Iwr

Hello! I just took the leap an bought my first used road bike, a shiny red 2010 Cannondale CAAD9 4. I did my best to look it over really closely before agreeing to the purchase but it wasn't until I got it home that I noticed a blemmish smaller than the size of a dime on the front of the fork. Doing the quarter test the tapping sound does change when I tap on the blemmish though I'm not sure if it's just paint or an actual crack. Assuming it is a crack, I would love to get a replacement fork ASAP so I can ride it. The thing is I'm really new to road bikes and the sizes and options for forks feels overwhelming.

Can anyone point me to a resource for understanding sizing for the fork that's on it so I know what size to order as a replacement? Or, is there a simple answer here, i.e. order this fork model number xxxxx and call it a day. I'd prefer a factory replacement, but am not totally opposed to an upgrade. I just want to ride the damn thing. I'm out $500 on the purchase. Hopefully will still be a reasonable deal after I get this fork issue sorted out.

Thank you for your help!

veganbikes

I would bring it to your local shop and have them do a crash estimate on it and get you some costs assuming you have talked with the original seller and explained the situation and they have denied helping you. $500 is a bit steep for that bike in non-functional condition so I would attempt to see what the seller could do. Obviously it is a sellers market but a broken more entry level bike just shouldn't command that much.

For a fork for a straight steerer tube bike, this is what I would recommend as it is a great fork: https://whiskyparts.co/forks/no7-rd-straight#/

krakhaus 

Post a photo of the alleged crack. The fork is aluminum right? Those shouldn't crack very easily, if it's carbon, well that would make sense.
There are a bunch of Cannondale forks on Ebay for under $100. Measure your steer tube and find one that isn't shorter than the one you have. You can always cut them down or use spacers, but you can't make them longer.

big john

Does anyone make aluminum forks anymore?

A lot of aftermarket forks will work.

krakhaus 

Yes, they do. Also the bike is a 2010. Most of Cannondale's bikes were aluminum then.
Here's one on Ebay, there's plenty others too.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cannnondale...oAAOSwzPlfzOaz

big john

I didn't think any CAAD came with an aluminum fork I had a CAAD5 from 2001 and the fork was carbon with an aluminum steer tube.

Aluminum forks must be pretty rare these days?

This says the CAAD9 has a carbon bladed fork. Cannondale CAAD9 - BikeRadar

Iwr

Unfortunately, I can’t post pics yet because I’m new to the forum, but it looks like an impact type blemish. I’m going to strip the paint in a few minutes here and see what’s under there.

as far as the research I’ve done, it’s a carbon fork. I am not sure about the steer tube tho. Does the angle from the top of the fork down to where the wheel mounts matter much? The stock one has a nice forward bend to it. I see some aftermarket forks are straight and some have various degrees of bends. I don’t want to change the factory dimensions unless I have to. Thx,

mstateglfr 

There will be a lot of replacement forks on the internet.
2 measurements you need in order to replicate the original fork are axle to crown(a-c) and rake.
a-c is the distance from the middle of the axle to the crown(where the headset is). Measure from the middle of the axle dropouts straight up. Just leave the QR skewer in for an easy reference as to where the middle of the dropout is.

Rake is the distance the dropout is in front of the head tube if an imaginary line were drawn along the head tube to the ground.
just Google this, its super easy to understand with a visual and they are all over Google.

Random guess- your a-c will be 367-375mm and your rake will be 43 or 45mm. These are common ranges for short reach caliper road bikes.

You may be able to get these numbers online as bike nerds measure this stuff and post about it.
Also, the fork may have the measurements on it. They may be in a sticker on the steerer tube, which fits inside then frame's headtube. I would check that first as its simple and exact. Its requires loosening a few bolts.


Replacements can cost $75-400, depending on what you want.
Ritchey and Columbus are reputable brands and have forks in the $200ish range. There are then generic forks that are priced well and could work great.

A few quick examples
https://www.amazon.com/1-125-Carbon-...52849253&psc=1

https://www.nashbar.com/ritchey-comp...0aAvaREALw_wcB

https://www.modernbike.com/product-2...IaAoPvEALw_wcB

Iwr

That is great info, thank you! I'm learning a ton as quickly as I can and this is helpful.

Good news - I sanded the paint off the area and there does not appear to be any damage to the carbon. I feel pretty lucky. Bummer I had to ruin such a nice finish but definitely worth the piece of mind and it saved me a few hundred bucks.

I'll post pics once I surpass the min posting threshold and you guys can see what I was talking about and maybe flame me for over reacting. I appreciate everyones help tho!

Zaskar

Nope. Even here you won't get flamed for worrying about a cracked fork, investigating options, sanding, discovering... Now, if this story had gone the other way - "I think my fork's cracked. Meh, gonna ride it anyway." Yeah - put on the flame suit.

Now we get to see your painting skills too ;-)

Vince Canepa

I have a 2010 CAAD 9-4. The entire fork is carbon - blades and steerer.

WhyFi

Just curious, but did you check both sides of the fork when you did the tap test? The change in tone could have been attributed to differences in thickness and/or layup as the fork transitioned from one section to the adjacent.

Iwr

I actually did. Again with being new and all I wanted a control group for my tap test so tested both sides. There was a distinct change in sound when I went over the blemish. The pain is pretty thick and I now attribute the slight change in sound to the areas where the paint was lifting off the carbon.

Iwr

Lol Good stuff. Seriously though, is there somewhere I could get matching touch up paint? Would I just use automotive paint? I already settled with living with this spot of exposed carbon forever. I'd love to touch it up.

topflightpro

Nail polish is probably your best bet.

Zaskar

1/2" electrical tape - three stripe graphic. Make it look intentional ;-)