The Bicycling Thread

[wildbears]

[wildbears]

The reckless driver's car was stated to have a strong marijuana odor. Given that most cycling teams use flashing back lights these days when training on the road, there may have been an element of target fixation, more common with intoxication.

"2 college athletes dead, 7 injured after driver crashes into school’s cycling team. https://wcyb.com/news/local/affidavi...ing-team-crash"

[955i]

Bears, I'm still skeptical of the pratical effects of this "target fixation" theory. I'm not skepitical that marihuana usage makes bad drivers even worse.

[wildbears]

Even weirder, riders in the Netherlands without helmets are hit less often than those with. The theory is that those without are seen as more human and thus given more space.

[wildbears]

RIP Fin Tarling, Aug 14

The 19-year-old Tarling was killed during the Volta a Portugal when he was descending mid-race in pursuit of the peloton and collided with a non-race vehicle that was coming towards him on the race route, despite the road closure.

[wildbears]

Hail, Stage 3, Vuelta....

[955i]

I bet that made some noise banging off the helmets. I wonder if the warranty is still good on their carbon bikes, or if there is a "hail waiver" in the fine print.

[wildbears]

[955i]

I have no words.

[wildbears]

[955i]

Sweet bike. Sweat girl.

[955i]

La Vuelta Stage 8! Whew!

[wildbears]

Ditto...The rock was not cleared because it was missed by the advanced road inspection team.

[wildbears]

Steel vs Carbon Forks


AI Overview
Carbon forks are significantly lighter and stiff, while steel forks offer superior durability, impact resistance, and load-carrying capability. [1, 2, 3]

Steel Forks

• Weight: Heavier than carbon, often weighing between 700g to over 1000g.

• Durability: Highly resilient; can withstand heavy impacts, rough handling, and can be easily welded or repaired.

• Ride Quality: Offers a natural springiness and smooth compliance that absorbs impacts, though disc-brake variants can feel stiffer.

• Utility: Frequently equipped with braze-ons, eyelets, and mounts for front racks, fenders, and cargo cages. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Carbon Forks

• Weight: Much lighter, generally weighing around 450g to 550g.

• Durability: Strong under specific directional loads, but susceptible to micro-cracks, delamination, or catastrophic failure from sharp impacts or over-torqued components.

• Ride Quality: Excellent at dampening high-frequency road buzz and providing a responsive, sporty, and stiff handling feel.

• Utility: Usually lacks mounting points for heavy front racks or low-riders, prioritizing a clean aesthetic and aerodynamics. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

[955i]

My 1990 Merckx MX Leader was assembled from a variety of components. It wears a decent quality mail order carbon fork It's been good.

[wildbears]

My gravel bike has an aluminum frame and fork....very stiff with lots of impact on rough pavement even with 42 mm tires. It does have multiple eyelets that are mechanically integrated, not glued. Most steel bikes now come with carbon forks.