Front shocks came completely apart

[molson_ice]

I bought a used "Head" bike, it has fr fork shocks, and single mono shock on the rear suspension, I only rode the thing 3 times, and on the third time, I went to simply "hop" off a 8 inch curb, and the front forks came right apart, right where the rubber is for the front shocks. I literally did a head dive into the pavement and I am banged up quite bad, so after you finish laughing, could you please tell me if this is common, or if I have a faulty bike? The bike is afew years old, and I spoke to the prvious owner, and no problem was there before. I have had this bike upside down a few tiems as I was servicing it before I rode it. Is ther a way to fix this? I am kinda gun shy and almost wanting to buy a solid fork for the front of this bike, as my head can only take so many jolts.... Any help would be appreciated, thanx, Mike

 

[rek]

I bought a used "Head" bike, it has fr fork shocks, and single mono shock on the rear suspension, I only rode the thing 3 times, and on the third time, I went to simply "hop" off a 8 inch curb, and the front forks came right apart, right where the rubber is for the front shocks. I literally did a head dive into the pavement and I am banged up quite bad, so after you finish laughing, could you please tell me if this is common, or if I have a faulty bike? The bike is afew years old, and I spoke to the prvious owner, and no problem was there before. I have had this bike upside down a few tiems as I was servicing it before I rode it. Is ther a way to fix this? I am kinda gun shy and almost wanting to buy a solid fork for the front of this bike, as my head can only take so many jolts.... Any help would be appreciated, thanx, Mike

Was it a department store type bike? If so, there's your answer...

Even low-end "proper" bike brand forks should be able to take kerb drops without any hassle.

 

[molson_ice]

Was it a department store type bike? If so, there's your answer...

Even low-end "proper" bike brand forks should be able to take kerb drops without any hassle.

It was a Sport mart bike, but i never had any trouble before, and after the accident, i could hardly get the wheel back on, and the fr brake line was almost to short, it is odd, but it just happened at the wrong time i guess

 

[dabac]

..the front forks came right apart, .. or if I have a faulty bike?

You have a faulty bike, or rather a faulty fork. That shouldn't be happening on ANY fork.

I have had this bike upside down a few tiems as I was servicing it before I rode it.

Shouldn't matter unless you were tampering with the fork. Upside down MIGHT interfere with performance on a oil-damped fork but should really not be sufficient for letting the fork come apart.

Is ther a way to fix this?

Can't easily say. There must be something in that fork that has broken or come apart internally. It might be a simple case of reassembling with some loctite on a critical part, or it can be a more iffy job of stripped threads that needs to be fixed someway.
Try getting hold of some maintenance instructions/assembly schematics of the fork to help you figure out what went wrong. And don't ride the bike until the problem has been identified and corrected!

 

[molson_ice]

I never touched the fr forks, but they are bone dry, and one of the plastic shims is cracked, there is no "foolproof" way to put this back together to guarantee that it will stay together, so I will buy myself a solid steel fr forl, and assure myself, no more face changing bike rides . I called a local bike shop, and they told me, they were "cheap" shocks, and he could get me new ones (no parts availible) but not guarantees that the same thing would happen again...

 

[dabac]

I called a local bike shop, and they told me, they were "cheap" shocks, and he could get me new ones (no parts availible) but not guarantees that the same thing would happen again...

I repeat: A Fork Shall Not Come Apart Like That. Such a failure should be grounds for a lawsuit.
Go to another bike shop.I wouldn't trust a shop that sold stuff that they didn't trust themselves. Besides there seems to be good availability of last year's forks on the internet right now. You should be able to pick up a good quality fork for $150-200 or so.

 

[molson_ice]

I repeat: A Fork Shall Not Come Apart Like That. Such a failure should be grounds for a lawsuit.
Go to another bike shop.I wouldn't trust a shop that sold stuff that they didn't trust themselves. Besides there seems to be good availability of last year's forks on the internet right now. You should be able to pick up a good quality fork for $150-200 or so.

I wnet to another bike shop and bought rigid forks, then I dont have to worry about spending 5 times what the bike is worth to get shocks that are safe. The only "safety" net on most fr shocks, is a small machine screw into plastic.... I am a mechanic, and i wouldnt trust an ashtray to be held up like that,