One for Bill T.

[cantunamunch]

@Bill Talbot has been going on about CF forks for a bit now - and maybe he hasn't been wrong to do so:





Granted, this guy's in the business of selling frame and fork scans- but the evident galvanic corrosion of alu fittings in cf frames is a real eye opener.

 

[scott43]

The early bonded alu lugs with cf tubes failed with alarming regularity. When the Trek cf frames started coming out that issue was generally resolved. I would never ride a bonded alu/cf frame, ever. And although I'm on a cf fork now, it does scare the bejeebus out of me. I inspect it whenever I clean the bike but that's no guarantee it's not going to fail. The great thing about steel is it's almost impossible for it to simply fail catastrophically. It always fails in a nice, graceful fashion. Cf is strong, no doubt..and can be well made and tailored to whatever use you need. But after a crash or 5 years..I dunno. I have reservations.

 

[cantunamunch]

The early bonded alu lugs with cf tubes failed with alarming regularity. When the Trek cf frames started coming out that issue was generally resolved. I would never ride a bonded alu/cf frame, ever. .

I still ride not one but 3 bonded alu/CF frames (Giant/Alan/Specialized) not a one newer than 1991 - 2 of them have alu forks so I'm not as bothered as I might be. I've been using Krytech-type PFPE grease throughout, for as long as I've had them. I only just last year noticed corrosion on the bike bottle bolts of the Spesh - it's easily my best climber currently but I think it's maybe time to be done with that bike.

I'm actually more bothered by the CF fork under the 853 steel frame - the last time I was out in the rain it had leopard spots the next day.

 

[scott43]

Granted it was a long time ago..but I pulled out a fork lug with my bare hands on an Allez. And on another Allez I pulled the rear brake bridge off..by hand..scary stuff. That was 2 frames out of 3 the guy had owned. I've seen steel bikes driven into an underground parking garage entrance..I'd still ride them if the wheels turned!!

 

[cantunamunch]

Can't have been /that/ long ago * - the first few generations had alu forks


*you're not old yet!