From: jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org
Subject: Re: Question about ride quality of aluminium with carbon stays
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Message-ID: <WeM5b.18370$dk4.591720@typhoon.sonic.net>
Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2003 19:19:18 GMT

Maurizio Soppa writes:

>> That's the point.  Reviewers are fashion critics and rarely have any
>> idea about what they write.  It needs to sound good but contain no
>> data or proofs of reality.

> True.

>> Absolutely.  In fact, until they came on the market we never heard
>> of a fork disintegrating while riding along.  This is a relatively
>> common occurrence with carbon forks.

> I guess you can easily provide some data or proofs or reality on
> what you've just written.

Well, let me restrict that a bit:

In fact, until they came on the market -I- never heard of a fork
disintegrating while riding along.  I have heard of from riders who
witnessed them and from the bicycle shop mechanics that carbon forks
had failed without striking an object.  One of these occurred shortly
after a high speed descent, in the flat run-out after the hill.

It could be that these people are making these stories up and that it
is a smear campaign.  I believe them.

Jobst Brandt
jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org

From: jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org
Subject: Re: Question about ride quality of aluminium with carbon stays
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Message-ID: <RUe6b.19003$dk4.600989@typhoon.sonic.net>
Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2003 06:12:01 GMT

David L. Johnson writes:

>> If only I could turn back the clock 20 years, and we could have a
>> discussion about the dangers of the improperly-designed steel forks
>> out there...

> You know, this reminds me of another thread, where Jobst was talking
> about a failed Cinelli fork.  That would be a steel fork that failed
> while, possibly, just riding along.

This occurred twice and each time one fork blade cracked at the rear
at the point where the internal lug of the Cinelli fork crown ended
abruptly, internal lugs not being accessible to file them to feather
out the way external lugs are treated.  This was not a crash inducing
event, since the crack closed upon applying the brake to stop.  I was
amazed how well a bicycles handles with only one fork blade.

>>> There are people in the local cycling club who have had carbon
>>> fork failures while "just riding along", complete with medical
>>> bills.

> But there are a _lot_ of carbon forks out there now, and I have yet
> to see one that failed with no accident or other damage to cause it.
> It really can't be that common a thing.  Possible?  Sure.  Common?
> No.

As I said, riders with whom I ride witnessed failures in which the
fork disintegrated, not just got soft or had one fork blade fail. The
front wheel was not attached to the bicycle.  Of course not every fall
is a serious one, especially when the rider is under age 30.

Jobst Brandt
jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org