Carbon Fork Damage

Allan Leedy said:

Ti bike, carbon fork, metal steerer tube. It was involved in a crash with
injuries and a broken helmet. Only visible effect on bike was a twisted
seatpost. LBS wants to replace the forks, even though there isn't a mark or
a sign of stress or damage. Does that make any sense at all? As long as
there is a wheel fixed in the dropouts, it's hard for me to see how the
forks could be damaged or stressed by impact without leaving some visible
evidence.

be safe or sorry.....easy choice replace. Face plants on a roadie r no
fun. It already had one crash (with injuries), don't be the second one.

I crashed as well and have ridden safely for 3 years. But I know how the
impact was delivered to my shoulder and not the bike. My helmet was
fractured as well. Still based on my accident which will be different than
yours it's your call and your life on the line.
You have to judge if the bike fork was impacted.
My accident happened so fast I did not know that I had a fractured helmet,
but saw a bruise on my head 2 days later, and checking the helmet -
fractured !
Collar bone broken, lung punctured. To this day collar bone still not healed
but I ride still - more conservatively.
Good luck-
something to consider about a carbon fork, is that it could be damaged and
you won't know it by looking at it. There is resin and carbon fibers. It
could be weakened without showing a craze in the paint or top surface.
Other forum regulars should comment, take advise as you see fit.
greg 🙂
"Allan Leedy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ti bike, carbon fork, metal steerer tube. It was involved in a crash with
injuries and a broken helmet. Only visible effect on bike was a twisted
seatpost. LBS wants to replace the forks, even though there isn't a mark
or
a sign of stress or damage. Does that make any sense at all? As long as
there is a wheel fixed in the dropouts, it's hard for me to see how the
forks could be damaged or stressed by impact without leaving some visible
evidence.

Quoted message said:

something to consider about a carbon fork, is that it could be damaged and
you won't know it by looking at it. There is resin and carbon fibers. It
could be weakened without showing a craze in the paint or top surface.

=======
I can't help but think of the new Boeing Dreamliner when I read this post.

g said:

something to consider about a carbon fork, is that it could be damaged and
you won't know it by looking at it. There is resin and carbon fibers. It
could be weakened without showing a craze in the paint or top surface.

Indeed. I had a carbon fork that was apparently damaged in shipping. It
looked fine initially but showed cracks on the inside of each blade
coming forward from the wide spot below the crown within 30 miles.

Allan Leedy said:

Ti bike, carbon fork, metal steerer tube. It was involved in a crash with
injuries and a broken helmet. Only visible effect on bike was a twisted
seatpost. LBS wants to replace the forks, even though there isn't a mark or
a sign of stress or damage. Does that make any sense at all? As long as
there is a wheel fixed in the dropouts, it's hard for me to see how the
forks could be damaged or stressed by impact without leaving some visible
evidence.

testing and caution are the keys to safe fork use - "crashed" or new.

assuming it passed close visual inspection:

1. grip the fork ends both in one hand and squeeze as hard as you can.
2. place fork between two blocks of wood so it bridges the gap. should
be able to support your full body weight.

in both cases, if testing makes any creaking or groaning or cracking
noises, discard and destroy. [same applied for any carbon componentry
in use - creaking and cracking noises are /bad/ news. do /not/
ignore!!!] of not, i'd continue use. i ride a "crashed" fork almost
daily. no problems.

Isn't that the truth! I said to someone that if this fork advice is for
real, I'm never setting foot in that airplane. Ever.

On 7/11/07 7:06 PM, in article
[email hidden], "Callistus Valerius"

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

something to consider about a carbon fork, is that it could be damaged and
you won't know it by looking at it. There is resin and carbon fibers. It
could be weakened without showing a craze in the paint or top surface.

=======
I can't help but think of the new Boeing Dreamliner when I read this post.

Allan Leedy said:

Isn't that the truth! I said to someone that if this fork advice is for
real, I'm never setting foot in that airplane. Ever.

it's b.s. chopper rotors have been composites for 30 years. they put
up with all kinds of abuse, including bullet holes.

Quoted message said:

On 7/11/07 7:06 PM, in article
[email hidden], "Callistus Valerius"

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

something to consider about a carbon fork, is that it could be damaged and
you won't know it by looking at it. There is resin and carbon fibers. It
could be weakened without showing a craze in the paint or top surface.

=======
I can't help but think of the new Boeing Dreamliner when I read this post.

Callistus Valerius said:

I can't help but think of the new Boeing Dreamliner when I read this post.

I have a cousin who works in the aviation industry and she told me that they
have to check a wing with ultrasound after a hammer has been dropped by a
technician.

Derk

Allan Leedy said:

Quoted message said:

I can't help but think of the new Boeing Dreamliner when I read this post.

Isn't that the truth! I said to someone that if this fork advice is for
real, I'm never setting foot in that airplane. Ever.

They will have a pretty strict inspection regimen for it,
probably using ultrasound to sense internal flaws.
I bet one could use a similar test on bike forks, but
few would pay for it. They test aluminum airplanes too.
Most aluminum bikes and parts recieve only cursory
inspections, and I wouldn't want to fly in an aluminum
airplane that was maintained as haphazardly as a typical
aluminum bicycle.

Ben

"Allan Leedy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Isn't that the truth! I said to someone that if this fork advice is for
real, I'm never setting foot in that airplane. Ever.

Plan on driving a lot in upcoming years.

--
Phil

Quoted message said:

in both cases, if testing makes any creaking or groaning or cracking
noises, discard and destroy. [same applied for any carbon componentry
in use - creaking and cracking noises are /bad/ news. do /not/
ignore!!!] of not, i'd continue use. i ride a "crashed" fork almost
daily. no problems.

-----------
I was involved in a pack crash, I went down sideways on the non-drive side,
and the rider behind me rode over the seat stay, and left a tire burn on my
leg from his spinning rear tire. The bike was a Trek 5200. I've ridden
10,000 miles since on it, with no problem. It was years ago, and wasn't
aware that a problem with the CF could come about due to a situation like
this, so sometimes ignorance is bliss. Now with what I know, if I enter
these mass demolition derbys I ride my Trek 1000 with a cro-moly fork, and
MA3 wheels. I'll do the CF mashing.

Callistus Valerius said:

Quoted message said:

in both cases, if testing makes any creaking or groaning or cracking
noises, discard and destroy. [same applied for any carbon componentry
in use - creaking and cracking noises are /bad/ news. do /not/
ignore!!!] of not, i'd continue use. i ride a "crashed" fork almost
daily. no problems.

-----------
I was involved in a pack crash, I went down sideways on the non-drive side,
and the rider behind me rode over the seat stay, and left a tire burn on my
leg from his spinning rear tire. The bike was a Trek 5200. I've ridden
10,000 miles since on it, with no problem. It was years ago, and wasn't
aware that a problem with the CF could come about due to a situation like
this, so sometimes ignorance is bliss. Now with what I know, if I enter
these mass demolition derbys I ride my Trek 1000 with a cro-moly fork, and
MA3 wheels. I'll do the CF mashing.

but your steel will bend before their carbon will crack. why protect
/their/ gear by sacrificing your own?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I was involved in a pack crash, I went down sideways on the non-drive

side,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and the rider behind me rode over the seat stay, and left a tire burn on

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

leg from his spinning rear tire. The bike was a Trek 5200. I've ridden
10,000 miles since on it, with no problem. It was years ago, and wasn't
aware that a problem with the CF could come about due to a situation

like

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

this, so sometimes ignorance is bliss. Now with what I know, if I enter
these mass demolition derbys I ride my Trek 1000 with a cro-moly fork,

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

MA3 wheels. I'll do the CF mashing.

but your steel will bend before their carbon will crack. why protect
/their/ gear by sacrificing your own?

--------
LOL, you got me there.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

in both cases, if testing makes any creaking or groaning or cracking
noises, discard and destroy. [same applied for any carbon componentry
in use - creaking and cracking noises are /bad/ news. do /not/
ignore!!!] of not, i'd continue use. i ride a "crashed" fork almost
daily. no problems.

Callistus Valerius said:

I was involved in a pack crash, I went down sideways on the non-drive side,
and the rider behind me rode over the seat stay, and left a tire burn on my
leg from his spinning rear tire. The bike was a Trek 5200. I've ridden
10,000 miles since on it, with no problem. It was years ago, and wasn't
aware that a problem with the CF could come about due to a situation like
this, so sometimes ignorance is bliss. Now with what I know, if I enter
these mass demolition derbys I ride my Trek 1000 with a cro-moly fork, and
MA3 wheels. I'll do the CF mashing.

"left a tire burn on my leg from his spinning rear tire"

Or a skid mark. Humans don't have nearly the torque you might imagine.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Quoted message said:

"left a tire burn on my leg from his spinning rear tire"

Or a skid mark. Humans don't have nearly the torque you might imagine.
--

My bike was down on the ground sideways, and he went over my seat stay, when
his rear wheel come off of that, he spun the wheel, in the air, and it
landed on my leg, he crashed after that also. About 20 of us went down.
Like you know, these things happen quick, but when when they're happening it
seems like it's in slow motion. I don't know how he got on top of the seat
stay, but I'm guessing he got shoved from behind. It was quite a mess.
Nothing like the total silence immediately after everyone was on the ground.
It kind of made me mad, because I don't like being in the middle of the
pack, so I fight to be on the side of it, but I let my guard down, and by
the time the crash hit, I was three riders in, so there was no escape.