Scooter Forks

Scooter forks / Introduction

See components


A scooter fork has three main parts: the vertical steerer tube, the two fork legs that hold the wheel, and the crown at the bottom of the steerer tube where the headset sits.

The steerer tube connects to the bar at the top. Most forks have a steerer tube diameter of about 28 mm.

The crown sits at the bottom of the steerer tube and holds the crown race — the lower bearing surface of the headset.

Fork offset changes where the wheel sits relative to the bar. Zero offset puts the wheel more directly under the bar, which makes bar spins and nose manuals easier. Forks with offset push the wheel further forward for more directional stability — a bit like a shopping cart caster.

Scooter forks / Threadless vs. threaded

See the selection of scooters


Threadless:
Threadless forks are what pro riders use. The steerer tube is smooth on the outside and needs a threadless headset plus a compression system (ICS, HIC, IHC or SCS). This setup is strong and widely upgradeable.

Threaded:
Threaded forks appear on budget scooters. They use a threaded headset, which is weaker than threadless, harder to maintain and offers very few upgrade options. Mostly suited to beginners.

Scooter forks / Compression bolt types

“Threadless” only means there is no external thread on the steerer tube. Almost all threadless forks still have an internal thread for the compression bolt — except some ICS setups where the bolt threads into the star nut instead.

Compression bolts come in different lengths and styles — short, long and with caps. Short bolts work with HIC, IHC and SCS. Long bolts are mainly for ICS.

Scooter forks / Fork crown types

The crown sits at the bottom of the steerer tube and carries the crown race. On most forks the crown race is a separate ring that must be pressed onto the crown with a special tool.

Removing a pressed crown race can be difficult.

Some forks have an integrated crown race built into the crown, which makes installation easier. The trade-off: they only work with integrated threadless headsets.

Scooter forks / Steerer tube length

See components

Forks come with different steerer tube lengths to match different decks. Headtube height varies by brand, and the headset adds to the total stack — so the right length depends on your compression system, deck and headset.