MY BIKE IS A CRASH WAITING TO HAPPEN 🥺 dangerous damage!!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 เม.ย. 2024
- GO CHECK YOURS!!!
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I get really nerdy about any rattles or squeaks on any of my bikes as it is always a sign that something is not adjusted correctly or is worn. After 40 plus years of riding, checking and maintenence is my mantra, particularly after rides in harsh or extreme conditions.
That's also a great tip on headset adjustment from the Trek mechanic. Always learning...
Steel for the win!!🤣😂🤣
That's why I ride steel
Steel has it uses for bike frames, for heavier 180 lbs who like to smash the crap out of their cranksets steel is still my choice for bike frames. Aluminum bike frames do tend to creak a bit with heavier riders, depending how good the welded bottom bracket area is it's a hit and miss. Old steel still has a massive advantage in certain aspects of cycling due to it's less fatigue issues like Carbon torque values.
A friend I rode with had a fork failure while riding and sadly suffered life ending injuries. Yes Katie, we must all check our forks and keep them adjusted.
Oh god, that's awful. I'm so sorry.
it's called the ring of death for good reason
Omg how sad
It brings that philosopher, Yogi Berra’s observation (“If you come to a fork in the road, take it”) but with the additional suggestion that you check the nearby bushes for the rest of the bike and the rider.
Oddly enough, I am a crash waiting to happen every time I get on my bike ;) Carbon bits that interface with metal are always something that should be checked regularly.
With discs you can still "rock the fork", turn your wheel 90 degrees. Yes there will be a slight give in the tires, but the feeling is different from a loose fork. Or just pump them up harder.
edit: I can't turn the spacers on mine, I have a Giant Defy and the spacers don't have flat bottoms and tops, but are formed to the stem.
The check of the headset is so easy if you have rim brakes. As the shop mechanic explained, hold the front brake tight, then try to rock the bike fore & aft. You'll feel some rattle/looseness if the headset is loose, but disc brakes can have some confounding 'clunking', if you will, making this technique not so reliable. Regardless, tightening up the headset is a very simple DIY task, and as this video points out, can prevent some serious damage to the steerer tube and risk of injury. I saw a guy in a crit race completely snap the bars off the steerer tube...probably because of the 'ring of death' he was unaware of. No injury (it happened in a tight corner moving slow), but a cycling buddy of mine was riding on a fast descent with a loose headset, lost control. 3 days in the ICU with concussion, cracked pelvis, broken ribs, and a very complex collarbone fracture that required risky surgery. He's OK now, and back to riding well, but learned the hard way about checking for headset integrity.
The disc brake play is a relative issue. If you tighten a bit more the headset and the play doesn't change or go away, it's likely just the brake, right? Then you know it's not a loose fork.
One tip for everyone: please learn to do such basic tasks by yourself! The shops around my place are constantly busy or incompetent. The positive thing is => I can fix nearly everything immediately by myself and even save some money on the way ;)
And thank you Katie for bringing such important technical issues to our attention! 😊
Dont work on carbon unless you know the torque spec. Thats how you get hair cracks
Good video ! Shows the importance of full periodic inspections and service! Thanks for sharing !
No, this shows that the modern bike industry produces carbon scrap 🥺
Great PSA Katie, I check mine once a year. Also worth checking before you buy a used carbon bike, bring the right tools and pull the fork out. For all his faults, the ring of death is one thing Durianrider has got stuck into my mind.
I think he is the only person I have ever seen talk about this. So good to know for sure!!! Something no-one talks about and it’s so easy to check but so bad if it fails
Exactly, and not to forget any bike with mixed materials! It is way to popular to put full carbon forks on any kind of bike.
Good video
1. Stem extensions not checking for burs inside the cut out holes inside the extension bars which delaminatea the steerer
2. Torque values 5 Nm for the stem extension bolts
3. Expansion plug installed correctly with the correct length and also the 3 sides are spaced out evenly inside the steerer
4. Correct headset and no lose spacers ( 80 mm expansion plug and 25mm spacers, more and you are increasing torsion flex).
5. Bearing races bottom and top are checked and greased properly.
6. Loose bearings will wear and compromise out the carbon fibre bearing seats.
7. Lithium or other grease to the steerer shaft itself up to the spacers area ( only to first spacer). Smoother motion within bearing ring steerer compression nut spacer.
8. Periodic checking by front brake and holding the other hand around the spacers pushing bike forward to see if headset is loose.
9. Periodically checking the forks themselves for any cracks around the QR areas as that is the most weakest point.
10. Check the paint of the bike and any paint bump rising needs to be properly checked.
11. Removing the top section is harder on integrated cabling but every 6 months remove the steerer and the entire shaft.
Just some basic things to check.
Probably the most important check before, during and after every ride. I always use torque settings for everything. It's a bit of a messing around when it's a fully integrated cable setup but you need periodic inspections to be certain. It certainly helps if you have the tools and knowledge. I like being in control of the maintenance.
There usually are no torque settings for the headset endcap as you just want to tighten it down enough that there is no play but the bearings can still move freely. That aside I agree that going by the manufacturers specified torque is always best but as most of us do probably not bring a torque wrench when riding it is nice to be able to do roadside repairs and feel confident without having a torque wrench too. Horses for courses I suppose.
how often do you calibrate your torque wrench ?
Thank You. Good examle and tightening advice.
Great tip Katie. Thanks as always.
Nice one, well done for passing on the message.
I recently took delivery of a new mountain bike from a big manufacturer where the headset was so badly adjusted that I had to remove the fork from the carbon frame and re-seat the bearings from scratch before I even rode the bike. One other thing, if you are tightening your headset bearings always do it with the wheels on the ground so there is a slight load through the fork and headset. That way the bearings will pretty much always be centered and bedded in their seats using gravity before you even tighten the star nut. Secondly, after your first ride, check them again as they will often take a little more tightening as shock loadings through the fork will have bedded them in further, so a little more slack can be taken up. 👍
Looking a second time at the wear pattern, I wonder if in fact the scoring is caused by the bearing itself. I believe it should be an angular contact bearing, in order to support the weight on the bars, as well as the axial forces of the bearing being predominantly loaded from one side. If it was not moving smoothly, I can see how there would be friction between the steerer and the compression ring.
Thanks for this! Basic maintenance is definitely good to know, especially if you travel with your bike.
Wow. Didn’t realize that. Thanks. 🙏
Thanks for the reminder - I will check mine. Just glad I don't have all integrated cables and disk brakes, so removing the fork is simple.
Yes with rim brakes it’s all super simple :)
Yeah, an advantage of rim brakes, rarely mentioned in the rim/disc debates.
Rim brakes are dead. There's about 100 of you left on the planet still clinging to your rim brakes.
Another way to set headset tension: with the stem bolts just tight enough to prevent movement but still loose enough for the stem to slide, hold the stem clamp (from behind) in your right hand. Hold the top tube (where it meets the head tube) in your left. Push - pull the stem clamp back and forth in line with the top tube pushing and pulling your hands away/towards each other. Tighten the stem bolt in very slight increments until the play disappears. Then torque up the stem bolts.
Thanks Katie!
Thanks Katie. Had never heard about this, so will do a check.
Great advice, thank you…
Great advice …thanks Katie..I’ll check mine 👍🏻
I make things from carbon for a living and that is worn but its not the "ring of death" or "a crash waiting to happen" (I like your content, but please hold back on the click battiness a bit.)
I would take to someone who repairs carbon frames and ask if they can ultrasound it to see how deep the wear goes. They can then repair it if necessary, but the chances are it'll be fine.
The parts I make to sell are twice the thickness that parts I make for myself and if the parts I use don't fail, customers part definitely won't!
Sounds like that would cost more than just getting a new fork
Yes thicker carbon is great. And if it was impossible to get a fork I might have left if but so easy to get hold of and for £100 not worth the risk for me.
Look at all the snapped fork steerers out there on youtube or google images because they had your mindset hehe.
Better to replace than worry.
For KK's riding style and light weight she 'probably' would be fine especially if correct tension is used in the headset but why not just replace and go from there.
I agree that a small surface defect as shown on her fork is highly unlikely to cause a failure. Forks are made with a significant margin of safety because they are a critical component so a small surface defect should not be an issue. If you were worried you could simply pull hard on the bars (like when sprinting) while stationary and see if it snaps. If it doesn't snap it should be good to ride. Also, the women in the video is not very heavy or strong compared to a big man that would be able to ride the same bike/fork. A bike shop would change the part because they are not paying the money and want zero risk.
a repair most likely would be more expensive than changing the fork; and when the choice is either to spent 100 bucks or going down a steep mountain with 80+ kph and every time worrying wether the fork is fine... IMO it's an easy one
Thankyou Katie
I never knew this how!!!! Anyway I’m checking mine this weekend so thanks 😀
Glad you found that fork steerer wear before anything happened, KB. Let's minimize any further crashing on this channel.
Once was and will always be enough for me
if you place your finger around the place where the headtube and headset join (the point where the headset rotates) and rock your bike with the front brake engaged, you can feel for any play regardless of whether you have a disc or rim brake or if there is any looseness elsewhere in the front end. If you feel play where your finger is, the headset needs attention. This is better than just engaging the brake and rocking the bike.
Thank you so much for that video! Because of your video I directly knew that I had exactly that problem. Will fix it right away ✌🏻
Thanks for the warning Katie, very glad you found the potential danger before you had a stack.
Never had that problem touch wood. But what happened to me this morning on my ride was a spoke in my rear wheel snapped/ broke. At about 20 km’s from home. I had to walk from where I it happened to get to some suburban roads, then call for help, took me 2.5 hours to get home after the call to go with probably a 30 minute walk, in road cycling shoes. Now in the coming week I will have to swap out wheels( I have a set of cheap alloy wheels) see what can be done and maybe buy some new wheels. But I really hate the alloy wheels because the bike just feels slow and is slow…..
Now I know what the play is I've felt the last handful of rides 😳 thanks as always for keeping us safe & informed Katie 💚🍻
Wonderful tip, Katie...would never think to check the forks regularly. Generally, I trust the local shop's tuneup crew, just assuming they'll fix anything that's gone wrong. Which is the wrong way to think.
You really only need an allen wrench to make the headset adjustment so you could even do it with a multi tool while on a ride. Don’t forget to loosen the stem bolts before cranking on the top bolt. You just need it tight enough to where the steerer is feeling just a little resistance when you turn the handlebars. Don’t overtighten.
The best advice a single allen key weighs little and means play can be eliminated the minute you're aware of it. Integrated headsets are so easy to adjust on the fly though you can't beat the traditional 1" threaded for reliability imo.
Hidden corrosion a risk on rain drenched Plague Island.
Also a risk "hidden away" if not regularly serviced, where the handlebars could come away !
Your safe & in one piece, that's the main thing Katie.
☀️
🐿🐿
Just took my bike into the shop because tge headset was making a popping sound. They redid the bearings and properly tightened the headset. Also, if you are using a proprietary spacer setup you might not be able to move the spacers. Te best thing is to bounce your front tire on the floor with slight force. If the handlebars rock or move, you need to check the tightness of your headset.
Good luck Katie! Greeting from Russia!
No crashing, Katie. Please ride safely.
Alloy and steel for life. I don't want no carbon biscuit bike components.
You do you boo :)
Keeping it real not following industry trends? 😮
Love steel! Though I did once have the top tube snap and essentially separate from the seat tube. I went round a corner at 30mph (or at least, I tried to) and the bike wanted to continue in a straight line.
Lol
Steel is real.
I am not careful enough with my equipment that I could ever properly store and maintain a carbon bike.
Well done, as you can't inspect the issue in a hidden spot like that, the fork could last decades or it could break tomorrow, carbon is fantastic but it's also sneaky, a superficial etching might trigger unpredictable splitting. But it can still be used without probelms on a Zwift-dedicated bike for instance.
I’ve had to replace the forks on my road bike due to this. But I don’t think it was a loose headset, rather just long term use as it had done 55,000km at the time.
People should check for this regularly especially on their gravel bikes where the fork takes a lot of abuse.
Yesss defo on gravel! Good shout :)
Thank you, i had no idea!
Was spinning my wahoo mount on my bars round when not in use (didn't loosen the bolt) and it's cut through my bars 😅
Stop it 😱
Harley (Durian Rider) talks about this at least once every month, haha
On of my rules of (long) rides.. when something comes loose, tighten it back down immediately.
And yes I did notice my headset had some play rocking the bike back and forth whilst waiting for a bridge. And I did only tighten it back down before my next ride (exactly as described in the video.. got that one right at least)... but then again.. It's aluminium, so that's different from carbon
How old is the fork that needed to be replaced ? Or how many miles ? Sorry just like a measure when to think about it roughly 😮
Always do a pre ride check, tighten any loose bolts before riding.
If it got loose on tge ride a multitool would have fixed it.
Long (1990) ago a skilled craftsman needed 30-40 hours of diligent filing, brazing, painting to create a beautiful work of art made to fit the owner exactly. The price would be around $2000.
One day a guy from the carbon tennis racket factory decided he could pop these out in four sizes, not even paint them, and convince a new generation of latte-drinking, craft-beer swilling, pierced and tatted hipsters to pay $4K for them.
Had a used Japanese bike from the late 80s early 90s that I literally broke that same stem while out riding. It was such a beautiful bike, downtube shifters. Everything was tight, so far as I knew but, fatigue had I believe done damage. All steel. I used to be a seriously hard puller while jamming the pedals, and believe this caused the final meltdown. Fortunately for myself, I was on an old road, slight 2-3% grade and just travelling about 4-5mph. Next thing I know, the handle bars are up in my hands, as I am at or near the brake cable lengths, the fork as it happens, comes out of the frame and over I go. I had areo bars on at the time as well. As I picked myself up, I noticed a car coming probably around 400 Yard away. While gathering my senses, bike as they went by, they never even acknowledged me while going by. Fortunately I had my cell phone and called the wife to come gather my carnage. Straight to the medi center as I had a cut on my right inner thigh I assumed was from the jagged handle bar stem tube. Only 11 stitches but very close to femoral artery.
So, advise is, whether one does their own bike maintenance or takes to a shop. Once it gets to having many miles on the frame, spend the time, money to have it looked at, not just the front but the entire bike. Had another steel frame with aluminum forks. Last year I started getting a bit paranoid about the frame, sent it to the scrap metal bin. Had rebuilt it several times. I am a heavy equipment mechanic, retired, do all of my own fitting, repairs. Knowing when is key to proper bike maintenance. It's easy to get caught up in the "I'll get after it when I get home or forget to put it on a to do list". Be diligent with this, as in a a&p air frame and power plant inspection. Once in the air, one does not want to be interrupted with an OS response of safely landing. In this case, a frame breaking while in the middle of a ride might be just as treacherous or more so than a plane. A plane most likely will be time to figure something out, the bike, well, you're definitely at a moments notice, all hand on deck scenario.
There is a recall on the Tarmac SL7 for this exact issue. Mine had it. Worn steerer. They issue a new insert and also steerer bung thing which interests past the wear. Had it repaired by carbon repair. New fork costs a fortune in comparison. Same happened on my SL5. Definitely need to make sure headset is compressing correctly. Costly and potentially dangerous mistake. Well reported 👍
Carbon does have a fatigue point of 10 years. So these high tech frames are meant to fail by design.
Fascinating info. Not something I have ever experienced myself and my current bike is full carbon fibre and 10 yo. Always important to learn new things though.
With hydraulic discs though, it's now a whole mess to drop the fork for inspection, unfortunately. New olives and bleeding needed, afaik.
There should be a plastic split ring that rests in between the bearing and the fork steerer, so as to protect the steerer from the edge of the bearing. I wish you'd shown that because if that part is not there to protect the steerer tube, the bearing or other parts can indeed cut into the carbon layup. The other point is that you can reduce the number of spacers (which really shouldn't be more than 3cm) by inverting the stem so that it points upwards. This will allow you to remove 2cm of spacers, which will reduce the fore and aft flexing of the steerer tube (because there are fewer stacked upon each other and sliding back and forth). The best is when you have a single spacer, clamped down by the stem, so that there is no play. There are also carbon forks with aluminium steerers which are more durable and wouldn't have this problem, and it is what I have on my bike, just for this reason.
The plastic split ring you refer to is also called a compression ring and is usually metal. Yeah, I thought it was weird how the mechanic was rattling the steerer tube in the bearing, of course it will rattle if you don't put the compression ring in, it's the interface between the two. And for those who don't know, at the base of the fork steerer tube is a crown race, it has an angled surface that interfaces with the bottom bearing.
@@joystation1 Yes, good point. Many of these compression rings are in fact metal. I do not understand how one would not notice a loose headset. Every time you go over a bump, you'd hear or feel it. Maybe the real cause is that the bearing edge or compression ring is not polished properly, or that the bearing was sized and the inside race is not turning properly, causing the the steerer to rub against the upper bearing.
I build my bike so I know when I assembled the headset but yes ppl should check there bike for things that are lose after rides
How aboutt micro cracks on a carbon fiber frame invusible to a naked eye? Monthly x-ray?
Peasant 😂
Never seen a carbon frame fail from miles and Im the biggest bike geek out there always sniffing around bike shop warranty bins etc.
Micro cracks in carbon = no concern IME as so many layers to the carbon. Ring of death is an issue because it creates a weak spot on a very high stress area.
I've never owned or ridden a carbon bike but I'm curious to know - are they SO much better than a quality steel framed bike? I see quite a few videos on either failure or near-failure of carbon bikes and it would make me very wary of buying one.
Thanks for tye PSA. I think I'll stick with Aluminum & Steel bikes, thanks 😅
I put a titanium tube down the inside of mine while I'm waiting for a titanium fork to be made .
I think i will look into that myself, good idea sir.
Ti forks are the most dangerous! There is a reason why the bike industry don't do ti forks lol. They fail bro. Don't learn the hard way.
@@TheRawvoice Interesting comment ,what evidence do you have for that ? Maybe if you just copied a standard design in titanium but a quad / truss system is fine like on Jones bikes .
The thing with carbon is it's light and strong but any knick anywhere will immediately make it a lot weaker, the latest fishing rods are made with graphene and they have actually the same problem and quite a load have snapped under pressure
> The thing with carbon is it's light and strong but any knick anywhere will immediately make it a lot weaker
reminds me of a story about a few people who went for a submarine ride a while back.
Suggestion: put a 3mm thick 26mm I.D. (1/8"x1") o-ring between your bottom spacer and top bearing, tighten the top cap so the o-ring compresses about 1mm , and tighten the stem to spec torque. This will allow the bearing to flex a bit on rough roads or gravel, while maintaining tension on the headset, preventing wear on the steer-tube. It will make your headset bearings last 10 times as long, and you'll never have to tighten your headset again. Extralight makes their headsets like this, all headset manufacturers should!
I watched this to enjoy her loveliness.
Aww thank yoooou
lesson learnt and we can avoid this mistake again~
I had the front forks shear off my bike (aluminium) while riding. That was a very quick, painful and expensive end to my ride!
This is a good reason to check every bolt, thru-axle, and QR before the very first ride, no matter where you purchased the bike. Bike mechanics are human and make mistakes or miss something every now and then. Then check everything periodically, especially if you ride rough roads, paths, or singletrack for you mtbers.
Anti-seize compound + torque wrench, easy. This talk of steel is real regard to this issue is idiotic. And knowing to torque down the fork before the stem is basic something anyone who has built a bike should know.
We hear a lot about the "Ring of death' and it makes sense but I have yet to see anyone I know of, brake his fork because of exactly that issue.
I have to admit to being dubious. Seems whichever way you look at it this is another industry created problem though
If the headset is kept adjusted correctly without any play there is no issue, it’s down to basic maintenance
I don't think anyone checks it with those internal hydraulic hoses. God have mercy.
It's actually not that big of a deal, the spacers come in two halves that lock together so you can remove them without taking the stem fully off, once they are out of the way you can pull the compression ring up and because there has to be enough room for the hoses there is about 8mm between the steerer and the bearing so you can inspect the contact area without removing the fork. If you are slammed (no spacers) you may have to unmount the calipers (leaving the hoses connected) and pull the hoses back into the frame/fork to give you enough slack, but a good mechanic will "hide" enough hose in the frame/head tube/cockpit so you won't need it.
Yes the ring of death. Good vid, thank you. XX
Love the Trek Team! This week we're getting 10 brand new crash pads thanks to Trek! :)
What? Really?! They are SUCH a great bunch in there and really know their stuff. Rate the workshop!!
@@KatieKookaburra Yup, taking delivery this Thursday! I've got amazing plans for a drone video showcasing them! It's going to change the look of the track (and it's safety of course!) :) Usually Ethan's in Trek Factory Racing gear. They're good people :)
Next time your in that trek store say the phrase " BMX tight" he will understand it 😂
Umm. A £100 fork really isn’t very durable. BTW you can get these repaired to be stronger than new at a number of places. Good vid Katie.
Cost doesn't equal durability.
@@KatieKookaburra yeah. It does. Unless you make it out of steel. Just consider how much of that fork was shipping, paint, mark up. Someone somewhere had their labour and skill exploited to get a fork that cheap.
That's why the alloy-steer-tube-carbon-fork still exist.
You got a fork like enchanted weapon.
They should make the forks like MTB ones, they dont get that 👍
Durianrider has been talking about this for years
A timely reminder. Thank you....
With the small amount of torque required this will surely work its way loose again, so you'll have to check it each time you go out...another reason not to buy carbon or a modern bike with this system?
Another option is expert carbon repair. Emphasis on the _expert_ - make sure they are a bicycle repair specialist. But for 100 pounds you made the right call. Carbon repair + paint would probably cost more.
Carbon fork with carbon steerer tube. On a carbon fork with a steel steerer unlikely that will break. Just saying. Thank your for sharing.😊👍👌
Not the ring of death that I’m thinking of 😂
🤨
I'd never have a carbon steerer on any fork
Aluminium suffers a similar fate.
Did this ever happen with Ribble?
It can happen with ALL carbon forks.
Great vid KK.
The scary part is how hard it is to drop a fork out on the latest tarmacs. Absolutely disgraceful designs that hinder easy safety checks.
I thought the pic you sent me was your tarmac fork?
Got to love the simplistic designs of regular bars right 😋 nope it’s the Winspace fork - all good to go now though got the new one in it
that's what scares me the most of carbon bikes, aside from the prices, are those little cracks that can get worse. Even if I had the money to buy a carbon bike I'd rather go with titanium or alloy
I don't care how new your bike is or how expertly it was assembled, all of it's highly loaded components fasteners should be checked and re torqued after it's first few rides. Even your cars alloy wheel's lugs require re tightening 50 miles or so after they've been reinstalled.
Maintenance.
I could never ride with a loose headset, knowing how it works…
If you have been removing the handlebars for travelling, then you have been unloading the bearings. If you haven't loaded up properly as shown then you probably caused the issue.
You can see in the video I state I didn’t remove the bars.
@@KatieKookaburra I must have misread the subtitle, I thought it said you removed for travelling. If the bars were not loosened to turn 90 degrees then this is not the issue. My bad.
Me and my integrated handle bar right now… painful 😭
Ouch. One reason I’m not a huge fan of them
A problem i'll never have. I'd never ride a carbon fork. But good info for a lota ppl.
Winspace website doesn't have a purchasing option for a new fork. Did you email them for one?
I messaged them on WhatsApp and it’s run by a UK bike shop. They responded the same night I messaged. 10/10 customer service!!
@@KatieKookaburra Thank you Katie! Cheers from the States
Ah, another bike part that sound never be made of carbon fibre!
This is one reason why I ride 30 to 40 year old steel bikes. NO CARBON FIBER!!! I never thought it was a good idea. Now they even make carbon fiber rims! What idiocy!
It might just be me, but I’m not hearing about people’s forks snapping.
Riding with play in your forks is a horrible feeling. Keeping your stem bolts and fork tightened properly are pretty straightforward basic home maintenance jobs.
So why isn't this a recall? Bike manufacturers are taking the p!ss out of us!
Please dispose of plastic waste responsibly.
Tthis shows that the modern bike industry produces carbon scrap 🥺
As you ride parts settle in and can get loose. With carbon wear beyond a certain point means compromised structural integrity. Better to replace as you did
it's a simple check and fix. also alloy. i don't trust carbon