blades, is the frame a basic diamond build? Or has other modifications...

There used to be "streamline" tube from aircraft spruce, I used some for rear struts on my kokoPedli design and they worked fine ( details available on request ). I remember them as half inch by 1.something 4130 and not too expensive.

noMadic Thomas

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Skip Montanaro

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Jul 13, 2025, 8:35:47 AMJul 13

to Amir Avitzur, Framebuilders, Marc Elliott

Can fork stays be used as chainstays?
I ask because I have an application that requires very narrow chainstays, and it’s easier to source narrow fork stays than narrow chainstays.

I seem to recall at least Bill Lewis (Adirondack Bicycles from Scotia, NY, not the framebuilder of the same name in Texas) sometimes used fork blades as chainstays. Marc Elliott knew Bill quite well and has a few of Bill's bikes. He can perhaps comment (I 've cc'd him).

Skip Montanaro

Evanston IL

Jon Norstog

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Jul 13, 2025, 11:06:09 AMJul 13

to Skip Montanaro, Amir Avitzur, Framebuilders, Marc Elliott

I don't see why not. They won' give you a lot of lateral stiffness, though.

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david levy

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Jul 13, 2025, 11:10:01 AMJul 13

to Amir Avitzur, Framebuilders

Yes, fork blades work fine as chain stays. I’ve been doing this for over 30 years in some of my builds.

Dave Levy
Ti Cycles Fabrication (Bicycle stuff)
Cedar Ridge Fabrication (Car stuff)

15707 NW McNamee Road Portland OR 97231 USA
+1 503-621-9670

Ti Cycles Facebook | Cedar Ridge Facebook

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Cliff McLeroy

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Jul 13, 2025, 5:07:39 PMJul 13

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Unless you've found something different, I don't think you'll find a FB narrower than the 16 mm you'll find in a 30x16 CS.

Mark Bulgier

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Jul 13, 2025, 5:34:30 PMJul 13

to Cliff McLeroy, Framebuilders

Cliff McLeroy wrote:

Unless you've found something different, I don't think you'll find a FB narrower than the 16 mm you'll find in a 30x16 CS.

That was my first thought as well. Plus, squishing a tube to a narrow(er) oval is easily done with a bench vise and wood soft jaws. So use whatever tube you want, then adjust the width to whatever you need.

To whomever said fork blades won't be laterally stiff, I disagree, chainstays are almost always lighter than blades, and typically made of smaller diameter tubing also. Though modern "OS" stays are the exception, they're just as big as blades, but thinner wall (and less stiff).

Anyway if the blades are long enough to be stays (many aren't), then they'll be plenty stiff.

Alex Meade

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Jul 14, 2025, 5:53:10 PMJul 14

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Somebody, somewhere, is (or was) selling 15.5mm x 33.5mm oval chainstays. It might have been Nova selling them. The only reason I know this is I've sold oval tubing blocks in this size to builders over the years. 15.5 is the narrowest I'm aware of, and clearly narrower than fork blades. Of course one can always ovalize one's own to any desired width.