mustang1

Convert it to a Leftie.

An impact like that to break a carbon fork would easily have screwed up a steel fork. A new fork would be required regardless if it's steel or CF. Glad you're alright!

Doctor Morbius

So it was a shin on collision?

CliffordK

Actually, it is hard to say how a steel fork would have fared.

It appears as if a significant amount of the damage was abrasion damage. The paint would have been toast. But, it depends a bit on how much of direct frontal impact it took vs a grinding/glancing side impact.

This may be one of those things that CF does poorly with, focal impacts and deep abrasion.

You could ask your new found friend if he would be willing to repeat the experiment with a steel bike.

Of course, we could all be sitting around here debating whether a steel fork with deep dents and scratches, and perhaps somewhat out of alignment would be rideable or repairable.

TimothyH

The fact that it is hard to say isn't a deterrent around here.

vinfix

Exploding carbon is great thread fodder, but I think there's a bigger controversy brewing. E-bikes! It sounds like this incident happened on a bike path or MUP- typically motorized vehicles are NOT allowed on them. I see more ebikes all the time. I live on a hill that's popular for roadies, but I've been seeing people zipping by a impossibly fast. Then I see it's an e-bike.

gregf83 

It was two bikes on a narrow path with a blind corner. I was going about 24kph and I doubt the e-bike was going any faster. His e-bike was limited to 32kph so my guess was he was going slower than me. The e-bike is heaver than a road bike but that was not the cause of the accident.

bikecrate

I've posted before about a woman on a cruiser bike who came around a blind corner on my side of a path. I swerved a bit and avoided a head on, but got broadsided. Bent my front wheel and large chain ring. Also, screwed up my leg, which still has issues three years later. Worse accident I've ever had. You got off light.

redfooj

Did you die?

Or atleast lose some teeth? Each tooth = 1 new cervelo on the road.

igorek

Is it possible to fix or is it better to get a new fork?

noodle soup

Most CF repair companies will not repair forks, due to the fact that the insurance company that most repair shops will not allow it. Replacing the fork won't be a problem, but it's often impossible to get one with an exact paint match.

KraneXL

Well we know its more likely to bend than break; and that a bend is a lot easier and cheaper repair. Even so, it depends on the angle and severity of the impact: the unknown factors.
Nowadays even a carbon bike can be fixed, but its not a good idea since part of its strength and rigidity/flexibility is derived from its uniformity. Particularly important with a fork.

CliffordK

Lots of suggestions here.

• Duct Tape
• Superglue
• Convert to Lefty
• Buffing and polishing

On the new market, that is probably true, unless it is a 2018 or maybe 2017 model. For some reason manufactures don't seem to like to stock spare forks, or do paint matching when they do things like recalls.

However, since each model year only has a couple of paint styles, it is quite possible a good match will show up on the used market, especially if one has some patience, and the headtube is moderately short.

If it is critical to ride the bike, then perhaps find a cheap replacement, then hunt for a better match later.

02Giant 

Impressed that it held together enough to ride away.

CliffordK

We all know that ramming one's steel bike into a parked car can lead to pretty curves on the fork blades, as well as possibly bending the steer tube, and toptube/downtube.

If not severe, they may be able to be bent back.

However, in this case, we are seeing a shattering of primarily the right fork blade.

I suppose it could have happened with extreme flex, but my interpretation is that the fork blade itself bore the brunt of the impact.

So, if it was steel, it probably would have ended up with a pretty significant dent (and perhaps a bend and gouge).

So, the question then remains whether one wishes to ride the dented fork. It may well be OK, but the dent provides a focal point for future bends and cracks.

It might well provide a rideable alternative for the sort term, but in the long term, the steel fork would likely also end up in the scrap heap.

ksryder

Don't know if it'd be worth it for just a fork, but Drew Wilson at Cyclocarbon's work is supposed to be top notch. His website is outdated but I think he's more active posting things on facebook. Carbon Bicycle Frame and Wheel RepairCyclocarbon

igorek

I didn't take those suggestions seriously.

CliffordK

As mentioned above, most reputable CF repair shops won't touch a project like that. In part because a fork failure can lead to a bad crash, whereas a chainstay failure may simply leave a rider stopped beside the road.

And this one isn't just a scratch, but a shattered fork, and potentially internal damage the entire length of the fork blade.

Another risk is the fork itself likely provides some spring effect to the bike. And, creating something that would spring asymmetrically would potentially negatively impact control.

The last issue is that getting a reputable shop to do the repair will likely cost on the order of $300 to $500. The economics just aren't there.

Now, doing this as a home repair???? One can certainly acquire carbon fiber material and lay it up. However, all the reasons above still apply.

The best use of one's time would be to find a $150 replacement, and repaint to match the frame if an exact match can't be found.

noodle soup

To the OP, please do not try to repair this yourself. I work for a framebuilder that also does CF repair, and there’s no way that we would even touch that.

I would contact Specialized about buying a replacement. They might have one, but it’s quite likely that the paint won’t match

carlos danger

I think you should open up a warranty claim. State "just riding along" when asked how it broke.

redfooj

See kids....this is what happens if you ride with 60mm wheels in the front and 50mm in the back

gregf83 

I'm going to give the duct tape a whirl tonight. One side of the fork is undamaged and should be able to take most of the load especially if I keep most of my weight on the left side.

One a more serious note we have a very good local CF rebuilder but I never considered repairing the fork. I found a new one on ebay for $200. Color match is close enough for an older bike.

Boerd

Looks new to me - keep riding it

On a serious note - I'm glad you are fine.

popeye

Tri guy almost got me on a blind corner recently. One hand on the aerobar, the other with a drink bottle on my side of the trail.

GeneO 

I am starting to use my spurcycle bell when I come to a blind corner to hopefully prevent such close calls.

zacster

Just replace it. Find a cheap replacement in a complimentary color if you can't find an original. Why would you even consider riding on it?