I know there are always examples of failures in bike parts but are 1" carbon steerers safe? I am looking at the Easton EC90 Aero fork for my P3SL but am hesitant because the steerer is 1 inch. I don’t care about opinions based on one single failure example, I just would like some feedback from people who actually know what they are talking about.
Why would you think they are not safe? Only been out about a decade and a half or so.
I know there are always examples of failures in bike parts but are 1" carbon steerers safe?
depends on many many factors. do you weigh 140, or 190? it also depends a lot on the carbon steerer tube plug and on the stem type you use. some low stack stems put extraordinary loads on steerer tubes.
I will be using a standard Vision Tech 70mm stem and a Profile Design Karbon Gap Cap. What do you think?
You are worried about NOTHING. Get over it and go ride your bike. Can you find an example of a broken 1"? Sure - you can 1.25 as well…in Carbon, Alu, Ti and Steel. Who ever has you worried about this is an idiot.
Who ever has you worried about this is an idiot.
i would vehemently disagree. thinking about this is totally reasonable. failure of a steerer tube while riding can be catastrophic or fatal. many of us are riding with our front teeth and craniums in the hands of chinese quality control.
just think about* that* for a while …
I suppose we need to warn
- Cervelo
- Felt
- Elite
- QR
- Cheetah
- Kestrel
and many many others…if you install a fork wrong - then worry. Properly, forget about it and replace every two/three years depending on milage. Most of the many forks I have seen that sheer the steer tube (AlphaQ for example) were installed improperly, or with the wrong compression plug. We need to look no further than Discovery to see that even an Al steer tube will break in the right circumstances - shit happens.
Oh, and what is the other option? Now that carbon is the steer tube of design for everyone but Trek - and more and more 1" is being left on the wayside (for no good reason)…Easton and Reynolds really are the only options for many, and then only in the “aero” flavor.
My primary road bike is several years old (late-90’s, back when only MTBs had 1-1/8" steerers); I replaced the original fork (steel steerer tube) w/ a 1" full-carbon Reynolds Ouzo back in about 2002, and it has not gvien me one whit of trouble over several thousand miles.
Not so sound like the OP - but, they never do until you wake up with no teeth. Carbon forks ARE a wear item and should be replaced on regular intervals. You dont have to, but if you find out you needed to you sure as hell will wish you did.
Just curious; if a carbon fork is a wear item and needs to be replaced every 2 to 3 years (as posted above), how often should you replace a carbon frame (as a preventative measure). I would imagine the frame is subjected to more load then the fork.
I disagree with the carbon fork as a wear item comment. Carbon is no different from any other material in that life span is: use until you suspect something is actually wrong with it. Inspect it at least annually, and listen for any creaks etc-- do this and you can use it for years. Replacing it early is for worry warts with too much $$, that’s like replacing an inner tube just in case (i.e. if it holds air-- use it!)
as for the 1 inch steer tube debate, I see no merit to the concern of premature failure- the bigger diameter was claimed to help headset bearing life as much as anything-- but I suspect in reality, it was more of a marketing driven decision. I mean seriously, have you ever felt a steer tube flex!!!
and arguably a 1 inch steer tube has less frontal area and is more aero-- see new specialized Transition frameset for 1 example of old becoming new again
Cervelo, Felt and Elite have stuck with 1"…for a long while. David at Elite even has custom rake 1" forks made from Reynolds I think it is.
Who ever has you worried about this is an idiot.
i would vehemently disagree. thinking about this is totally reasonable. failure of a steerer tube while riding can be catastrophic or fatal. many of us are riding with our front teeth and craniums in the hands of chinese quality control.
just think about* that* for a while …
Can someone tell me why my message didn’t show up posted after trying to quote a previous post?
Thanks.
Greg.
I don’t think carbon fatigues like metal does; as long as you don’t exceed its threshold of elasticity at any point, it will continue to endure normal stress cycles indefinitely. I’ve got graphite fishing rods that are well over 20 years old, and those puppies get flexed violently under normal use. The few I’ve broken have always been the result of an obvious cross-axis point trauma - hitting a rock, getting stepped on, etc - never just loading along the axis for which they’re designed, even when bent quickly and repeatedly into a >180* arc.
I think one other small advantage besides stiffness that led to fatter steerer tubes when carbon took over is that it gives a larger contact surface so you don’t need as much clamping force to secure the stem. Really, though, I agree it’s as much marketing as anything else.
Greg, what was the message.
I know that it does that from time to time when I am doing the same. Not sure why though.
Id wager that is the primary or ONLY reason for the OS diameter handlebars and 1.25" steerers. Clamp+Carbon problems.
Carbon fiber’s strength if very directional, hard to work in resistance to clamping forces along with the other needs. Arguably the material isn’t ideally suited to applications where you need to clamp other parts on.
I think one other small advantage besides stiffness that led to fatter steerer tubes when carbon took over is that it gives a larger contact surface so you don’t need as much clamping force to secure the stem.
i would vehemently disagree. thinking about this is totally reasonable. failure of a steerer tube while riding can be catastrophic or fatal. many of us are riding with our front teeth and craniums in the hands of chinese quality control.
just think about* that* for a while …
in the hands of chinese quality control.
If you had your choice, where would you want your carbon 1" fork made and who would you have do the QC?
I have the EC90 fork on my P3alum and haven’t had any issues after riding it hard (bunnyhopping potholes, etc.) for a couple of years. Also have 2 of the older cervelo straight blade forks with cracks gathering dust in the garage.