How well do aluminum forks stand up to the rigors of riding? Are they more likely to break because aluminum fatigues easier than something like steel or carbon? One of my frames has an aluminum fork and I’m wondering if it’s worth replacing it. I’d like to hear of people who avoid them and embrace them.
Thanks!
– Boris
One inch steerer or 1 1/8 ?
No real issues with aluminum forks per se (any one design might have an issue…but that’s not the material). Aluminum forks are no different than aluminum frames. Aluminum has a set fatigue life; designers compensate for this by overbuilding so that the part will last faaar longer than anyone would likely use it (ex. design for a 250 lb. rider going 100 miles/day for 15 years on cobbles…then add a 3x safety factor). Carbon is far more of an issue. No fatigue limit, but poor ductility (i.e. fails catastrophicly, usually due to an impact) and more suceptable to clamping damage.
Most forks are carbon today because: it’s lighter, and it soaks up road shock from the front wheel far better.
The steerer in my case is 1" threaded.
I thought that the alu fork would fatigue more so than the frame because the fork is constantly being bent back and forth like a paperclip. Sure, the frame gets some fatigue but it probably doesn’t bend as much. I read a post somewhere that an alu fork like an accident waiting to happen.
– Boris
Aluminum aircraft blow up like a baloon 9 times a day 7 days a week for years and years, the fuselage will grow in circumfrence like a baloon every time the aircraft is pressurized, How much depends on the size of the airframe, the wings on a B-767 will flex over 10 feet on rotation as the wing takes the load of the aircraft 9 times a day 7 days a week.
Boeing test every wing designed by them to the failure point, it usually requires the wings to be flexed upward to the point that the tips are almost touching before the wing fails.
Aluminum is pretty strong and will take a lot of abuse before it fails. I would worry about carbon failing long before aluminum.
Some Aluminum forks had issues, but it was because they were underbuilt not because they were aluminum (the same thing has happened with early carbon forks…look at all the recalls). Check the web to make sure the fork isn’t on recall, and it should be fine. I raced and trained for 14 years on a 'dale with a 1" Al fork, no problems. I’m far more worried about my carbon fork/steerer doing a Hincapie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9hqUJIwpRc) than my Al one.