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Death is surely likely?
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I'm guessing just aluminium oxidisation or something? (just spotted a crack, though oh bugger, flicked it, and a chunk of the paint came off, revealing this).
If there's anything structural happening here, that a black inky won't sort? 😆
Fork rot disease.
The forks have 3.2 weeks to live.
Could be magnesium salts - paint chips off, salt from roads react with the Mg alloy.
Kudos if you carry on riding it! Lol
Though it might be perfectly safe.... Let us know. 😉
I don't think that it's edible.
Kudos if you carry on riding it! Lol
kinda hoping someone with a real scientific background pops by to ok it tbh! 😆
quite a difficult thing to google, just sent me back here!
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/corrosion-on-aluminium-fork-crown/
Hit it with hammer a and see what happens
On this forum everyone's an expert, you know that! Lol 😅
from what i can make out the layer of oxidisation should stop further corrosion to the metal underneath! hmmm, anybody got some 26 in tapered 20mm maxle forks they don't need? 😆
If you're unsure buy a dye penetrant crack-detection kit, about £40, repaint (needs special stuff, min £20), or find a used fork. No help I know, sorry, but those are some options, IANAE
This is caused by the fork not being stiff enough. The flex causes the paint to lose integrity and a crack appears causing oxidation of the alloy below. The industry has been working hard to prevent this with new products gradually increasing stiffness by 8 - 23%.
Seriously, I’m going to say cosmetic unless you can see cracks. The alloy oxidises to form a protective layer. Call it rat look!
edit- thinking about it, do you really want to trust the fork now, considering the risk to your h and s?
Yes, that's corrosion caused by water and salts running down the headtube onto the crown.
Don't worry though, there is a solution.
The industry has been working hard to prevent this with new products gradually increasing stiffness by 8 – 23%.
Is that lifted from a marketing brochure or are you just having some fun making up sciency sounding BS?
@hols2 - I think you missed the first word of the following paragraph which makes it clear that it's a joke.
hmmm, anybody got some 26 in tapered 20mm maxle forks they don’t need?
Yep, pm me if you want
I had similar looking aluminium corrosion on a set of Hope X2 brake calipers. I thought nothing of it because the aluminium oxide creates a barrier preventing any further corrosion from happening. I rode into a wall at the bottom of a technical chute....really hard....when the rear caliper popped and gooshed all the brake fluid out. The corrosion had rotted clean through the caliper and opened a gaping hole in it. You should have seen the bruises I had, they were impressive.
I would treat that fork as gubbed. If it's on a commuter, I might still ride it until I found a cheap replacement fork, but if that's a bike ridden off-road in anger, I'd be thinking better safe than sorry.
C.
I think you missed the first word of the following paragraph which makes it clear that it’s a joke.
Yep, well done.
My brother reckons it's a mibbes ay mibbes naw situation, and that I should clean off the oxidisation, check for cracks and paint it.
What's the story with painting aluminium, does that prevent further corrision, I was reading that it really should be anodised?
"...because the aluminium oxide creates a barrier preventing any further corrosion from happening"
Similar to the Dunning Kruger Effect
Anodising is a controlled oxidisation process, with colour as an option. It's not necessarily corrosion-proof on its own
Painting needs a specific system because prepped aluminium begins to oxidise very quickly. Hammerite do a product that I've not used, or you use an etch-primer and paint over that. A car body repair place might help out
Car place could be a shout mibbe.
Got a list of what I'd need
wet & dry or and sand paper
evaporating cleaner
a mask
acid etch primer
some masking tape.
black spray paint
Will probably cost about 30/40 quid for that lot! 😆 I think i'm aswell buying a decent second hand fork from somewhere, as that yin has been worn into the ground, badly needs serviced too. so that's more money!
Good news is I didn't die cycling to and from work! 😆
ps I did pm you nickc, not sure if the pm's are working on here mind!
Dot fluid from bleeding brakes is what I suspect happened to mine. Sand it down and paint is what I did.
yep, saw it, just sent you a reply
Give them good rub down, check them over for any deep pitting and cracks and then if good etch primer and paint.
I've had this on painted alu frames and hubs that are used in winter on salty roads, I don't think it causes any harm.
cheers nick, appreciated that offer, as mentioned 160 just too big a jump from 120 I think.
Anyhow, on closer inspection, I don't think it's terminal and is still safe. I'll need to get it sorted though.
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took it off and scrapped off the easy stuff with a screw driver just to inspect for any cracks in it.
I just don't think I would be happy riding that.
It it were to break there it could be proper nasty.
It's a big hunk of metal that top bit, does't feel hollow, so I think it'll be fine tbh. I just need to stop the errosion going any further. There's no cracks it's just a thin layer on top, so it's all good.
Just a bit of elbow grease required and a few bits and bobs.
DAMN YOU KAYAK
😆 It did take me a minute to work out what was wrong with that pic!
Pffft if you saw the grooves in my rebas from a previous owner letting his cables rub...
... You'd probablt not even paint it!
DAMN YOU KAYAK
Excellent out of thebox thinking kayak. Have you also got it saved for future use?
The industry has been working hard to prevent this with new products gradually increasing stiffness by 8 – 23%.
Is that lifted from a marketing brochure or are you just having some fun making up sciency sounding BS?
No one would be surprised if they saw that in some marketing/ commercial brochure' would they? To paraphrase " I love the smell of cynicism early in the morning".
My first thought was what a marketing type would say about it and how it could be turned into a cash cow! Then I went for a ride on my bigger ardent on the rear, which made my ride 8-23% more comfortable but with an inconsequential 0.8 - 0.23% increase in effort and thought they would most likely be on to something. It is amazing/ depressing how marketing perverts engineering in some areas and makes us worry about things which may not exist, whereas in a less affluent/ consumption driven age we would have carried on happy with what we had.
bsims.... You might want to re-read the thread. 😃
Sorry, went off at a tangent! It was entirely relevant in my head at the time of typing.
Have we got another keyboard warrior on the forum?
😆 was the best place to get the photo's in natural light!
Have we got another keyboard warrior on the forum?
Nah, not me, it’s marketings job to be creative with the truth. Besides what would we talk about if we still had 1 inch steerers, top tubes that you banged your undercarriage on or were so short you banged it on the steerer etc...
Oh hang on, I could moan about not being able to upgrade my 1.75 low volume tyre to a nice plump 2.4!
Can you still get those brown crown races?