Road Cycling - damned pot holes

there is a lake about 5 miles from where i live with a great 15 mile ride around it. i don't see the point in driving up there(like i see so many people doing) so i ride but the streets on the way are full of potholes. I avoid what ones i can but some are just unavoidable.

i was just wondering how much damage going on bumpy roads or hitting the occasional pothole will cause to your bike? and is there something i need to do/check after going on said roads.

also i have a giant OCR2 with a CrMo 1" straightblade threaded fork. would a carbon fork really help in absorbing/dampening some of the shock? and if so what, in your opinions, is the best fork out there?

My feeling is that if you aren't hitting hard enough to snake bite your tube and you remedy any problems you find when doing a quick inspection of spoke tension and wheel trueness after each ride, your bike is probably okay, not sure about your wrists and elbows though :eek:

Would like to here from some who can speak from experience on the benefit of riding a carbon fork as that is an issue I'm wondering about too.

Yo Ed

A carbon fork might help, but some slightly larger tires will definitely help (for about $200 less, at that). I'd try going up 2cm in tire size before dropping huge dough on a carbon fork. The fork will only affect your front end ride, and don't expect a carbon fork to withstand abuse the way a cro-mo fork will. Changing up your tires will soften up the whole ride, resist pinch flats better, and cost $40. The difference in weight is neglible b/w 23cm and 25cm tires.

My 2c
BK

If you ride the road regularly, you should know where all the potholes are, so you can take steps to avoid them or hop over them.
Stand up and hop the front end over the pothole to reduce the shock.
I ride a lot of dirt tracks and hop curbs on my 28mm tyres with no ill effects, but my steel fork is quite a supple one.