Gran Fondo

A little background: 2014 Cannondale Supersix Evo Hi-Mod, picked up in October 2013. Ridden about 2800 miles since then, including 5 road races and 1 crit. I noticed recently that the front brake wouldn't stay tight on the fork, and would end up dragging the right brake pad on the rim. I'd tighten it, and the next ride or two, it would loosen up again. I'd tighten in again (this time using thread locker), and it would loosen up again within the next two rides. Took the bike to the shop where I bought it, and discovered a crack in the bridge inside the fork where the caliper bolt goes through. Initially, they said not safety concern and were going to explore methods to keep the caliper tight. Note, there are no cracks or signs of abnormalities anywhere else on the fork. Tapping fingers everywhere indicates solid structure. Cannondale is willing to replace the fork and frame, but only have non-desirable colors available. So I called Calfee Design - they don't work on forks - neither does their competition. I can't find any aftermarket fork with a 1-1/8 to 1-1/4 taper steerer and 45mm rake. Finally, used ones on eBay look sketchy. So, I am entertaining the idea of bonding a small, thin aluminum insert to bridge the crack so that the caliper will stay tight. Your honest opinion about whether you'd feel confident doing the same or if you would go with a non-desired color scheme replacement frame/fork is appreciated.

grolby

Seriously? Don't be such a princess. Cannondale is offering a replacement fork for free. TAKE. IT. A loosening brake caliper is a safety concern itself, even if the fork crown itself doesn't fail. Which I wouldn't feel confident about. And I wouldn't bodge a repair with an insert. Just take a new fork, or frame and fork if they must match.

mlander

+1

gsa103

Warranty it.

Seriously. A sketchy front brake isn't worth it. If you're absolutely set on getting a black fork to match your curret frame you could always pay cash and get an ENVE fork instead.

Gran Fondo

They won't replace just the fork. They mandate a full frame and fork replacement. Labor is not covered, so I'd have to pay $300 in labor (they won't let the owner do it for liability reasons). That is part of the reason I am entertaining the notion of just buying a fork myself. My bike is white with black and minor red (it's the 2014 Hi-Mod Dura Ace 1). The replacement options are the team colors (with the green that I despise and blue) or an all charcoal colored one. I'm willing to accept the latter, but it won't be available until the end of August. I can't go without a bike that long, and I have two races scheduled by then, with a series that I am in top three point contention. I don't want to to miss the races. To top off all this, and I know this is not on top of everybody's agenda, but I'm a fan of matching. All of my gear matches my bike (black, white, red, yellow). I also have an expensive saddle and race wheelset that won't match either of the replacement options. Details, I know, but I'm finicky like that.

hack

Can you go to a different dealer and have Cannondale warranty your bike from existing stock? In the interim, you could grab an aftermarket fork and then sell it on ebay or craigslist after your warranty is figured out.

Elvo

$300 seems a bit high to build a bike from scratch. Try to become buddies with a bike shop and do their group rides and they'll usually charge you the tune up price for a bike build.

RJM

I would take a bright pink, purple, and orange 80's motif bike before I would ride a fork that could fail and send my face into the pavement on some speedy downhill. Seriously, take the new stuff.

rpenmanparker 

In plastics technology many materials are notch and crack sensitive (and plastic is what we are talking about here). Notches or cracks act as stress concentrators and propagate a failure down (or across) an entire structure. Perhaps you have experienced the inability to tear a plastic tape until you cut a small notch in it with a scissors. Same thing here. Don't even think about continuing to ride this fork.

rpenmanparker 

If you are serious about racing, it sounds like you need N+1 in order to always be sure you have a ride.

3alarmer 

...I thought you do this anyway ? #nttawwt

WhyFi

Is this Cannondale's published warranty policy or is the shop telling you this? That wouldn't be a satisfactory answer to me.

WhyFi

Indeed, it is -

I just looked at the Jamis warranty, and it's the same - labor not included - yet I've had two pieces (brake/shifter and seatpost) replaced under warranty and free of charge. I'm guessing that it's up to the discretion of the shop.

Leinster

Agreed. It's not much of a warranty if there's still charges that run half the price of the frameset. And more than the price of a new fork.

kleng

With a frame and fork arrangement, do you get to keep the old frame as it's not damaged. ?
You could then sell it off to cover the labor costs.

You could try epoxying it while you wait for the new frame, something like 3m DP460ns

https://solutions.3m.com.au/3MContent...bute=ImageFile

hack

Out of curiosity...any idea what would have caused the issue and was the primary symptom just an inability to keep the brake tight? No issues with stability or anything?

bt

throttle down maverick

rpenmanparker 

Why is the bringer of the technically correct answer that supports caution always criticized for his fervor on the 41? Is technical knowledge so scary to the left brained. Is the suggestion that one's freedom to do exactly as he pleases may be infringed so unattractive. Is one's enthusiasm for his area of expertise threatening in some way. I don't get it. It's just advice. Take it or leave it.

bt

maybe it's your delivery, we're all friends you can use laymen terms.

LesterOfPuppets

The real question is whether an approved shop has to do the work.

hueyhoolihan

the pic's fuzzy. i don't see anything wrong with the fork...

Gran Fondo

Cannondale rep estimated the replacement cost of the Hi-Mod fork at $500, but you can't buy one.

Gran Fondo

No, they won't break down another bike in order to provide like-for-like replacement parts. Can't say I blame them either.

Gran Fondo

Overtightened brake caliper nut? In any case, Cannondale came through and found a replacement fork, but it is of the team colors. So, just fork swap in a few days (hopefully). Until then, I'm riding the current fork. There is no instability or any sign of structural integrity being jeopardized. The split is in the tube that the brake caliper bolt goes through, NOT the fork itself. So at the end of August, I plan to send the replacement fork to Calfee to get painted to match.

Nachoman

The first step to recovery is realizing you have a problem.