Cannondale Bicycles manual

Another popular way to improve the performance of a bicycle is to sub- stitute lighter weight “racing” components. Lighter wheels, tires, handle- bars and so on can enhance the performance of your bike; but you must always keep in mind that light weight racing components are not intend- ed to have the life expectancy of their heavier counterparts, and you must therefore exercise extra care in checking for signs of stress fatigue (See Section 7.4)

Suspension forks are also a popular component upgrade. Before installing a suspension fork on a non-suspension bike or installing a fork with different travel or geometry characteristics than the original fork on the bicycle, you must make sure that the frame is designed to take the change in geometry and the changes in stress characteristics which the change in fork can cause. Ask your dealer to check with the bike’s man- ufacturer—or check with the manufacturer’s technical support staff yourself—before installing a different fork on your bicycle.

WARNING: Suspension forks, particularly the “double clamp” and “triple clamp” designs favored by downhill racers, put extraordinary

! stresses on the head tube and front part of the bicycle frame which the frame’s design may not be able to handle. Such stresses can result in sudden, catastrophic frame failure, which can cause serious injury or death.

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