all carbon fork w/ carbon dropouts - ID??

Quoted message said:

I saw an all carbon fiber fork at a flea market with no decals. Even the front wheel dropouts were
carbon, while all the forks I see in catalogs

have

Quoted message said:

aluminum droputs. This one appears to be aero style with the upper legs wide (side view) and the
frontal view shows the legs narrow at the top

third

Quoted message said:

then curving out in the lower half to meet the hub.

I think you made a wise choice passing them up. Clamping a quick release onto carbon fiber doesn't
seem like a good idea, and the lack of decals indicates this might not be from a reputable firm.
Your life depends upon your fork... it's one area I don't think you should take chances.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I saw an all carbon fiber fork at a flea market with no decals. Even

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

front wheel dropouts were carbon, while all the forks I see in catalogs

have

Quoted message said:

aluminum droputs. This one appears to be aero style with the upper legs wide (side view) and the
frontal view shows the legs narrow at the top

third

Quoted message said:

then curving out in the lower half to meet the hub.

I think you made a wise choice passing them up. Clamping a quick release onto carbon fiber doesn't
seem like a good idea, and the lack of decals indicates this might not be from a reputable firm.
Your life depends upon your fork... it's one area I don't think you should take chances.

Have you seen many failures with carbon parts of any kind (not just forks). If so, then is there a
pattern to the cause of failure? Why would clamping a wheel be dangerous? Is it the pressure or the
scratches caused by the teeth of the skewer leading to cracks?

Pressure - stems are clamped on the steerer and no one here has complained about that. One
manufacturer (Colnago??)has a design to minimize the danger of scratches from clamping a stem by
using a flat spot on the rear side of the steerer so the stem clamp edges do not make contact with
the steerer.

So far the only fork I've found with fiber dropouts is the Wolf on the Cervelo webpage, but there's
no details there.

... still curious about this fork... -Bruce

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

Quoted message said:

Pressure - stems are clamped on the steerer and no one here has complained about that. One
manufacturer (Colnago??)has a design to minimize the danger of scratches from clamping a stem by
using a flat spot on the rear side of the steerer so the stem clamp edges do not make contact with
the steerer.

Conversely, there are stem designs intended to avoid damage to CF steerer tubes; Thomson is one
maker that springs to mind, no doubt there are others too.

David E. Belcher

Dept. of Chemistry, University of York

Still no comments of any brands of forks that have zero metal in the droputs. IOW, the carbon
fibers extend all the way to the dropouts. Does anyone know of any forks that have no metal in
the dropouts?

Earlier I mentioned a manufacturer who discussed stress raisers and flat spots for the stem
attachment region. That was Easton in their seatpost and fork. I found that in a PDF file on their
webpage: "Relief Area Design"

-Bruce Frech

"David E. Belcher" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Bruce" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Pressure - stems are clamped on the steerer and no one here has

complained

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

about that. One manufacturer (Colnago??)has a design to minimize the

danger

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of scratches from clamping a stem by using a flat spot on the rear side

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the steerer so the stem clamp edges do not make contact with the

steerer.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Conversely, there are stem designs intended to avoid damage to CF steerer tubes; Thomson is one
maker that springs to mind, no doubt there are others too.

David E. Belcher

Dept. of Chemistry, University of York

Quoted message said:

Have you seen many failures with carbon parts of any kind (not just

forks).

Quoted message said:

If so, then is there a pattern to the cause of failure? Why would

clamping

Quoted message said:

a wheel be dangerous? Is it the pressure or the scratches caused by the teeth of the skewer
leading to cracks?

Carbon seatposts and bars have repeatedly demonstrated that carbon doesn't like to be compressed in
use. True, that's for a hollow carbon structure, and a fork dropout wouldn't be made that way. But I
suspect that even in a flat structure carbon wouldn't be an ideal material to exert large clamping
forces, since the epoxy matrix that holds it together would probably be subject to cracking.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

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

Quoted message said:

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I saw an all carbon fiber fork at a flea market with no decals. Even

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

front wheel dropouts were carbon, while all the forks I see in

catalogs

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

have

Quoted message said:

aluminum droputs. This one appears to be aero style with the upper

legs

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

wide (side view) and the frontal view shows the legs narrow at the top

third

Quoted message said:

then curving out in the lower half to meet the hub.

I think you made a wise choice passing them up. Clamping a quick

release

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

onto carbon fiber doesn't seem like a good idea, and the lack of decals indicates this might not
be from a reputable firm. Your life depends

upon

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

your fork... it's one area I don't think you should take chances.

Have you seen many failures with carbon parts of any kind (not just

forks).

Quoted message said:

If so, then is there a pattern to the cause of failure? Why would

clamping

Quoted message said:

a wheel be dangerous? Is it the pressure or the scratches caused by the teeth of the skewer
leading to cracks?

Pressure - stems are clamped on the steerer and no one here has complained about that. One
manufacturer (Colnago??)has a design to minimize the

danger

Quoted message said:

of scratches from clamping a stem by using a flat spot on the rear side of the steerer so the stem
clamp edges do not make contact with the steerer.

So far the only fork I've found with fiber dropouts is the Wolf on the Cervelo webpage, but
there's no details there.

... still curious about this fork... -Bruce