Bicycle Mechanics - Chip on carbon fork - problem?

Hi Guys

I just received shipment of my new Allez Elite 2005 road bike -- slight bummer though because there is a small chip on one of the front forks. I don't know much about the failure modes of carbon fibre, so I'm not sure if this is just a trivial cosmetic problem, or if its possibly dangerous and I should return the bike to the dealer.

If anyone can advise, I've got two close-in photos of the chip on my website:

http://niall.addr.com/images/fork-1.png
http://niall.addr.com/images/fork-2.png

Hopefully its nothing to worry about -- but I don't like the idea of going kaput at 40kph!

Thanks...

Niall

I've just noticed those links don't seem to load with Firefox, but IE works ok.

Hi Guys

I just received shipment of my new Allez Elite 2005 road bike -- slight bummer though because there is a small chip on one of the front forks. I don't know much about the failure modes of carbon fibre, so I'm not sure if this is just a trivial cosmetic problem, or if its possibly dangerous and I should return the bike to the dealer.

If anyone can advise, I've got two close-in photos of the chip on my website:

http://niall.addr.com/images/fork-1.png
http://niall.addr.com/images/fork-2.png

Hopefully its nothing to worry about -- but I don't like the idea of going kaput at 40kph!

Thanks...

NiallI don't understand why people don't go back to the dealer with issues like this.If it took a serious hit, it could be a problem.

Well -- its because he is 200 miles away and if its only superficial I would prefer not to have the hassle of shipping it to and fro.

Well -- its because he is 200 miles away and if its only superficial I would prefer not to have the hassle of shipping it to and fro.
Any answer you get here is just uninformed opinion.You ae probably in a better position to judge.

return it. why live with it when you don't have to?

If you can return it I would just to get a new bike, but it looks like just a paint chip. If that is the case you should be fine. Scratches are what you need to really worry about.

Looks like it's only down to the primer, but the fork obviously took some kind of hit. You really have no way of knowing how it was hit. I'd get it replaced if you can. More than likely it is ok, but why risk it?

Even if the fork took a significant hit, probably no need to return the whole bike. It's not too difficult to remove the fork and ship it back by itself. The shop can cut the new fork to match the old one, so everything should fit perfectly when you reinstall. I personally would not settle for a brand new carbon fiber component with even cosmetic damage.

Have it checked by the dealer or a local LBS, this could be crisis-type stuff.
A catastrophic failure in the fork leaves you not pretty, maybe dead.
200 miles is a comfortable drive, I'd take it back immediately if there was any indication of possible failure.

I am no expert, but that does not look like carbon to me. The only carbon I have seen looks like a black weaved pattern. This looks like chipped paint revealing a metallic material underneath. Is there someone out there that can confirm this looks like carbn?

http://niall.addr.com/images/fork-2.png

The clear coat and paint is chipped down to the primer coat. CF doesn't crack or chip, it just breaks.