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2009 Felt B2 Fork Cracked :(
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My lovely 2009 Felt B2 TTR Bayonet Fork is cracked.I brought the bike into the shop for some routine maintenance and they noticed the crack, said it was a structural issue, and very emphatically suggested I stop riding until the fork is replaced. Still don't know what caused the crack ;(

I've included some photos of the bike and the fork crack.

Seems like the fork will not be covered under warranty, even if the age of the bike was not an issue, the bike shop said the crack looks like it was created by some kind of impact.

I live in Rhode Island, and our local shops are no longer felt authorized dealers, and the nearest felt authorized dealer is about an hour away. They said they physically need the bike in the shop to start the process of getting a crash replacement, and he wasn't sure without looking into it if Felt will still have the fork for my bike in stock, so maybe I'd need to buy a whole new frameset. I won't be able to get them the bike for a few more days, and my guess is that it will take a while for them to get anything replaced.

Okay, so, since I can't get reasonably quick and good local advice, this brings me to five questions:

1. Does anyone have an idea if felt will have the 2009 b2 bayonet in stock, and roughly what the crash replacement cost will be?

2. I have always had the creaky bayonet handlebars on this bike(read alot about this issue over the years from other riders), and after 10 years, I'm getting a little nervous something will happen to them, especially after this fork crack. Should I replace them?

3. If the frame currently has no signs of crack, should I also be worried about the frame?

4. Does it sound like it's time for a new bike? I'm interested, but with what I could currently spend(lets say 3500max), I'd be downgrading to a bike roughly half the value of my current one.

5. Does anyone have a very rough idea of what I might be able to sell this bike for? SRAM red groupset, has these nice 30mm wheels.


I know I'm asking a lot in this post! Thank you so much in advance for your thoughts! Photos below:





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Re: 2009 Felt B2 Fork Cracked :( [gregnemes] [ In reply to ]
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Can’t answer to any of your questions directly but it looks like the crack has kinda same reason why the paint on the frame is damaged in 2 spots...from turning the steerer to hard to the side.
Will doubt that felt has any of em laying around anymore.

-shoki
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Re: 2009 Felt B2 Fork Cracked :( [gregnemes] [ In reply to ]
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I had that exact same bike. When I had to get the bayonet system replaced because of a stripped nut in the fork it was like something crazy like $1000 for the new system. Might be cheaper now if the even have it but if not the newer system might be compatible. I didn’t want to spend the money or wait that long so I ended up going with a new fork and went with a normal stem. That’s another good option since it will make the bike easier to work on and more adjustable depending on what bars you have. I don’t think the creaking is the aerobars, it’s usually the spline in the bayonet stem/fork junction.

If it ends to being the frame having issues as well you’ll be able to get a warranty replacement frame too. I had to do that a few years after and ended up getting a DA frameset. But the shop will be able to go over all that with you but if you need a new frame you’ll be able to just buy the frame and move all parts over for way less than $3500.

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Re: 2009 Felt B2 Fork Cracked :( [gregnemes] [ In reply to ]
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You sure it's a crack in the fork itself? Might be just paint, looks pretty thin....

Next races on the schedule: none at the moment
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Re: 2009 Felt B2 Fork Cracked :( [alex_korr] [ In reply to ]
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alex_korr wrote:
You sure it's a crack in the fork itself? Might be just paint, looks pretty thin....

Agreed, I would for sure lightly sand the paint off to check, what do you have to lose at this point? Might as well be sure its structural and not just cosmetic, especially if its not under warranty.

Good luck!
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Re: 2009 Felt B2 Fork Cracked :( [talking head] [ In reply to ]
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I'm not actually sure how the guys at the bike shop decided it was a structural crack - but they decided in about 20 seconds. So I decided to take your advice and sand off the paint, down to the carbon. I don't think there is a crack, but there is this small part of me that thinks I can see a crack *inside* the carbon, but it's not on the surface. Is that possible?! It's very faint, but this visual phenomenon that I'm seeing does seem to follow the same line that the paint crack followed. It's not possible to see in a photo, but I've included a photo of the sanded area.

Does this look like what you'd expect if the crack was just paint?


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Re: 2009 Felt B2 Fork Cracked :( [gregnemes] [ In reply to ]
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There's something there, but it does not look like a crack to me. I'd put some clear nail polish and ride it on a trainer for a little bit to see if it develops into something more obvious.

Next races on the schedule: none at the moment
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Re: 2009 Felt B2 Fork Cracked :( [gregnemes] [ In reply to ]
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Scrape perpendicular across the area lightly with your fingernail or better yet can you use something with a sharp end, a pick, x-acto knife, etc. to "feel" for the edge of a crack. If it feels smooth I would continue to ride it and inspect it regularly, which won't be difficult with the paint removed.
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Re: 2009 Felt B2 Fork Cracked :( [gregnemes] [ In reply to ]
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Hi
found this, ok condition
https://www.ebay.com/...9:g:5wcAAOSwk95a9LTj
Last edited by: Driftinglife: Jul 30, 19 6:36
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Re: 2009 Felt B2 Fork Cracked :( [gregnemes] [ In reply to ]
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My first thought is if it really is cracked see if it can be repaired (by Calfee or something) and compare it to a replacement fork (used or new...which is harder to find). But, I'd check around your local area to see if you can get an X-Ray inspection done to see if there are really cracks (or at the minimum ultrasonic inspection to check if you even want to go for an X-Ray). Try to find a composites place in your area if possible to see if they can help you (and see how much they'd charge). Otherwise look for NDT places (non-destructive testing) and see if they can inspect it. They should have experience with carbon fiber/composites because those materials are widely used in aerospace and automotive that require certain levels of inspections to pass before than can go on a vehicle/aircraft.

Also, your thought of a new $3500 bike being a downgrade is not the case imo. I get where you are coming from because you spent near superbike type money on your B2 when it was a new model. But even the entry level Felt IA's are an upgrade over this frameset in aero terms (and the DA's that suceeded the old B2 frame....which was in turn a previous gen DA frame too). Heck even the current B series is the previous gen DA frames and still newer/more aero than your current B2.

I think it is time for a new bike (or try for the crash replacement). Personally, if you can afford to keep both I'd relegate the B2 to trainer only use (if you know that fork will hold up.
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