Bought a new set of road forks, but...?

Question

The hole at the rear of the forks is too small in diameter to fit the brake calliper nut through, therefore I can't fit a set of brakes.

My LBS can't seem to help me. How can I do this myself? It's a cro-moly set of forks, so would taking a small round file to the hole work, or will that take absolutely ages?

I literally only need to make the hole about 0.5mm wider...grrr

Thanks for any advice

Answer 1

Why are you trying to get the nut through the hole?  Only the bolt goes through the hole, and not the whole bolt either, just the thin part.

Answer 2

I would try reaming it with a bit. I would be concerned about the final seating position though. If the nut and washer seats on a conical surface, not a flat seating surface you may have issues keeping the nut tight. I'd add an extra washer under the nut to help. Another unlikely option would be to find a slightly smaller nut, if possible.

Answer 3

Try to redrill the hole with a right size of auger. That will do the job perfectly well.

Answer 4

i would wrap a smaller bolt around hard sand paper and use a drill to turn it around fast. in a couple of minutes it should eat that extra material without risking the integrity of the fork

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