Am I just being paranoid...

theflash800

Hi guys,

Buying a new road bike at the moment.Have a few bikes in mind that are within my budget... some of the lower priced ones have steel forks and the more higher priced bikes have mainly carbon forks...

Obviously carbon is lighter and seems to be the way forward with road bikes. But after reading a few reviews online and hearing a few stories, i'm not sure if I want a carbon fork.

Considering that i'm going to be dishing out my own hard earned cash, I obviously want the best bike that I can afford.

But I keep hearing about how carbon forks can fail. This is making me slightly paranoid about buying a bike with carbon parts...

So basically is it just me being paranoid? Or are carbon forks really a bit dodgey?
Should I only use carbon parts on more higher range bikes?
I'm spending 600-700 euro... At this price range should I avoid carbon?

Any advice or experiences to share would be great

Thanks

Lumen

theflash800 wrote: »

So basically is it just me being paranoid?

Yes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_O9PLorYPA

theflash800

Ok I guess i was just being slightly paranoid...

However what are the life of these forks like?... Do they have a shorter life span than steel forks? about how long should I expect to get out of a carbon fork?

paddymacsporran

+1 on the paranoia.

Forks have to meet safety standards and rigorous testing, buy a decent brand and you'll be fine. I've been using Carbon forks for almost 10 years and never had a problem, never give them a second thought.

Ask the shop/online retailer if their frame/fork meets or exceeds the EN 14781 standard, if it doesn't don't buy it. That way you will have bought peace of mind.

Chips Lovell

theflash800 wrote: »

However what are the life of these forks like?... Do they have a shorter life span than steel forks? about how long should I expect to get out of a carbon fork?

In theory, carbon should last longer.

SurferDude41

Hi There,
Most roadbikes in the €600-800 region, have carbon forks with aluminium steerer tubes...this is where the Handlebar stem clamps to the fork.
So relax, your new bike should almost certainly have an alloy steerer tube:)
I have 7 years on a Trek carbon fork, with an alloy steerer tube, without problems:D

More expensive €1.000+ bikes tend to have full carbon forks, ie the steerer tube is made of carbon. These can fail, if handled incorrectly.
Some unskilled people, tighten the handlebar stem bolts too much. This can cause a stress riser in the carbon matrix, usually with unfortunate consequences:eek:

buzzingnoise

SurferDude41 wrote: »

Hi There,
Most roadbikes in the €600-800 region, have carbon forks with aluminium steerer tubes...this is where the Handlebar stem clamps to the fork.
So relax, your new bike should almost certainly have an alloy steerer tube:)
I have 7 years on a Trek carbon fork, with an alloy steerer tube, without problems:D

More expensive €1.000+ bikes tend to have full carbon forks, ie the steerer tube is made of carbon. These can fail, if handled incorrectly.
Some unskilled people, tighten the handlebar stem bolts too much. This can cause a stress riser in the carbon matrix, usually with unfortunate consequences:eek:

and now i have to check my forks with a torque wrench at 11pm on a sunday night.........!!

Lumen

SurferDude41 wrote: »

So relax, your new bike should almost certainly have an alloy steerer tube:)
I have 7 years on a Trek carbon fork, with an alloy steerer tube, without problems:D

More expensive €1.000+ bikes tend to have full carbon forks, ie the steerer tube is made of carbon. These can fail, if handled incorrectly.

Indeed, there's absolutely no need to worry about the alloy steerer on your Trek.

RoubX

If you end up with complete carbon fork then I find the Ritchey Torque Key brilliant. If you just want to fit the bars/stem or anything else that takes 5Nm then twist it and forget it. BTW the allen key bit also comes out (eventually) so you can fit 5mm bits or any other size you got.