Bad day and a fork question

[Clydesdale]

Originally Posted by nicrump

something is wrong. AQ inserts are about 5" long.

No, there is a metal sleeve and star nut but nowhere near 5" and ended right above the headset.

That definitely helps answer the question. It has either been cut or some other sleeve was used. That actually makes me feel better about replacing it with another one. Thanks

[cmbicycles]

The AQ sleeve had a lip on top (and as was mentioned is very long... maybe not 5", but 3-4" for sure, which should still be showing on your fork), so likely the fork was cut to fit at some point after it was glued in. With as few spacers as you are using the sleeve should have been well into the head tube on that setup.

[cadence90]

First thing: I'm glad that you're OK, op. Scary stuff.



I'll concur with the "confused-regarding-the-Alpha-Q-insert" crowd.

The Alpha-Q inserts were aluminum (silver); had a lip that sat on the top of the steerer tube; and were 100mm (4"). I don't see evidence of it anywhere in those photos. Odd.

But, as the op and others think, perhaps the steerer/insert had been previously cut.



Also, regarding echelon_john's mention of the Zinn alu insert, one had better triple-check to determine if that insert O.D. fits the I.D. of an Alpha-Q steerer before purchasing. A-Q carbon steerer wall thicknesses are the thinnest I have ever seen, roughly half that of Reynolds or EDGE/ENVE steerers. Really very thin...which is why A-Q started to supply their forks with the long insert kit in the first place.
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[Clean39T]

For memory jogging..

[KonaSS]

My brother has (had) an Alpha Q fork that did this exact same thing a couple weeks ago. He had shortened the steerer tube a bit. He still had the aluminum sleeve in there, but the bottom edge of the stem was clamped below the metal insert by ~3mm.

Been this way for several years, but just snapped out of the blue. Moral of the story - that sleeve was critical, and the stem needed to be all on the metal insert.

[Mike Lopez]

As several others have mentioned that doesn't look quite right. The metal sleeve should pass through the stem clamp, spacers, and extend a couple CM or more into the headset. If it stops above the headset it's only serving to hold the star nut in place and to create a hell of a stress riser on one of the thinnest/scariest steerer tubes I ever tested. (And I test a lot of them....)

Also, as others have mentioned, I'm very glad to hear you're okay!

If you're still interested in carbon after doing your research let me know. We build a big guy fork with a steerer tube nearly twice as thick as the old Ouzo Pro. And for reference, the OP's tube was nearly twice as thick as the AQ. That's why they needed the sleeve. These are the forks we use for guys in the NBA and NFL etc.

Not necessarily trying to make a sale...Just wanted you to know you've got options.

[R3awak3n]

I would not give up on a carbon fork based on this incident. There are a lot of people out there with carbon forks and not a lot of problems.

[weisan]

Twice this happened?

Have you consider taking up golf?

[Clydesdale]

The metal sleeve measures almost exactly 2 inches (5cm) and does not have a lip on the top. Must have been previously cut and I didn't know any better. Thanks for the education. Bummer to buy a new fork but better than buying new teeth!

[Peter P.]

Originally Posted by echelon_john

Yikes! Glad you're ok. That could have been brutal.

If you go carbon replacement, I highly recommend the long inserts from Zinn; provide a little more strength through the whole stress zone. 12cm long!

http://www.bigandtallbike.com/Steer-...ter_p_380.html

There's goes all that fancy carbon fork weight savings!

Might as well just buy a steel fork and alleviate all worries. Carl Strong can easily build you a matching fork for that frame.

[Big Dan]

Originally Posted by peter p.

there's goes all that fancy carbon fork weight savings!

Might as well just buy a steel fork and alleviate all worries. Carl strong can easily build you a matching fork for that frame.

100%

[C50]

That looks like an early generation insert. If I recall correctly there was a running change to the much longer insert because of this exact problem. I have an AQ GS-10 fork with the longer insert but I remember building at least 1 bike if not a couple that had the shorter insert.

[john903]

Wow that is scary. In fact I just went out to the shop to check my bike I have the exact same fork and your story made me real nervous being that my fork is 10 years old with lots of miles on it. Ok my fork has the metal insert with a lip on it, tomorrow I will pull the fork and check the length on it.
And yes I am glad you are ok that could have turned out real bad.
Have a great day.

[DRietz]

Originally Posted by C50

That looks like an early generation insert. If I recall correctly there was a running change to the much longer insert because of this exact problem. I have an AQ GS-10 fork with the longer insert but I remember building at least 1 bike if not a couple that had the shorter insert.

The insert has clearly been cut.

[cadence90]

Originally Posted by DRietz

The insert has clearly been cut.

What is odd is that if it was cut, it was cut near the top of the steerer, where the star-nut + top cap were. That makes complete sense if someone cut the steerer/insert in order to shorten ("Slam that stem, baby!" ) everything.

But then it is strange that the break looks to have occurred at the bottom (uncut end) of the insert.

Weird.
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