Frame failure at high speed

Phil said:

Someone's frame failed at high speed, and it's all on video.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-162891478515007486&q=Bicycle

One would think that in a downhill speed contest, excess weight is no
penalty, and the frame could have been made stronger. But then again those
wheels look like SPIN or Specialized Tri-spokes...

Anyone happen to know more details?

Just from the video, it looks like the the fork and only the fork
separates from the frame. Maybe the headset was wiggled loose from the
vibration.

Or maybe he slammed on a disc break with a QR skewer... <eg>

....from Wal-Mart! (sorry!)
\\paul

--
Paul M. Hobson
Georgia Institute of Technology
..:change the f to ph to reply:.

On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:26:27 -0500, Paul Hobson <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Phil said:

Someone's frame failed at high speed, and it's all on video.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-162891478515007486&q=Bicycle

One would think that in a downhill speed contest, excess weight is no
penalty, and the frame could have been made stronger. But then again those
wheels look like SPIN or Specialized Tri-spokes...

Anyone happen to know more details?

Just from the video, it looks like the the fork and only the fork
separates from the frame. Maybe the headset was wiggled loose from the
vibration.

A failed or loose headset wouldn't have had that result; the wheel
would have stayed with the rest of the bike even if the failure caused
a spill.

It appears that the bars went forward with the wheel, which indicates
a frame failure. If it was a carbon-fiber frame of the type that uses
CF tubes glued to metal stubs, I'd expect that the failure was a glue
joint separation.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

It's a good thing he wore clean underwear.

Brian Huntley said:

It's a good thing he wore clean underwear.

It's also a good thing he wore a -- [must resist...MUST RESIST]

(sorry)
\\paul

In article <[email hidden]>,

Paul Hobson said:

Phil said:

Someone's frame failed at high speed, and it's all on video.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-162891478515007486&q=Bicycle

One would think that in a downhill speed contest, excess weight is no
penalty, and the frame could have been made stronger. But then again those
wheels look like SPIN or Specialized Tri-spokes...

Anyone happen to know more details?

Just from the video, it looks like the the fork and only the fork
separates from the frame. Maybe the headset was wiggled loose from the
vibration.

Or maybe he slammed on a disc break with a QR skewer... <eg>

The critical picture frames are not there. Could also be
the head tube separating from the down tube.

--
Michael Press

Michael Press said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Paul Hobson said:

Phil said:

Someone's frame failed at high speed, and it's all on video.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-162891478515007486&q=Bicycle

One would think that in a downhill speed contest, excess weight is
no penalty, and the frame could have been made stronger. But then
again those wheels look like SPIN or Specialized Tri-spokes...

Anyone happen to know more details?

Just from the video, it looks like the the fork and only the fork
separates from the frame. Maybe the headset was wiggled loose from
the vibration.

Or maybe he slammed on a disc break with a QR skewer... <eg>

The critical picture frames are not there. Could also be
the head tube separating from the down tube.

It's almost certainly that. This is a classic failure during dirt jumps and
downhill MTB runs.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

In article <[email hidden]>, Paul Hobson

Quoted message said:

Brian Huntley said:

It's a good thing he wore clean underwear.

It's also a good thing he wore a -- [must resist...MUST RESIST]

(sorry)
\\paul

But a bad thing the strap released, broke or wasn't fastened to begin
with. But let's leave that for another thread...

Luke

Phil said:

Anyone happen to know more details?

I saw that clip in a TV-program. He was trying to set a new speed record
of some kind. The bike was a custom made thing with a carbon fiber
frame, designed with aerodynamics in mind and the frame just snapped at
the head tube junction on his final try. They guy riding the bike wasn't
seriously hurt though.

he broke the right collar bone, no?