dmanthree

Well, after the crash last month, I thought the only damage to the bike was the lever on the rear axle. But yesterday I noticed the front fork was loose, and noticeably. I'm guessing this happened with the bike went down and the bars turned and got caught under the top tube. It needed quite a bit of force to get it out, so that's my guess.

Quite a start to this year's riding. Rain. Blowouts. A crash. And now something not right in the front fork/head. Oh, well.

In the meantime, I'll clean up the 26 year old Trek 950 for a few toots.

colnago62

Is it a carbon frame? Not trying to be the bearer of bad news, but the impact sounds like it was hard enough to bring into question the frame and whether it might be compromised. See if you can’t find any dull spots when tapping.

mstateglfr 

Just loosen the headset and loosen the stem, then align the stem and tighten the headset then tighten the stem.

If that doesn't properly tighten your fork, then take it in. No reason to take it in before trying a few twists of some bolts.

jlaw

+1

Especially if the fork has a carbon fiber steerer tube. I would suggest taking it to a knowledgeable LBS for an inspection - and pull the fork out of the headset to check the steerer tube where it transitions to the fork crown.

I wouldn't chance it - sounds like you hit hard.

dmanthree

I won't chance it, especially after going down once already. I'm too old for that crap. Fingers crossed. I know carbon frames can't really be fixed, so I guess I'll find out the hard way.

MinnMan

So you brought a carbon frame bike into to the shop the first time, telling them that you had been in a crash and they fixed the rear axel lever (is that the skewer?). I would think that a reputable shop would have given the rest of the bike the once-over and found any obvious additional problems right there. Curious.

dmanthree

No, never brought it to the LBS after the crash because it seemed fine, or I just didn't notice the wobble in the front end. The axle lever (thru-axle) was lightly damaged but still functional. Anyway, I dropped it off today and the tech seemed to believe it's fixable. Also, there was a recall on the model for something related to the head tube he can perform. I should have it back tomorrow so I'll take a ride tomorrow afternoon. Sure hoping it's what he says and I don't need to replace the frame.

dmanthree

Just got the call: it's fixed. And, since there was a recall for some headset piece, it was free.

Love the LBS...

noimagination

So you crashed, addressed the obvious damage as well as you could, noticed something "off" that you didn't feel comfortable addressing, took it to the experts (LBS), who fixed it.

Sounds like everyone did their jobs. Nice to hear a happy ending.

Maelochs

Fixed his bike for Free .... happiest possible ending.

Sy Reene

Sounds like the whole thing was a recall/warranty fix. I guess it's great to find that the bike dealers fulfill this kind of work. Otherwise we'd all be buying online from ebay shops in China.

dmanthree

Not sure if the wobble was caused by the crash, if the crash accelerated the issue, or if it was just the bad part that needed replacement, but it's fixed. Taking it out this afternoon for a little shakedown, too.

Agreed about the LBS. Once they told me it was a freebie I smiled and dropped $20 in the tip jar. Riverside Cycles in Newburyport, MA. A really good shop.

WhyFi

Uh, no. Exactly the opposite. Carbon is probably the most easily fixed.