Post collision carbon fork check

le_grimpeur

Whilst I can't see any damage to the forks, is there anything I should check for?

The collision was reasonably low impact. A dog leapt out of the undergrowth as I was doing 40kph. It was spooked and unfortunately leapt into my bike as opposed to leaping out of the way and 'whumped' into the fork and downtube. Wheel buggered but fixable. Dog yelped and trotted off. I couldn't see any blood, so assumed it's OK.

Bike in question is a Specialized Roubaix

frazerbrown

If there's any doubt do you want to risk it?
Personally I wouldn't.
Sometimes there can be damage without any visible sign,which could lead to serious problems if you keep using it. But it could be perfectly safe as the wheel took the impact by folding! It's a question of weighing up the risks I suppose.

Stellite

I knocked off my bike and still ride the fork. I just ran a fluffy rag up and down the fork, any cracks will catch the fibres of the rag.

Suppose you were there so you will know how serious the off was.

Monty Dog

I did a complete forward roll on my Colnago a few years ago hitting a bank of sand square-on on a downhill to avoid an oncoming car - still riding the same forks, they've ridden Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix a few times since. The most highly stressed part of the fork is the crown / steerer junction, where the bending load of the front wheel is concentrated due to the restraint of the lower headset bearing. Carefully inspect the fork for cracking and bruising - but then again a new fork is probably £150 for your Specialized and how much is the dental bills for new front teeth?

nferrar

Had quite a good crash on my bike last year (coincidentally a Spesh Roubaix), not sure how but even managed to bend the front brake calipers back into the forks. I did some basic checks on the forks though and there was nothing obviously wrong so it comes down to either getting them scanned somewhere, binning them or accepting the risk. the choice is something you alone can make depending on how much risk you're willing to accept. Personally I'm still riding mine and they seem fine, I must admit it does go through my mind occasionally if I'm zipping downhill at 40+mph but I also find myself wondering "what if I have a blow out now?" just as often

bnmcmhn

firstly take a look at this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Nb3Mkv ... 1&index=85

I think the chance of carbon failure with no visible damage is overstated, I would inspect the fork very carefully over the next few rides, and remember to keep checking it regulary. II think you would see some visible changes to the carbon fibre before it would totally fail.