A massive award for damages in the United Kingdom has again raised the issue of unexpected fork failure causing riders to crash.
The UK High Court recently approved a settlement equivalent to AU$8.7 million to Dr Daniel Gordon after a fork failure left him a paraplegic.
He was riding a titanium Planet X Tempest gravel bike on a grassed slope in 2020 when the carbon fibre forks sheared.
Problems with forks and fork steerers have stalked the bike sector – even reputable brands – as anyone who reads the regularly posted bike recall items in these pages will recall.
We have also reported on the tragedies involving riders who have either died or been injured due to previously existing hidden damage to forks on bikes they had unwittingly purchased second hand.
In the case of Dr Gordon, he initially claimed against Planet X but after they became insolvent he pursued the claim against their insurers.
A notable issue in the Court proceedings was the lack of uniformity as to how gravel bikes are tested, categorised and advertised, and the lack of clear international standards.
The defendants claimed that the bike conformed with the American ASTM standard, which apparently advises that the bikes should not be jumped or dropped from heights higher than 15cm, a fact rarely understood by customers.
And advertising for the bike certainly did not reflect any such caution, describing the AU$4500 bike purchased by Dr Gordon in 2020 as a “go-anywhere” bicycle that is “lively on the road but confident enough to play MTB on the trails”, and stated “the only thing Tempest doesn’t have is limits”.
This was illustrated by photographs on Planet X’s website at the time showing the bike being ridden in rocky, mountainous terrain.
It is concerning that with the growing popularity of gravel bikes (along with advertising that can resemble that for mountain bikes) there is no clear testing standard, in contrast to the long-standing BS ISO 4210 testing standards for road and mountain bikes and forks.
The court proceedings noted that even BS ISO 4210 testing does not include a test for compressive forces, nor is there any express requirement for manufacturers to conduct any form of field testing of real-world cycling before a bike is deemed fit for sale.
In the meantime prospective and current purchasers of gravel bikes should be alert to potential limitations in fork robustness.
And anyone that is riding a second-hand bike of any kind with carbon fibre forks should ensure that the forks are meticulously inspected for any damage that may have occurred under previous ownership.
It is not that carbon forks are inherently faulty, it is that damage and cracks resulting from crashes or excessive jump forces can be hidden from the naked eye.
Or become our friend and subscribe to receive our fortnightly newsletter.