How do I go about choosing a replacement front suspension fork on Arrow 9?

[neptronix]

Yes, you need all the tools necessary to install and remove crown races. The cost of tools is 10x that of the procedure, so think about how often you'll be doing this before investing in tools.

You also need the knowledge part so there's a lot of reading involved to get this right ( this is one part of the bike you don't want to get wrong and the appropriate headset depends on how the frame was designed )

 

[Chalo]

Yes, you need all the tools necessary to install and remove crown races. The cost of tools is 10x that of the procedure, so think about how often you'll be doing this before investing in tools.

If you won't be doing it much, a screwdriver and a mallet usually work for removing crown races, and a piece of PVC pipe and the same mallet usually work for installing a new one.

I would be somewhat suspicious of a pro shop using those things as a first resort, but after "real" tools have failed I often use the screwdriver method to dislodge a stubborn crown race.

Headset cups can be driven out with a piece of pipe/rod and a hammer, and reinstalled with a piece of all thread and some washers and nuts. That's hokier than using the real tools, but it also works.

 

[gromike]

I drive crown races out with a copper bar and a hammer. For some reason I have a lot of copper.

 

[2old]

The "tool" you'll need is a press to install the cups for the headset. At various times I made the one from a long bolt and large washers or pounded them in with a soft hammer and flat piece of wood to protect the parts. Probably you could get the bike shop to do just that step. You can remove the existing "cups" with a screwdriver and tapping around the edges to drive them out. Also you'll need to remove the race on the fork and replace it with one from the new headset.

 

[Zambam]

Watched a couple of videos on converting from threaded to threadless, very helpful to see what the parts look like.

 

[neptronix]

XCR32 LO R AIR

This would be a good entry level air fork to get. I have on my upright bike and the ride quality is great. Since your sitting position on this kind of bike is more forward, you will get an even bigger suspension benefit than me.