Safety Requirements - Bontrager FORK Manual

saFety requireMents

WARNING! Failure to follow the following requirements may result in
failure of the fork resulting in serious personal injury or
death.
use a front brake
For some models, the brake bolt goes through both the carbon fork
crown and the aluminum steerer. In the event of a frontal impact,
the brake bolt functions as a key part of the impact absorption
function; do not ride without a brake bolt through the fork crown
and make sure the brake bolt is properly tightened.
Do not overtighten the brake attachment bolt. The maximum torque
for the brake bolt is 70-85 lb•in (7.9-9.6 N•m).
use a proper stem design and installation
The stem has several design requirements, which if not fulfilled, could
damage the fork and cause it to break:
• Do not use a stem with a wedge-type
steerer clamp (Figure 1), except for a
Bontrager King Earl stem, which has a
special design that will not damage forks.
Improper clamp design can deform the
steerer, adding to fatigue stress.
• Always use at least two spacers between the
stem and headset. If the stem sits directly
against the headset, any fatigue stress
will be concentrated in a small area, which
may damage the steerer.
• Never use more than 40mm of spacers
under the stem. Additional spacers create
more stress on the steerer, which could
cause the steerer to fail.
• Do not overtighten the stem clamp; follow the stem manufacturer's
recommendations. Overtightening can deform the steerer, adding
to fatigue stress which may damage the steerer.
use a proper headset configuration
Make sure the headset is the correct size and
that the lower crown race has a generous
radius to the lower edge where it contacts the
fork (Figure 2). A crown race where the lower,
inside edge of the crown race is sharp and
more square may not seat correctly against the
fork crown, or may require excessive force to
install. If the crown race does not go onto the
fork with normal force, use a headset with the
correct design. Do not alter the fork to fit the
crown race.
use the proper size of disc brake rotor
For Bontrager forks equipped for disc brakes,
the fork should only be used with road-size
rotors: 165mm, 6", or smaller. Larger rotors place greater force on the
fork and could cause damage or cause the fork to break.
A
B
Figure - Stem clamp de-
signs
A: pinch clamp
B: wedge clamp
Figure 2- Proper shape for
lower inside corner of crown
race