Safety with unknown carbon fork.
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Safety with unknown carbon fork.
I just bought an alum. frame off ebay. Perfect frame but a custom without any decals or comapny name. Came with a carbon fiber fork, which has no decals or known company. Should I trust this fork, I've heard horror stories about them breaking and smashing front teeth over a small pothole. Can you tell if its a good or bad carbon fork with out knowing the company?
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Well any carbon fork is going to be under pressure going through a pothole, and if at all possible dont go in a pothole with a carbon fork. I say make sure it has not cracks,the clear coat isn't pealing, and make sure it looks ok. I say then go out and ride it see how it feels and if it feels ok keep riding it.
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Carbon forks can be rode in the city. I've rode my Kinesis and Easton forks on loose brick of all surfaces with no problem....I have logged thousands of city miles on CF forks with no problems at all.
Just remember to check your fork periodically for any signs of stress related damage...the outer clearcoat hazing without any outside abrasions is a good indicator to replace...that usually means there are very fine cracks in a large area in the epoxy...if there are cracks over that big an area, then it's a good idea to pick up a new fork.
That said, I refuse to spend more than $150 on a CF fork, ever. I am very hard on my roadbike, and do not want to risk failures with ultra-light parts, or end up trashing a $400 fork. The Easton I had was a Nashbar "closeout" special...otherwise it would have been over my $150 mark. Kinesis makes solid forks as well....Kinesis is a brand that is also rebadged....check the fork dropouts for their name if you want to find a rebadged Kinesis.
Just remember to check your fork periodically for any signs of stress related damage...the outer clearcoat hazing without any outside abrasions is a good indicator to replace...that usually means there are very fine cracks in a large area in the epoxy...if there are cracks over that big an area, then it's a good idea to pick up a new fork.
That said, I refuse to spend more than $150 on a CF fork, ever. I am very hard on my roadbike, and do not want to risk failures with ultra-light parts, or end up trashing a $400 fork. The Easton I had was a Nashbar "closeout" special...otherwise it would have been over my $150 mark. Kinesis makes solid forks as well....Kinesis is a brand that is also rebadged....check the fork dropouts for their name if you want to find a rebadged Kinesis.