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Broken Front Fork – Buying Advice?

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  • June 13, 2018 at 8:08 pm #28622
    ascutter

    Hi All,

    I have managed to snap the steerer tube on my alaminium front fork. Lucky I felt the steering go and managed to get off the bike before it came totaly apart in my hands! I hit a pot hole earlier in the day quite hard which I guess must have started the failier.

    I am now looking for a replacement fork and wondering if any one could point me in the directing of some buying advice ? I am probably looking to go alaminum seen as carbon are more fragile. I wouldn’t want to spend much over £100 (prefribly less) on the fork seen as the bike was bought second hand for £400. The bike is a Scott Speedster 20.

    Also concerned about the rest of the frame now so wil take it in store for a check up before I spend on a new fork.

    Thanks in advanced for any input.

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  • May 15, 2019 at 9:13 am #921591
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    Argus Tuft

    I saw this cheap hybrid at

    I saw this cheap hybrid at the ferry a while back.He’s piled into something and bent the fork .The fix?-reverse it and keep on riding.The brake still works.If you like your face the way it is,use a steel fork!

    May 15, 2019 at 7:33 am #921589
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    tomilett

    Make that 3. Mine just
    Make that 3. Mine just snapped today as I pulled away from some traffic lights on my way to work. Luckily wasn’t going fast but took a fair chunk of skin off my left hand

    June 16, 2018 at 2:11 pm #921587
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    matthewn5
    Gasman Jim wrote:
    matthewn5 wrote:
    Did you over-tighten the bolt on the top cap? That can do it.

    But on the other hand, that’s a shocking failure. I hit a speed bump every morning and wonder about that happening……

    There is absolutely no way that failure is anything to do with over-tightening the top cap bolt!

    To me looking at the enlarged image, it’s failed just at the point where the diameter reduces, just above the crown race.

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/scott-speedster-road-forks/rp-prod105891

    It’s a point of weakness, that would be stressed by an over-tightened top cap, maybe contributing to work hardening to the point that the metal became brittle?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_hardening

     

     

    June 16, 2018 at 1:46 pm #921585
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    Gasman Jim
    matthewn5 wrote:
    Did you over-tighten the bolt on the top cap? That can do it.

    But on the other hand, that’s a shocking failure. I hit a speed bump every morning and wonder about that happening……

    There is absolutely no way that failure is anything to do with over-tightening the top cap bolt!

    June 16, 2018 at 9:34 am #921583
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    matthewn5

    Did you over-tighten the bolt

    Did you over-tighten the bolt on the top cap? That can do it.

    But on the other hand, that’s a shocking failure. I hit a speed bump every morning and wonder about that happening……

    June 15, 2018 at 11:50 am #921581
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    Tjuice

    I think everyone above has

    I think everyone above has covered all you need, but just wanted to say:

    WOW!   So glad you’re alright – could have been seriously nasty.

     

    As others have said, I wouldn’t worry about CF fork.  Most aluminium bikes these days seem to come with a CF fork – it’s pretty standard.  I’m assuming you’re not planning on making a habit of riding through big potholes.  The only other possible watch-out with CF forks is if you spend a lot of your time with the bike fixed into a turbo trainer (of the type that clamps your front fork in place).  If your turbo training often has you out of the saddle putting some big power into the pedals / handlebars, that can put some big strains on the fork.

    Good luck with Scott – I hope they’ll sort something for you.

    June 15, 2018 at 7:59 am #921579
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    don simon fbpe
    Drinfinity wrote:
    Holy cr*p that’s scary. Assuming it’s not some dreadful seized bearing grinding through the steerer problem, (I don’t see the crown bearing in the photo, presumably it dropped out when the fork went?) that should be sufficient for Scott to reconsider the scope of the recall. 

    The fork should not be the first component that breaks in a debate with a pothole. I would expect a snakebite puncture, rim ding, maybe cracked or buckled wheel, before the crown gives way. 

    The recall notice said they only had one report of failure. Yours makes it two. 

     

    Sizes on a new fork – it appears to be straight ( not tapered) so 1”1/8 which is pretty standard will fit. Headset bearings will have the size/angle marked on. 

     

     

    Totally agree with this.

    This is a result of the front wheel getting caught in a drain at 35kmh, throwing me a good few metres down the road.

    https://flic.kr/p/5UkP5L
    and
    https://flic.kr/p/5UgxVD

    So yes, pursue the maufacturer as this looks like a long term deterioration and probable manufacturing/design problem.
    No marks on my helmet either, I conclude that it saved my life.

    June 15, 2018 at 7:52 am #921577
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    AfterPeak

    Jesus! That is incredible.

    Jesus! That is incredible.

     

    Out of interest is there any sign that a “ring” around the snapped area as wore away?

     

    June 14, 2018 at 5:57 pm #921575
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    Anonymous

    Looks like you need a

    Looks like you need a straight 1 1/8″ straight steerer. You should also know the axle to crown distance and the rake. Differences in these will change the geometry and feel of your bike.

    June 14, 2018 at 5:44 pm #921573
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    David Arthur @davearthur

    That’s not ideal! I’d be

    That’s not ideal! I’d be interested to see what Scott does in this case and if they can help you out with a new fork possibly. You can get replacement carbon forks from the likes of Kinesis which are worth checking out

    June 14, 2018 at 5:37 pm #921571
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    Drinfinity

    Holy cr*p that’s scary.

    Holy cr*p that’s scary. Assuming it’s not some dreadful seized bearing grinding through the steerer problem, (I don’t see the crown bearing in the photo, presumably it dropped out when the fork went?) that should be sufficient for Scott to reconsider the scope of the recall. 

    The fork should not be the first component that breaks in a debate with a pothole. I would expect a snakebite puncture, rim ding, maybe cracked or buckled wheel, before the crown gives way. 

    The recall notice said they only had one report of failure. Yours makes it two. 

     

    Sizes on a new fork – it appears to be straight ( not tapered) so 1”1/8 which is pretty standard will fit. Headset bearings will have the size/angle marked on. 

     

     

    June 14, 2018 at 3:30 pm #921569
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    ascutter

    Canyon48, thank you for the

    Canyon48, thank you for the response and the heads up about the recal. Unfortunatly my model is not covered in that recal. I have got in touch with Scott none the less to see if there’s anything they can do.

    Not a great picture of the break as the bike is sat in a London Evans at the moment. I finished the last 2 miles of a 600 mile charity cycle on a borris bike !!!

    Thanks for the Planet X link.  I don’t know a hell of a lot about fork compatability other thank it needing to be 700cc and rim brake compatable. Is there anything else I need to be aware of ? I’m looking at  the Planet X RT-58a Fork.

     

    June 14, 2018 at 7:42 am #921567
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    Canyon48
    ascutter wrote:
     I am probably looking to go alaminum seen as carbon are more fragile.

    This isn’t true.

    I’m amazed you managed to snap an aluminium steerer as well (very glad you managed to stop before anything catastrophic happened!). Out of curiosity, have you got a picture of the snapped tube?

    I don’t suppose yours is a 2014 model, these were recalled for snapping steerers http://road.cc/content/news/120915-scott-recalls-8000-speedster-bikes

    If your bikes serial number is mentioned there, then I’d try your luck going to a Scott dealer and saying you’ve bought the bike back for the recall and you want the fork changed! If not, they might at least be able to source a replacement fork (though how much it’ll cost I don’t know).

    PlanetX have lots of forks at reasonable prices https://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/components/forks-and-shocks?sort=price-asc

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