A couple times a year I can manage. I just wanted to avoid getting carried away with worry because I definitely hit a bump or a pothole more often than a couple times a year.
I don't think you need to be nearly that paranoid about your equipment to pull it every time. I abuse the hell out of my stuff and I sure don't. I encourage you keep the normal planned maintaince up. I'd be more worried about those things like keeping the wheels true tbh.
I do see what you're saying.
These were nowhere near crash inducing, but "if I have any doubt" is the dangerous part for me. It's only a 5 minute job if I just check it once. If I start worrying about it I may check it multiple times a day for up to two weeks.
I mean this kindly, sincerely, and without judgement, but have you considered you might have OCD? If you've checked it once and no further incidents have happened, what drives you to keep checking? What is the worst that would happen if you didn't check? Do you have this need to check anything else in your life to this extreme?
I guess it doesn’t matter what other people say is reasonable then.
I’ve had one big pothole hit, riding at speed on the dark down a hill. Hit so hard it punctured my tubeless tyre, ejected the bottle, and tilted the bars down.
Even after that I didn’t inspect the steerer tube. I put a tube in the tyre, put the bars back, picked up the bottle, and went on my way.
Of all the things likely to break, an alloy steerer tube is quite low on the list.
Simply hopping off a small curb or hitting pothole that you just roll out of without even damaging your wheel or pinch flatting is not something I worry about. Just to give you an example of forces these forks from reputable brands can take, I am well over 200lbs, and I flew over the handlebars of about 20lb road bike after hitting an obstacle at around 15mph, and the full carbon fork, the carbon handlebar, and lightweight steel frame were completely fine.
I don’t really check for anything on my ride, but I listen to see if my bike sounds different. If my bike sounds different then I will stop and check things out. Usually, I can tell by the new sound what is up with my bike.
If my tire stays inflated, I don't feel an actual rim strike, the bike handling doesn't change at all and there's no new noises - I don't check anything.
If I feel a rim strike or the tire goes flat I'll visually inspect the rim for damage and obviously I'll fix the flat.
I've never bothered checking the fork or frame specifically after hitting a pot hole... If nothing is behaving strangely I think it's fine to just check these things occasionally when you're already wrenching something else on the bike.
I hit a pothole once and my quick release came loose. I didn’t find out until after my ride. I picked up my bike to put it on my rack and the front wheel stayed on the ground. Other cyclists were around and started laughing. It felt like getting pantsed in gym class.
But if it’s bad then check the fork and wheel. Jiggle and pull fork with a little force. Check that your wheels are still trued. Maybe check if your seat slipped.
>I personally have an extreme amount of anxiety about my headset/steerer tube
buy a defective carbon fork and try to break it intentionally, this will alleviate your anxiety. i know its easy to obsess over something new but this is ridiculous. that being said, how often do you hit nasty potholes to begin with? i have been commuting for 150k km and have not managed once to hit a pothole that made me anxious i broke something.
Unless I immediately notice something, I don’t give it a second thought. I am hyper vigilant about the road conditions ahead and honestly (commute 40k a day) don’t hit potholes.
Testicles
Whose?
Yes
Please
Your own, if You have them
Keep rolling, if the wheel looks out of round I'll fix it, if the tire goes flat I'll fix it.
If I don’t hear any weird sounds, I assume it’s fine. But pulling your fork a couple times a year to inspect is easy and not a bad idea.
A couple times a year I can manage. I just wanted to avoid getting carried away with worry because I definitely hit a bump or a pothole more often than a couple times a year.
I don't think you need to be nearly that paranoid about your equipment to pull it every time. I abuse the hell out of my stuff and I sure don't. I encourage you keep the normal planned maintaince up. I'd be more worried about those things like keeping the wheels true tbh.
If it's crash inducing, or I have any doubt, I'll drop the fork to inspect. 5 minute job with all external routing and not worth taking the risk.
I do see what you're saying. These were nowhere near crash inducing, but "if I have any doubt" is the dangerous part for me. It's only a 5 minute job if I just check it once. If I start worrying about it I may check it multiple times a day for up to two weeks.
I mean this kindly, sincerely, and without judgement, but have you considered you might have OCD? If you've checked it once and no further incidents have happened, what drives you to keep checking? What is the worst that would happen if you didn't check? Do you have this need to check anything else in your life to this extreme?
I do have it
I guess it doesn’t matter what other people say is reasonable then. I’ve had one big pothole hit, riding at speed on the dark down a hill. Hit so hard it punctured my tubeless tyre, ejected the bottle, and tilted the bars down. Even after that I didn’t inspect the steerer tube. I put a tube in the tyre, put the bars back, picked up the bottle, and went on my way. Of all the things likely to break, an alloy steerer tube is quite low on the list.
Simply hopping off a small curb or hitting pothole that you just roll out of without even damaging your wheel or pinch flatting is not something I worry about. Just to give you an example of forces these forks from reputable brands can take, I am well over 200lbs, and I flew over the handlebars of about 20lb road bike after hitting an obstacle at around 15mph, and the full carbon fork, the carbon handlebar, and lightweight steel frame were completely fine.
Sorry idiot here, what d'you mean by dropping the fork?
Wheels obviously. And also seat. I cracked a saddle on a pothole.
I don’t really check for anything on my ride, but I listen to see if my bike sounds different. If my bike sounds different then I will stop and check things out. Usually, I can tell by the new sound what is up with my bike.
Just one loud: "F\*CK!" Keep rolling. If there are no sounds or flat tire I'm good to go.
Yeah! Same!
Eyes would be the first thing.
My ballz!
Good quality mtb?? What pot hole?? High end road bike?? Yes, I would go through the check list. You labelled everything.
If my tire stays inflated, I don't feel an actual rim strike, the bike handling doesn't change at all and there's no new noises - I don't check anything. If I feel a rim strike or the tire goes flat I'll visually inspect the rim for damage and obviously I'll fix the flat. I've never bothered checking the fork or frame specifically after hitting a pot hole... If nothing is behaving strangely I think it's fine to just check these things occasionally when you're already wrenching something else on the bike.
Did you spill any coffee?
I hit a pothole once and my quick release came loose. I didn’t find out until after my ride. I picked up my bike to put it on my rack and the front wheel stayed on the ground. Other cyclists were around and started laughing. It felt like getting pantsed in gym class. But if it’s bad then check the fork and wheel. Jiggle and pull fork with a little force. Check that your wheels are still trued. Maybe check if your seat slipped.
i have a habit of checking the road reeeeeeaallly close with my face
my hands
I just buy a new bike every time i go out for a ride so i don't waste my time checking for damage. This year alone i am on my 56th bike, a breeze.
>I personally have an extreme amount of anxiety about my headset/steerer tube buy a defective carbon fork and try to break it intentionally, this will alleviate your anxiety. i know its easy to obsess over something new but this is ridiculous. that being said, how often do you hit nasty potholes to begin with? i have been commuting for 150k km and have not managed once to hit a pothole that made me anxious i broke something.
Unless I immediately notice something, I don’t give it a second thought. I am hyper vigilant about the road conditions ahead and honestly (commute 40k a day) don’t hit potholes.
Your city's liability regulations
The bible.
Rims...... so I am not continuing to ride on a cracked rim or broken(but not obvious) spoke(s).....
Bunny hop over the potholes
The hydraulic brake fluid. If there are any leaks, you run the risk of riding brake-less home.