Originally Posted by
selospa
crome fork that has a definate folded crease 1/4 inch from the tailing point of the fork crown (back side of the fork - left side). He was riding with my wife this evening on clear, dry, smooth roads travelling about 20mph when the bike stopped and he sailed over the bars. The only explaination i can come up with is that the fork fatigued and the tire jammed against the sloping down tube. Has anyone heard of this happening before?
a steel fork does not fail in the manner you describe. they may crack & break ,normally at the steerer or just below the crown, or bend *forward* due to the head angle & fork rake /offset. bending rearward can only happen from a frontal impact ,or something violently jamming between the fork blades or crown.
personally, the description of events sounds to me like another "i was just riding along... when all of the sudden..." CYA stories. considering that the wheel/tyre are intact and that there's no obvious component/mechanical failures such as the front brake caliper,my vote is that he either picked something up off the road which jammed behind the crown or the road was not as smooth or clear as described- perhaps a stick,etc.,a pothole,maybe even catching a drain grate.