Originally Posted by
abdon
If you don't mind sharing how did they break?
Honestly all fork failures I have seen are the consequence of hitting or getting hit by something. The fork breaking did not add much to the immediate danger of the crash. In some cases you could have argued that the fork should not have done that but the crash itself was still the number one risk to life and limb.
#1 was on my balloon tire bomber in the mid 1960s, a Rollfast. The steerer broke at the threading, thankfully just above the stem's wedge. Can't say much more as I was only about 11 years old, the shop that replaced the fork is where I ended up managing about 10 years later.
#2 was on my first Fuji Finest, the 1973 model bought with my first checking account. The right fork dropout fractured/cracked between the slot and the blade end, much like the common Campy rear dropout failure and likely due the same reasons (too much heat during brazing, undercutting the blade end during the filing/grinding and chrome plating). This bike got a "warranty" replacement fork that in hindsight I suspect was the dealer's way of getting rid of me and likely didn't come from the Fuji distributer.
Over my years of shop work I have seen a number of fork failures. Some from poor design and/or poor manufacturing. A lot from rider "error". Andy