aero540t

I searched briefly, but didn't see much relevance to my situation.
I'm new to Mountain Biking but my friends and I have just gotten into it and have a pretty nice park right in town with some good trails. Anyways my younger brother didn't use his bike anymore so now I've got a 2003-ish Fuji Sunfire we got at a local shop a while ago.

My problem was Sunday we were riding the trails and we ended up in trail that goes through a meadow and ends up in the woods again. It was slightly downhill but I hit a small bump and pulled back a little on the handles because what can I say it's fun to hop a bit. Well I have NO idea how this happened but the front suspension separated from the bike leaving the front wheel connected only by the brake line and me sliding through the hard ground with no shirt on (I was drying off from a puddle). Oh and did I mention I was going pretty fast, I'm going to the doc tomorrow to make sure my shoulder is ok.

I don't remember if the suspension separated while I was in the air or if the wheel hit the ground and then it popped out, all I remember is hitting the ground.

My question...how could that have happened?! I'm new to this but they shouldn't separate like that should they? Maybe I was pushing the limits of the bike?? All I know is I'm pretty sore and pissed about my bike doing this, and now having to pay for a new fork. What should I tell the shop to use?

I appreciate any help

AfterThisNap

pics

Flak

Im going to go ahead and say no, that should not happen.

It sounds to me like you folded the fork up when you landed, we had a similar thread about it recently. I dont see how the stancions could seperate from the lowers when you caught air.

Phatman

Maybe your stem bolts weren't tight enough? when you pulled up, you pulled the stem off of the steerer tube, and the fork, no longer on the ground, fell out of the steerer tube?

at least thats what I'm picturing.

aero540t

I'll try to stop by the shop tomorrow to get a pic or two after work.

I gotta say the suspension was pretty loose by that point, I was kinda rough on it throughout the trails. As in when I pushed down on it there was very little compression in the cylinder, it almost fell all the way down if i pushed.

I thought it used oil in the cylinder to control the suspension but after it came apart I see it's just springs. The front suspension goes down in a "piston" on each side, with a spring on the end, which slips into the cylinder that's connected to the wheel half of the front suspension. Somehow that is where it came apart, the piston coming out of the cylinder. Sorry I'm used to working on cars, haha.

Actually nothing was bent or anything, my friend slipped it back together and let me ride his bike back to the car, while he limped mine back.

z415

If what you say is accurate, that is really bad. I'm glad you are still whole enough to type. There might be a bolt on the bottom of the fork (you should see it if you flip the bike over) that came loose.

Nicer forks have oil dampening, as in very expensive forks.

mlh122

Thats creepy I agree that shouldn't happen. The only thing I could picture happening is the quick release not being clamped correctly and the wheel dropping out, which would usually get caught by the V brakes and just jam and lock up and throw you over, but I can't imagine much going wrong with the fork.
"The front suspension seperated from the bike" isn't very descriptive. perhaps your stanchions weren't bonded to the crown very well? or did something break off? steerer tube crack?

+1 please post pics

Stacey

Extra points for wound pics.

aero540t

I want extra points

They took an Xray and said my shoulder joint separated a little bit but should be fine in a couple weeks, so all in all it wasn't TOO bad.

Here's where it separated at (on both sides):


And that's the bike:


The guy said this bike isn't really made for jumping so when after I had been rough on in through the trails, when I put compression on it, it blew out that piece that holds them together right there.
He's going to try to get it warrantied, but he said the warranty is lifetime on the frame but only two years on the shocks, especially if it was used out of it's range, which it kinda was.

z415

My roommate's old fork was an RST and it had those bolts I talked about. If those bolts are gone, the lower body off the fork comes off just like you described.

albyhellscream

Get a new fork!!! Even if it is repair'able', better dont risk it.It may be fatigued at some place.

aero540t

haha yeah I'm definitely getting a new fork no matter what, I can't have this happen again. That freakin hurt!

Stacey

Hella rad road rash!

10,000 crash points awarded, good show.