K
Kovie
Guest
Last year I purchased a Forte Axis Pro Carbon road fork from
Performance Bike as part of a combo that also included a
Cane Creek S2 headset, a Forte Pro stem, and carbon spacers.
I used it to build up a new Ti road bike. I actually had a
local bike shop press the headset and cut and install the
fork, as I didn't have the tools or expertise to do this
myself. I gave them the instructions that came with these
components, including the recommended torque settings. The
fork, I have to add, has a carbon steerer tube as well.
So far I've ridden over 700 miles on this bike and it's
been just great. Recently, however, I noticed that a slight
amount of play had developed in the headset, so I released
the stem- steerer tube bolts and plug bolt in order to
remove the stem. When I did this, I noticed that the carbon
steerer tube had developed a split or fracture along the
top inch or so, at precisely the same place where the metal
shim was split. As I have no reason to believe that the
bike shop overtorqued the stem bolts, it appears that
there's some sort of defect in the carbon steerer tube, and
I'm hesitant to put any more miles on the bike for fear of
a catastrophic failure.
Is this common, and what could have caused this? Am I
correct in assuming that it's unwise to ride this fork, and
that it needs to be replaced right away?
--
Kovie [email protected]
Performance Bike as part of a combo that also included a
Cane Creek S2 headset, a Forte Pro stem, and carbon spacers.
I used it to build up a new Ti road bike. I actually had a
local bike shop press the headset and cut and install the
fork, as I didn't have the tools or expertise to do this
myself. I gave them the instructions that came with these
components, including the recommended torque settings. The
fork, I have to add, has a carbon steerer tube as well.
So far I've ridden over 700 miles on this bike and it's
been just great. Recently, however, I noticed that a slight
amount of play had developed in the headset, so I released
the stem- steerer tube bolts and plug bolt in order to
remove the stem. When I did this, I noticed that the carbon
steerer tube had developed a split or fracture along the
top inch or so, at precisely the same place where the metal
shim was split. As I have no reason to believe that the
bike shop overtorqued the stem bolts, it appears that
there's some sort of defect in the carbon steerer tube, and
I'm hesitant to put any more miles on the bike for fear of
a catastrophic failure.
Is this common, and what could have caused this? Am I
correct in assuming that it's unwise to ride this fork, and
that it needs to be replaced right away?
--
Kovie [email protected]