F1: Need the pros' wisdom, Calling the people at Serotta

[Gothard]

OK, I need opinions/experience here. Even better if the Serotta People can chime in (Dave, Kelly et al, are you listening!?).
I have sold my Legend, and upon cleaning it I re-found this small hairline "crack". I put crack as a quote, because it is very smooth and because:

I first saw that line 3 years ago. I used to check it every now and then, and after a while I forgot about it as it had not changed in length and aspect. That and the bomb-proof reputation of the F1 made me use it without thinking about it. I have gone untold speeds and many miles with it.

The sale is obviously off, as I have offered the buyer full disclosure and he preferred to back out, which is fine and fair.

Anyway, please shoot your opinions.

[Smiley]

cosmetic, that crown is so built up I find it hard to believe its cracked there. Those F1 were bomb proof except where the drop outs were glued to the fork legs.

[alancw3]

i would also think it to be cosmetic. only thing you can do is have an authoritative person i.e. lbs or serotta look at it and give you their opinion (in writing if possible). then you can sell the bike with full disclosure to a prospective buyer. this is one of the evils of carbon fiber products imho. you just never know for sure the extent of the crack whether just paint or structural.

[Lifelover]

I can't imagine that anyone formally attached to Serotta is going to give an opinion based on a picture. Too much liability. To get a true evaluation, they need to lay hands upon it.


Were it mine, I'd grab it at both drops and try to spread the legs. If that is a crack, you will be able to see movement.

[rockdude]

I have seen this before on a f1 fork. "My" determination was it was just cosmetic.

[nahtnoj]

I have a tendency to want to ride my bike on gravel roads, sometimes when they are wet and muddy. I get rocks that stick to my tires and bang off the bottom of my fork all the time. There are all kinds of scratches, gouges, etc.

On most forks, that layer of carbon is cosmetic and pretty thick knowing that not a whole lot of people are going to be checking that area. I don't know the specifics of the F1 fork construction, so YMMV.

[David Kirk]

No one, including myself, can tell you for sure from a photo whether it's cosmetic or not. I suspect it is cosmetic but there is no way to tell without taking the paint off that area to fully inspect it.

I would guess what you are seeing is a crack in the filler (a small amount of filler was used in that area to make things smooth).

If it were my fork I'd measure the distance between the inside faces of the dropouts. It should be 100 mm +/- .5 mm. I would then squeeze the tips together and look VERY carefully at the crack and see if you can see it change. Now spread the tips apart and look at the crack. Does the fork feel very stiff when squeezing and pulling? Does it make any noise at all when doing the above? I know this is subjective but it's all I got over the internet.

The F1 fork is truly overbuilt and I've never seen a failure in this area. Tips have come loose on the most early forks (but never have come out) and in testing I was able to get the steerer to fail but that was a HUGE loads that were not real world numbers.

If it were my personal fork and I was nervous about it then I'd take it and make a silly table lamp out of it and put something else on it. Life's too short to worry about this stuff.

I wish I had more a real answer.

Dave

[bobscott]

Dave easily wins the prizes for both most knowledgeable and most helpful. What a gem.
bobscott

[Pete Serotta]

Gothard, email sent to you....PETE

[Marcusaurelius]

I would remove the paint in that area and see if it is a crack because you can always repaint it.

[Gothard]

Thanks to all. :beer:

Obviously I will not sell that fork anymore. Upon testing, it is stiff as hell, I have a hard time spreading/squeezing the dropouts more than 1mm each side. No creaks, no change in aspect of the crack.

I am however going to apply my often repeated theory: a new fork is cheaper than a denture, or a lower jaw.

I am now looking for a replacement, preferably in steel.

[Nautilus]

How about ordering a small tin or touch up paint then removing the paint from the crack area to see what's going on? It seems like it'd be fairly easy to do, and that's the least visible area on the fork, so even if your touchup job's a bit sloppy, no one could tell with a tire on.

[Peter P.]

Calfee Designs performs frame and fork inspections. Yeah, it may require you have the fork repainted afterwards, but I'll bet it would be worth the cost for the peace of mind it would buy. I would send it to Calfee. Then, should you choose to sell the frame/fork, you'll have documentation that the fork is sound.

[Lifelover]

Thanks to all. :beer:

Obviously I will not sell that fork anymore. Upon testing, it is stiff as hell, I have a hard time spreading/squeezing the dropouts more than 1mm each side. No creaks, no change in aspect of the crack.

I am however going to apply my often repeated theory: a new fork is cheaper than a denture, or a lower jaw.

I am now looking for a replacement, preferably in steel.


PLEASE don't just trash it. You have gone above and beyond full disclosure. If I were buying a legend (and yours has me very tempted) I would not want a steel fork.

A simple sanding would easily reveal the truth about the condition.

[JeffS]

I think you should offer the fork to anyone who buys the frame.

[SoCalSteve]

I think you should offer the fork to anyone who buys the frame.

Thats a great idea! Kind of like what I did with the Time VX Special Pro that was damaged in shipment...I sold the parts and gave the frame away for free to the person buying the parts (with a disclaimer .

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Steve

[Sandy]

I would send it to Serotta or see if you could send it to Dave Kirk. Either would tell you what you need to know.


Sandy

[Dekonick]

I would send it to Serotta. I wonder if it could be stripped and clear coated (no idea about these carbon bits but I have 2 F1's and they are both robust)

[Gothard]

I'll see it with Serotta. Worst case I can no longer use it, which is the current situation.
Best case, it is back on.

[soulspinner]

Kudos to you Gothard for being a straight up guy.

[Pete Serotta]

I'll see it with Serotta. Worst case I can no longer use it, which is the current situation.
Best case, it is back on.

We will be glad to looks at it.......If defective, we will handle. PETE

also, have you talked to the Serotta importer in Switzerland?


Let me know anything I can do. PETE

[Gothard]

Hi Pete,
I have sent an email to info@ this morning.
The importer has the strength and stamina of a snail on Versed, I'd rather not lose 1 week for every single interaction through them.

[Gothard]

Update,
The good people at Serotta have contacted me and would like to see the fork for themselves.
Back home it goes!

They ROCK!

[Lifelover]

Update,
The good people at Serotta have contacted me and would like to see the fork for themselves.
Back home it goes!

They ROCK!


If it needs a post inspection load test, you are welcome to send me the frame and fork and I'll do my best to break it! :banana: :banana: :banana: