# Hincapie's Fork



## MPH74 (Dec 3, 2002)

So who's the manufacturer of his fork?


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## rogger (Aug 19, 2005)

Why, you want one?


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

rogger said:


> Why, you want one?



Maybe if it were for free. ...maybe. mmmmmmmmmm... no


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## botto (Jul 22, 2005)

that looked nasty


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

MPH74 said:


> So who's the manufacturer of his fork?



Twrek?


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## ari (Jan 25, 2005)

*"Special" Bontrager Satellite fork*

From http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006/apr06/roubaix06/?id=/tech/2006/features/hincapie_trek:

Scott Daubert: One thing I forgot to tell you about is that George is running with a different fork; it has a longer axle to crown dimension, and it has a longer rake than the normal Bontrager Race Lite fork.

CN: Is this something new you'll bring into the Trek line?

SD: No, it's actually from Bontrager's Satellite line, almost from their commuter level, but it has dimensions that are appropriate for Roubaix. It's an in-house made fork, made at Trek from OCLV carbon, it's just on a different model bike.

CN: Is it a steel steerer?

SD: No, it's aluminium; it's been blasted then anodized black.

Cheers,
Ari


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## Spunout (Aug 12, 2002)

Bad idea.


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## bornin53 (Sep 3, 2005)

*Boonen's Steerer Tube was Steel*

and it didn't break:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006/apr06/roubaix06/?id=/tech/2006/features/boonen_time


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## MaestroXC (Sep 15, 2005)

Boonen didn't crash earlier in the race, either. And he was riding a bike that had to be specially reinforced because rather than a weight limit, it apparently had a wattage limit: he was too strong for the bike, causing shifting problems since the beginning of the season!

Give me a break, people. You all love to hate Trek so much, it's pretty sickening. Feel bad for George if you want to, but cut out the elitist nonsense.


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## Buck Satan (Nov 21, 2005)

I don't hate Trek, they just bore the **** out of me.


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## Rollo Tommassi (Feb 5, 2004)

*Anodising..*

embrittles the surface of alluminum, yes?


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## sevenfootglass (Oct 14, 2005)

there is something weird about the word ''commuter" when applied to equipment for the hell of the north!! it just doesn't feel right


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## nocwrench (Nov 17, 2005)

*IMO C-dales are as boring as Treks*

I feel for George, and am curious whose idea the fork swap was. Oh, and the stem looks to be at least 140mm long. That's alot of leverage on the cobbles. Does Softride still make that goofy suspension stem anymore?


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## shaq-d (Apr 19, 2004)

nocwrench said:


> I feel for George, and am curious whose idea the fork swap was. Oh, and the stem looks to be at least 140mm long. That's alot of leverage on the cobbles. Does Softride still make that goofy suspension stem anymore?


you can still find it. i commute regularly on a softride, suspended beam and handlebar. it's an awesome ride and would be perfect for paris-roubaix. and zero chance of breaking anything, since all the weight is suspended.

sd


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## zosocane (Aug 29, 2004)

Can someone clarify that for certain the top end of the Trek-made fork broke?


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## cyclejim (Mar 31, 2004)

*not so sure the steerer tube broke*

I am not so sure the steerer broke at all, have a look at this picture and look closely at the black showing between the lower headset cup and the race on the fork... isnt that steerer tube? If you push that up into the head tube looks like there is enough there to clamp the stem to it, so its possible the stem just slipped right off the steerer. Also in watching the crash it just "looked" like that was more likely vs a broken steerer but thats just me. 

View attachment 49432


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## cheddarlove (Oct 17, 2005)

shaq-d said:


> you can still find it. i commute regularly on a softride, suspended beam and handlebar. it's an awesome ride and would be perfect for paris-roubaix. and zero chance of breaking anything, since all the weight is suspended.
> 
> sd


Wouldnt a softride beam paddle the racers arse's on the cobbles?  
p.s.we have one on the back of the tandem.


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## keeks (May 4, 2005)

You can't really tell how low the steer tube broke from that pic, it's most likely inside the head tube. I think the steerer snapped at the headset/stem interface since the top compression cap is still on top of the stem. If the stem had slipped off the steerer, this would have popped off as well. 
CRAZY wreck though. I would not have wanted to be in his shoes at that point. Poor guy!


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## Under ACrookedSky (Nov 8, 2005)

fornaca68 said:


> Can someone clarify that for certain the top end of the Trek-made fork broke?


Nope. They sent George out there on their Walmart line of equipment. If you play the video of the incident in slo-mo and zoom in on George's face, you can just make out him mouthing the words, "Steel IS real", just before he biffs.


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## Under ACrookedSky (Nov 8, 2005)

cheddarlove said:


> Wouldnt a softride beam paddle the racers arse's on the cobbles?


Not UCI legal. Plus all the other pros would make fun of you and you would expend too much energy dodging snot rockets.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

fornaca68 said:


> Can someone clarify that for certain the top end of the Trek-made fork broke?


http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/apr06/apr10news



> "George Hincapie's Roubaix ended in disaster with 45 km to go when his aluminium steerer tube broke on the Mons-en-Pevele sector of cobbles."


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## rogger (Aug 19, 2005)

cyclejim said:


> I am not so sure the steerer broke at all, have a look at this picture and look closely at the black showing between the lower headset cup and the race on the fork... isnt that steerer tube? If you push that up into the head tube looks like there is enough there to clamp the stem to it, so its possible the stem just slipped right off the steerer. Also in watching the crash it just "looked" like that was more likely vs a broken steerer but thats just me.


Found a screenshot on a German forum, it's clear the steerer broke.


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## Peith (Feb 16, 2006)

shaq-d said:


> you can still find it. i commute regularly on a softride, suspended beam and handlebar. it's an awesome ride and would be perfect for paris-roubaix. and zero chance of breaking anything, since all the weight is suspended.
> 
> sd


In my book, softrides are right up there with magna and pacifica.


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## Peith (Feb 16, 2006)

Under ACrookedSky said:


> Nope. They sent George out there on their Walmart line of equipment. If you play the video of the incident in slo-mo and zoom in on George's face, you can just make out him mouthing the words, "Steel IS real", just before he biffs.


hahahahaha!

In defense of the bonti-parts, what eventually sent George end-over was when the bars swung INTO the spokes on his Aeolus wheels. I was surprised when the didn't explode into flames when that happened. 

of all the things to break, that part of the bike is actually the best. King, aluminum stem (not that crap carbon bontrager) and an aluminum steertube. shame.


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## Jesse D Smith (Jun 11, 2005)

keeks said:


> CRAZY wreck though. I would not have wanted to be in his shoes at that point. Poor guy!


What? Pounding down a farm track over bread-loaf-sized cobbles, following Tornado Tom, riding no hands with the handlebars flopping alongsize the front wheel, with a snapped steerer tube staring you directly in the scrotum as your weight shifts you forward? 
Party on Wayne! Party on Garth.


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## stevecaz (Feb 25, 2005)

*Look at these specs on that fork*

Here is the specs on the Satellite fork:
http://www.bontrager.com/Road/Components/Forks/5808.php

First of all, its not OCLV carbon as Trek always states as such. Its only listed as Carbon/Aramid (see aramid.com). But the carbon didn't fail, it was the aluminum which I'm guessing it not the highest of quality at that level nor does it go through as many fatigue tests. Next, look at those weights - he could have found a full steel fork that weighed less. 
Also, when George was doing his test rides and purposely hitting all the holes to test the equipment, he was also greatly fatiguing that fork. I'm sure his frame and fork were the exact same on race day and the fork was ready to bust with another trip to the cobbles.


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## Howzitbroke (Jun 1, 2005)

Boonen's fork was not white. It was black. Doesn't mean it wasn't steel a steel steerer, just wasn't the one in that pic. 

Ther could have been stresses on the inside of George's steerer depending upon what type of star nut/compression thingy was used. I have also seen stress risers cut into steerer tubes by upper bearing races on loose headsets. As the fork wiggles back forward the compression ring or race can pivot and wiggle up and down rubbing on the steerer and if it fits tight enough like a King for example it can score the steerer tube. If the HS or stem had loosened during his first impact or even just over the time spent on the cobbles it could have caused this. The ring I am talking of is not shown in any of the pictures and appears to have fallen off. This would be my guess as to the cause, not anodizing, bad or faulty equipment, or bead blasting. Combination of circumstances.

Hate to see a man gone down on a mechanical of any sort though. Shame.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

MaestroXC said:


> Boonen didn't crash earlier in the race, either. And he was riding a bike that had to be specially reinforced because rather than a weight limit, it apparently had a wattage limit: he was too strong for the bike, causing shifting problems since the beginning of the season!
> 
> Give me a break, people. You all love to hate Trek so much, it's pretty sickening. Feel bad for George if you want to, but cut out the elitist nonsense.



Twrek owner?


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*I ain't buying the black anodized BS*

my bet is it's CF and they are 'covering it up' as it would be a marketing killer.

why would you anodize a part that is covered? why would you anodize a fork that doesn't come anodized? Custom? knowing anodization makes things weaker. 
not smart. Finally look at the break, clean and linear. when alloy fails it tends the tear, not shear in a striaght line. I'm calling BS coverup.


my guess is crash 1 put a nick in the CF. nick turned to a crack on the pave and snap!!!!\
that's the problem with CF.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

atpjunkie said:


> my bet is it's CF and they are 'covering it up' as it would be a marketing killer.
> 
> why would you anodize a part that is covered? why would you anodize a fork that doesn't come anodized? Custom? knowing anodization makes things weaker.
> not smart. Finally look at the break, clean and linear. when alloy fails it tends the tear, not shear in a striaght line. I'm calling BS coverup.
> ...



Dated April 6th - 3 days before the race

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006/apr06/roubaix06/?id=/tech/2006/features/hincapie_trek



> CN: Is it a steel steerer?
> 
> SD: No, it's aluminium; it's been blasted then anodized black.


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## MaestroXC (Sep 15, 2005)

rocco said:


> Twrek owner?


Hah, no.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*I'm going Tin Foil Hat here*

and calling conspiracy theory and cover up. They were testing a new fork, didn't want anyone to know about it and when it failed, covered it up.

callme crazy (I am)


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

atpjunkie said:


> and calling conspiracy theory and cover up. They were testing a new fork, didn't want anyone to know about it and when it failed, covered it up.
> 
> callme crazy (I am)



That's all right I am too...


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## Guest (Apr 10, 2006)

It'll be interesting to see what kind of spin Trek and Discovery put on this. No other team on the Pro Tour is more directly linked to a bike manufacturer than Trek - Discovery. It's been well documented on OLN, Discovery, FitTV and such Trek's drive to always build a lighter carbon bike going from 120 to 110 to 55. I think this goes to show that all this is at the expense of rider safety.


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## MTBRoad (Oct 25, 2005)

*Not the first time.............*

On Friday night on the FIT channel I watched the Chasing Lance episode that documented the days leading up to the Hell of the North *last year*. There was a large section that focused on the equipment. Scott Daubert(sp) specifically pointed out the difference in the bikes and stated that they were using a fork with more rake and longer fork leg that helped with handling for this type of riding (cobbles). He explained the fork in almost the same fashion that he did leading up to this years race. It is my belief that this fork was race proven last year. Also I believe the previous crash contributed to the final failure.


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## ultimobici (Jul 16, 2005)

gnauss said:


> It'll be interesting to see what kind of spin Trek and Discovery put on this. No other team on the Pro Tour is more directly linked to a bike manufacturer than Trek - Discovery. It's been well documented on OLN, Discovery, FitTV and such Trek's drive to always build a lighter carbon bike going from 120 to 110 to 55. I think this goes to show that all this is at the expense of rider safety.


Bearing in mind they said before the race that they were using a fork from the satellite range, their quest for lighter carbon has stuff all to do with it.


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## cyclejim (Mar 31, 2004)

rogger said:


> Found a screenshot on a German forum, it's clear the steerer broke.


Ok that makes it CLEAR as day. Yup steerer broke for sure.


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## cyclejim (Mar 31, 2004)

Jesse D Smith said:


> What? Pounding down a farm track over bread-loaf-sized cobbles, following Tornado Tom, riding no hands with the handlebars flopping alongsize the front wheel, with a snapped steerer tube staring you directly in the scrotum as your weight shifts you forward?
> Party on Wayne! Party on Garth.


I thought he crashed right after the steerer broke.....? do you think it broke and he countinued on riding until he crashed?? CRAZY!


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*he sits up to balance with no hands*

and gets a foot out before the front wheel crabs and sends him over. quite a pretty crazy 'save attempt' it looks like he knows he's screwed and is just trying to keep straight long enough to disengage his feet. He got one out before the spill


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

atpjunkie said:


> and gets a foot out before the front wheel crabs and sends him over. quite a pretty crazy 'save attempt' it looks like he knows he's screwed and is just trying to keep straight long enough to disengage his feet. He got one out before the spill



Yeah it sure looked that way... maybe if it weren't for the cobbles he might have actually pulled it off.


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## 6was9 (Jan 28, 2004)

cyclejim said:


> I thought he crashed right after the steerer broke.....? do you think it broke and he countinued on riding until he crashed?? CRAZY!


YES. No he did NOT go down immediately. George continued on for a bit until the inevitable loss of control and crash... sort of slow mo kinda way...

Have you ever seen riders with detached handle bar problem? Many don't go down right away... some rider ride on quite a bit before they actual crash (sometimes just not to cause a major pile up...like that Japanese rider in Aussie race a little while ago.)

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2005/oct05/suntour05/index.php?id=suntour055/KU3L1542b


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

6was9 said:


> YES. No he did NOT do down immediately. George continued on for a bit until the inevitable loss of control and crash... sort of slow mo kinda way...
> 
> Have you ever seen riders with detached handle bar problem? Many don't go down right away... some rider ride on quite a bit before they actual crash (sometimes just not to cause a major pile up...like that Japanese rider in Aussy race a little while ago.)



those things in your avatar tend to limit that ability...


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## 6was9 (Jan 28, 2004)

rocco said:


> those things in your avatar tend to limit that ability...


Right... but George went down well before he got to see them things in my avatar


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*check the other posting WE HAVE A CONSPIRACY!*

the curve in the fork legs used (*see pix I posted) does not match the Satellite legs.


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## rogger (Aug 19, 2005)

*I've donned the aluminum foil beany....*



atpjunkie said:


> the curve in the fork legs used (*see pix I posted) does not match the Satellite legs.


Look at the pictures, it's a completely different animal. Curve, drop-out, shape of the crown. They're busted!


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## Henry Chinaski (Feb 3, 2004)

Yep, probably an all new fork on his bike with a carbon steerer, which snapped.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*I've already alerted the media*

I posted other pix in the other posting.
One of these things is not like the other.

anodized black. yeah, that's it.I guess the blasting is to explain the matte appearance


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## rogger (Aug 19, 2005)

atpjunkie said:


> I posted other pix in the other posting.
> One of these things is not like the other.
> 
> anodized black. yeah, that's it.I guess the blasting is to explain the matte appearance


Keep an eye out for matte black helicopters, you don't wanna end up in Bonti Gitmo spending the rest of your life as a forced laborer making forks out of tin cans and Pepsi bottles.


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## ru1-2cycle (Jan 7, 2006)

*Busted headset?*

IMHO the headset busted, broke off due to the tremendous amounts of force applied by the powerful arms of GH, and with the unforgiving vibrations from those cobblestones from hell, it (headset) was doom to fail!(laugh)


cyclejim said:


> I am not so sure the steerer broke at all, have a look at this picture and look closely at the black showing between the lower headset cup and the race on the fork... isnt that steerer tube? If you push that up into the head tube looks like there is enough there to clamp the stem to it, so its possible the stem just slipped right off the steerer. Also in watching the crash it just "looked" like that was more likely vs a broken steerer but thats just me.
> 
> View attachment 49432


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*that was a King Headset*

and I know you are kidding (as george's arms aren't exactly powerful) but if there was one thing on that bike guaranteed not to fail it's that King headset.


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## Henry Chinaski (Feb 3, 2004)

atpjunkie said:


> I posted other pix in the other posting.
> One of these things is not like the other.
> 
> anodized black. yeah, that's it.I guess the blasting is to explain the matte appearance


Just to add to the conspiracy and conjecture...I've also heard arguments that the King Nothreadset design (which gets around the Aheadset patent) puts a bit more pressure on the steerer, right about where it snapped...


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## unga89 (Apr 6, 2006)

may i ask you where i can find a clip of the crash


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## 6was9 (Jan 28, 2004)

unga89 said:


> may i ask you where i can find a clip of the crash


http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/mc_vid24591.shtml


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## Peith (Feb 16, 2006)

rocco said:


> Twrek owner?


Campy owner?


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

Peith said:


> Campy owner?



You bet your ass I am... for over twenty years and counting. 

...and guess what? ...never ever ever on a Twrek.


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## Peith (Feb 16, 2006)

rocco said:


> You bet your ass I am... for over twenty years and counting.
> 
> ...and guess what? ...never ever ever on a Twrek.


 

jeez I never would have guessed that you've never owned a TwreCk


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## cyclejim (Mar 31, 2004)

6was9 said:


> YES. No he did NOT go down immediately. George continued on for a bit until the inevitable loss of control and crash... sort of slow mo kinda way...
> 
> Have you ever seen riders with detached handle bar problem? Many don't go down right away... some rider ride on quite a bit before they actual crash (sometimes just not to cause a major pile up...like that Japanese rider in Aussy race a little while ago.)


Ya ok I got it already. Just read a bit over at cyclingnews.com that confirms that George reported something not feeling right shortly before the crash:

"Shortly before the second crash, Hincapie told team directors that he felt looseness in his steering and thought his headset may have come loose as a result of the earlier crash. The team was figuring out when and how to swap to his spare bike when Hincapie entered another cobbled section and crashed."


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

Man, you're right. I didn't watch it on Sunday on OLN-I taped it and have been watching it in bits and pieces. Just saw it last night. Ouch! 30+mph over the bars on cobbles? That had to hurt. WTF were they thinking with a carbon steerer on those cobbles??


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## KonaMan (Sep 22, 2004)

Exactly! This is what I've been telling people that I ride with at work. Everyone read the article on Cycling News, but fail to mention that George was out there trying to break his rims in practice. He was hitting everything in the road to test them out, this had to have an effect on the steering tube. Carbon, aluminum, whatever it's made out of, he hammered it. The lesson learned is that the mechanics should have taken that bike apart and inspected everything for signs of fatigue after that practice.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*and the whole 'covered by the tape' thing*

what's that? the bars and stem were fine.


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## marpaddler (Feb 8, 2005)

*Clean Break?*

I have yet to see a photo clear enough for anyone to say the steer tube was a clean break.


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## dagger (Jul 22, 2004)

*Need help ATP*

I agree with your view

ATP....I went by my local Trek dealer to see if they had Trek's hybrid 7.6 or 7.7 which comes equipped with the Satellite fork to check the front view to compare with the photos of Disco's Roubaix bikes....they didn't have one. I was going to take a full frontal photo because the picture of the Satellite from Bontrager was an offset view. We need to find a front view of one of these bikes(7.6 or 7.7) to confirm that the curvatures don't match up. The Trek Factory Rep was on the phone with the store manager while I was there and he claimed that Bontrager doesn't make a carbon steerer tube so Disco would not have had one on their bikes. When I asked about the inconsistency in the fork curvatures he said Disco may be using a prototype of a 2007 design which will be out soon. 

So anyway a full frontal shot of the fork on a bike could help our suspicions, if someone could get one.


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## Henry Chinaski (Feb 3, 2004)

Yep, all of Bonty's forks have AL steerers, and all of them are silver.


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## teoteoteo (Sep 8, 2002)

*Check the photo conspiracy theorists*



dagger said:


> I agree with your view
> 
> ATP....I went by my local Trek dealer to see if they had Trek's hybrid 7.6 or 7.7 which comes equipped with the Satellite fork to check the front view to compare with the photos of Disco's Roubaix bikes....they didn't have one. I was going to take a full frontal photo because the picture of the Satellite from Bontrager was an offset view. We need to find a front view of one of these bikes(7.6 or 7.7) to confirm that the curvatures don't match up. The Trek Factory Rep was on the phone with the store manager while I was there and he claimed that Bontrager doesn't make a carbon steerer tube so Disco would not have had one on their bikes. When I asked about the inconsistency in the fork curvatures he said Disco may be using a prototype of a 2007 design which will be out soon.
> 
> So anyway a full frontal shot of the fork on a bike could help our suspicions, if someone could get one.



You guys need to get a life(laughs). It was an Alum. steerer end of story. Daubert gave the interview SAYING IT WAS ALUM. the DAY BEFORE. I guess he knew in advance George would crash. If you need more proof take a look at the close-up of the stem and steerer on Georgies bike. inside the hole on the stem is black ano shot peened aluminum. Note how it looks just like the black ano shot peened stem.. 

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/apr06/roubaix06/index.php?id=hincapie_trek/IMG_9944


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*I already mentioned that shot. it's the only*

piece of conflicting evidence. Just because Daubert says something doesn't make it true. I remember all the denials about LA's DA-10 groupwhen it appeared behind him on SI Cover as well.
What they say they are using and what they use can and often are different. That photo is the best contrary data, still why Ano a steer tube? I can understand shot peening, as it strenthens the alloy, Anodizing it black, was it a method to strengthen? Anodizing can harden things but it can also make them brittle. I'm still wondering what would cause an alloy steer tube to snap like that. My Foil hat is on the shelf,I'm not sold completely yet as that fork still doesn't match the Satellite.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

atpjunkie said:


> piece of conflicting evidence. Just because Daubert says something doesn't make it true. I remember all the denials about LA's DA-10 groupwhen it appeared behind him on SI Cover as well.
> What they say they are using and what they use can and often are different. That photo is the best contrary data, still why Ano a steer tube? I can understand shot peening, as it strenthens the alloy, Anodizing it black, was it a method to strengthen? Anodizing can harden things but it can also make them brittle. I'm still wondering what would cause an alloy steer tube to snap like that. My Foil hat is on the shelf,I'm not sold completely yet as that fork still doesn't match the Satellite.



I agree that anodizing makes no sense.


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## teoteoteo (Sep 8, 2002)

rocco said:


> I agree that anodizing makes no sense.



It makes perfect sense as the bonti stems are black ano. A silver ano stem looks like crap. It make sound trivial but some road riders are really anal retentive f%cks that want everything color coordinated.


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## teoteoteo (Sep 8, 2002)

atpjunkie said:


> piece of conflicting evidence. Just because Daubert says something doesn't make it true. I remember all the denials about LA's DA-10 groupwhen it appeared behind him on SI Cover as well.
> What they say they are using and what they use can and often are different. That photo is the best contrary data, still why Ano a steer tube? I can understand shot peening, as it strenthens the alloy, Anodizing it black, was it a method to strengthen? Anodizing can harden things but it can also make them brittle. I'm still wondering what would cause an alloy steer tube to snap like that. My Foil hat is on the shelf,I'm not sold completely yet as that fork still doesn't match the Satellite.


The difference between the SI cover and this scenario was that the SI cover was a reactive statement. I was on your side with the DA 10 stuff but then again I knew LA had it and even kitted out Rick Reilly for his ride with Lance. In this scenario Daubert was sharing the info w/cyclingnews before the incident. I have a couple of mutual friends that are tight with Daubert maybe some info will trickle down. The one thing I read here today was the thought that it was 2007 model or test product. Something I agree with because Daubert said it was from the Satellite Line and not specifically the Satellite model...

"No, it's actually from Bontrager's Satellite line, almost from their commuter level, but it has dimensions that are appropriate for Roubaix. It's an in-house made fork, made at Trek from OCLV carbon, it's just on a different model bike."


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## dlbcx (Aug 28, 2002)

atpjunkie said:


> piece of conflicting evidence. Just because Daubert says something doesn't make it true. I remember all the denials about LA's DA-10 groupwhen it appeared behind him on SI Cover as well.
> What they say they are using and what they use can and often are different. That photo is the best contrary data, still why Ano a steer tube? I can understand shot peening, as it strenthens the alloy, Anodizing it black, was it a method to strengthen? Anodizing can harden things but it can also make them brittle. I'm still wondering what would cause an alloy steer tube to snap like that. My Foil hat is on the shelf,I'm not sold completely yet as that fork still doesn't match the Satellite.


Anodized layer is probably only .001 to .003 thk. Trek probably did it more for cosmetic reasons than strength. Remember the stem, itself, is anodized, too. The one item that no one knows is the wall thickness of the steerer, except Trek, of course. But, that wouldn't make sense because the star nut has gripped the ID of the steerer to stay in place. Unless they used a expander, which may have gotten overtorqued.


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## pktrekguy (Nov 4, 2005)

*What the fork really was...*

The fork used on GH's bike was NOT actually a satellite fork. The Satellite fork is commonly found on the Pilot line from Trek and has all the attributes Daubert mentioned. The fork on GH's is actually the Bontrager Race XXX-Lite Plus fork which shares the same attributes of the Satellite fork. Check out the Pilot 5.9 on Trek's website. GH's fork and this fork are identical.

http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike.php?bikeid=1411000&f=2

And, yes, this fork does have a black anodized steerer tube. Next time you are at a Trek dealer with a Pilot 5.9 check it out. You will not find this fork on the Bontrager site as it is NOT sold as an aftermarket item.


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## Mel Erickson (Feb 3, 2004)

The steerer broke alright. Snapped right at the headset/stem interface. Georgie didn't have any spacers at all. The black thing you see between the bottom of the head tube and the top of the fork is suspension. Read the full Cyclingnews article. He describes the suspension in detail. Gives about 1/2" of travel, just enough to take the sting out of the cobbles over the course of the race but not enough to really notice it's suspended. I suspect the length of his stem combined with the forces generated from the suspension resulted in more than the steerer could take. In the same Cyclingnews interview he said George pounded the sh!t out of the bike in training to test the wheels. He intentionally hit the worst potholes and cobble sections to stress the wheels and test them out. I think he inadvertently put the hurt on that steerer and the race did the rest.


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## foz (Sep 30, 2004)

*No suspension on the front!*



Mel Erickson said:


> The steerer broke alright. Snapped right at the headset/stem interface. Georgie didn't have any spacers at all. The black thing you see between the bottom of the head tube and the top of the fork is suspension. Read the full Cyclingnews article. He describes the suspension in detail. Gives about 1/2" of travel, just enough to take the sting out of the cobbles over the course of the race but not enough to really notice it's suspended. I suspect the length of his stem combined with the forces generated from the suspension resulted in more than the steerer could take. In the same Cyclingnews interview he said George pounded the sh!t out of the bike in training to test the wheels. He intentionally hit the worst potholes and cobble sections to stress the wheels and test them out. I think he inadvertently put the hurt on that steerer and the race did the rest.


if you read the cyclingnews article in even more detail, you'll see that the suspension is only on the rear triangle, the fork has none! the fork is a normal fork, the black thing you're on about is the steerer tube, which has partly come out of the headtube. it's easy to see from the video and photos that it's the stem and bars which separate themselves from the rest of the bike, meaning that the most likely cause is a broken steerer (but the same thing could happen if the stem and top cap were not tight and the stem slid up off the steerer - if that had happened i think GH would have noticed it was loose before it came right off though). if the fork crown had broken, the fork legs would have separated themselves from the rest of the bike, leaving the stem and bars more or less attached to the frame.

foz


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## Mel Erickson (Feb 3, 2004)

Right you are. I didn't read the interview closely enough and compare it to the photos. Nix the thought on the suspension playing into the break. I still think his wheel "testing" and the length of his stem had something to do with the mishap. Probably just hastened a problem already there, maybe from manufacture. If the stem and top cap were not tight the top cap would not have stayed with the stem as can be seen in several photos. It would also have meant that BOTH the stem and top cap had to be loose and the top cap bolt completely back out of the star nut to come out. It's extremely unlikely that both would have been installed so badly by the Discovery mechanic on the bike for the #1 cyclist on the team.


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## rufus (Feb 3, 2004)

stem didn't slide off the steerer tube either, cause if you look at photos of the broken bike, you can still see the top cap of the headset on the stem, which would have probably gone flying if the stem had slipped off.


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## wzq622 (Aug 3, 2004)

Regardless, Trek just embarrased themselves on TV and provided further proof that their bikes are POS...

...just like Lance proved his bike was crap in the 03 Tour, Stg 15 when he fell and broke his chainstay, albeit it was most likely a one-off climbing bike.


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## zooog (Mar 18, 2002)

Peith said:


> hahahahaha!
> 
> 
> 
> of all the things to break, that part of the bike is actually the best. King, aluminum stem (not that crap carbon bontrager) and an aluminum steertube. shame.



I agree


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## Todd_Fuller (Jan 22, 2004)

wzq622 said:


> Regardless, Trek just embarrased themselves on TV and provided further proof that their bikes are POS...
> 
> ...just like Lance proved his bike was crap in the 03 Tour, Stg 15 when he fell and broke his chainstay, albeit it was most likely a one-off climbing bike.


As I recall it, Iban Mayo RODE over the chainstay. He then went on to WIN the stage. I wouldn't be surprised if many other brands of carbon bikes that are properly designed were able to do the same. Simply saying that it broke and that it somehow 'proves' that a Trek is trash is a bit silly.

If you want to go down that route, you might as well argue that any other brand that made a component that failed in some way makes junk too. 

The reality is that the most likely that in the first crash, Hincapie stressed the steerer enough to crack it. Even a hairline crack barely visible to the naked eye is enough. He then went on and rode for many more hours allowing the crack to propagate until the steerer no longer had enough material left to handle the loads. The small amount of tubing left likely cracked completely off very quickly when it encountered a load beyond it's ultimate load strength. This type of failure mode is quite common in the aerospace industry where components are designed for 1.5 times the highest load they will ever expience. Typically, some event damages the component which causes a crack which then leads to significant weakening of the part. Failure is just a matter of cycling the part until the crack grows large enough for the component to fail.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

I just got back from Sea Otter and have finally seen the coverage. What a fine, crazy race.

What's the latest on the fork issue, any clear findings?

How is Hincapie doing? How long is his downtime? His interview before the race was awesome. He displayed confidence and eloquence I haven't seen from him in his past 10 interviews.

francois


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## harvestlaser (May 13, 2004)

*fork?*

the fork model didnt look like any other bontrager/trek fork i have ever seen. But the dropouts looked very similiar to the RITCHEY fork.


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## big Kat (Feb 5, 2004)

*Bontrager XXX Lite Plus*

As stated before the fork is a Bontrager XXX Lite Plus. It come on the Pilot 5.9. It is setup to handle long reach brakes and does use a Alumiun seatpost.

A friend of mine, manager of the local shop, Has a Pilot 5.9 and it looks exactly the same as George's fork.


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## Spunout (Aug 12, 2002)

rogger said:


> Keep an eye out for matte black helicopters, you don't wanna end up in Bonti Gitmo spending the rest of your life as a forced laborer making forks out of tin cans and Pepsi bottles.


It broke because they filed off the GD lawyer tabs, and put themselves into litigation hell or something like that...


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## soup67 (Feb 26, 2004)

*Hincapie*

Separated shoulder; no fracture; no surgery. He'll miss the Tour of Georgia, but is still gunning for France.

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060413/SPORTS/604130325/1002

soup


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## soup67 (Feb 26, 2004)

*Another article*

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060412/SPORTS/604120378/1002

soup


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## ultimobici (Jul 16, 2005)

soup67 said:


> Separated shoulder; no fracture; no surgery. He'll miss the Tour of Georgia, but is still gunning for France.


Why, what's happening in France?


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## iopturbo (Jul 29, 2005)

ultimobici said:


> Why, what's happening in France?


 I think he is supposed to judge some sort of cooking competition.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

ultimobici said:


> Why, what's happening in France?


World championship podium girl contest.


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## gray8110 (Dec 11, 2001)

This should end any speculation that the fork had a carbon steerer...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2...p?id=roubaix_postbikes/Hincapie_Bike_Close_up


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## ultimobici (Jul 16, 2005)

il sogno said:


> World championship podium girl contest.


Having seen his wife (former podium girl) I'd say he's already won that contest!


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## WrongBikeFred (Oct 19, 2005)

sevenfootglass said:


> there is something weird about the word ''commuter" when applied to equipment for the hell of the north!! it just doesn't feel right


Comuters have the S##T beat out of them. They have to be strong so that they won't break and make you miss the big meeting or sales appointment (in the case of the race, the finish line). I would trust my commuter on those cobbles much more than my road bike. If your comment was about weight, then you have a point. Also, a *slightly*more "commuter like" geometry might be of some help in a race like that one.


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## Clark (Aug 10, 2004)

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/apr06/roubaix06/index.php?id=roubaix_postbikes/Hincapie_Bike_Close_up

Here is a close up of hincapies fork. You can tell that it's aluminium and not carbon..


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## rideorglide (Dec 3, 2005)

That looks oh so familiar.

I have a garage wall full of broken aluminum windsurf booms (about $180 US to replace). and the broken aluminum looks a lot like Hincapie's broken AL steerer. Carbon booms run about $525 to replace.

I'm 215 lbs and I flex AL booms pretty hard and snap in about a year and a half of riding -- often between the harness lines, where the torque is maxed. Sometimes I get a brief warning sign as the boom gets flexier, sometimes not. 

I've had better luck with full carbon booms -- but we're talking 5 lb (2.5 Kg) thick-walled carbon booms here, since they have to withstand a huge amount of leverage. I like the carbon ones because they are stiffer/more efficient, last longer, but not necessarily all that much lighter.

I'm shopping for a fork right now, and the familiar sight of that snapped clearly AL steerer, has me thinking all carbon EC90 SLX with the nanotube technology may be the way to go. That, and a lot of vigilance.




Clark said:


> http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/apr06/roubaix06/index.php?id=roubaix_postbikes/Hincapie_Bike_Close_up
> 
> Here is a close up of hincapies fork. You can tell that it's aluminium and not carbon..


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