I bought a new (NOS) Cannondale Caad7 frame with the Slice carbon fork. Being a clyde, I'm a bit worried about riding this carbon fork which has a carbon steerer and dropouts. When I assembled the bike, the fork was really light, especially to someone who has never had a carbon fork before.

Who has actually broken a carbon fork or steerer? What is the risk here? I'm a pretty careful rider, always slow over railroad tracks, don't ride over curbs or cattle guards. I don't mind breaking it, I just don't want to end up in the hospital because I overloaded it.

Thanks

Bob

I'm not a clyde, but carbon forks scare me... of course I use one, but I've always been wary of them, until recently. I got an Alpha Q CS-20, and all the Alpha Q forks have an installation process that involves a 10 centimeter aluminum shim being JB welded into the steerer, making it very strong- I don't worry anymore.

As for breaking a steerer- only once. I turned over a bike that was having some headset issues to a team mechanic, rode it for a week, and on a climb, the steerer cracked right below my stem. Turns out the guy had hammered a starnut down in there, gotten chewed out by another mechanic for doing so, and then crushed it inside the steerer with some pliers before wrenching it out, scoring and cracking the steerer in the process... at the time, he was oblivious to the damage he was causing.

The accident itself wasn't so bad, I kind of lurched back, took my weight off the flopping bars, and yanked on the brakes as I unclipped... I manage to get a foot down, and ended up unhurt. But if it had happened after I reached the top and was headed down the other side...

Long story short, although they seem scary, carbon forks (even the really light ones) are pretty damn hard to crack or break. But if you're still nervous, do what I did and get an Alpha Q... I like them not only because of the whole shim thing, but also because the way they are built... the strips of carbon that make up the fork are integrated into the steerer, and go pretty far up it... it's their CRT tech and no one else does it. It seems safer to me than an aluminum or carbon steerer bonded at one point to the crown of the fork arms...

Don't worry.

I'm over 200lbs, until this year I raced on a bike with a 1" carbon steerer. My TT bike still has a 1" carbon steerer.

Your fork has a 1 1/8" carbon steerer which should be even stronger.

I've raced down the Col de Aubisque at 50 mph and not had a second thought about the steerer.

By the way aluminum steere tubes can also break. Ask George Hincapie.