Erik

The parts you're referring to don't experience much friction, so they don't generally "wear out". However, a carbon fork with the kind of mileage you're talking about could become a concern. That sort of thing should be removed for a close inspection to check for cracks/inconsistencies in the carbon and to check the bond between the carbon and the metal (any movement is a red flag).

If I had to make an educated guess, though, I'd say that if you've stored the bike indoors and you've ridden it on the road only and haven't made a habit of crashing, you're probably fine. Carbon forks are one of the most over-tested products in existence, so typical riding stress is a non-issue.

The parts that wear out frequently - aside from rubber - are things like the chain and everything that the chain touches. Your wheels - if they also have 40,000 miles on them - may also be overdue for a rebuild, especially if they have alloy nipples.

-Erik

To: obra@list.obra.org
From: dansilvernail@comcast.net
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 19:23:05 +0000
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Bike part longevity?

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&TFrom: "Silvernail, Dan"
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 12:04:42 -0700
To: dansilvernail@comcast.net
Subject:
Here is a question for you all about bike part longevity: My primary road bike is close to 8 yrs old now, and most of the parts are original especially the "contact" parts such as the seatpost, stem, handlebars. Also, I really don't know how old the carbon fork is (it has a metal steerer) because I bought it used but I would think it is a minimum of 8 yrs old. So the question is, how long does that stuff last? My best guess is that the bike has about 40,000 miles on it. I would hate to be motoring down Germantown Road and have something break.
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