Forks

I am thinking about getting a new frame and putting some from my old bike onto the frame. Are all forks interchangeable? Surely all GIANT roakbike forks can be put on other GIANT roadbikes right?
Second query is about forks themselves, do they last forever or are they one of the bike parts prone to wear? is it not a good idea to put 40k km carbon forks on a new frame?

forks may not be interchangeable. depends on age.

for road bikes, many years ago, top and bottom bearing sizes were 1". from mid 90s on, many bikes had 1 1/4 " bearing sizes (larger means stiffer and smoother and hopefully longer lasting).

in mid 2000s, many bikes had mixed bearing sizes: maybe 1" top and 1 1/4" lower bearing sizes. or 1 1/8 and 1 1/4 sizes. weird. MTB were even more extreme in size and variation.

so, you have to know the bearing sizes for the head tube top and bottom bearings.

if they are the same on both bikes, then the fork will swap. generally all 700C wheels have the same fork length and brake mount dimensions, just the head tube bearing sizes will vary. some bikes may prefer a different rake (angle between head tube and fork legs) but most modern road bikes are similar on that respect.

Also, if you want to use disc brake wheels, you need a fork with disc brake mounts.

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Also, most new road bike frames come as a frame set with the forks.

yes, there is that too, of course!

what about the wear on forksā€¦ are they enduring or prone to wearing out?

Road (rigid) forks tend not to wear out at all. The load at the head tube junctions is taken by bearings, which can be replaced. The bearing seats are pretty stout. Some aluminium forks do/did work-harden, and then became brittle and prone to failure after many miles, but that is an old problem and mostly fixed. Steel and carbon forks generally live within their ā€˜plasticā€™ range and donā€™t fail. However, any crashed and bent fork must be replaced!

MTB forks with suspension do wear out over time, especially with massive jumps and such.

Some cheap road forks made with different blade material glued/press fit to a steel or alloy steerer tube can weaken over time, as the glue dies or vibration knocks the press fit out of wack. They too should be replaced.

Having a fork fail on you (which is almost always going to be when they are experiencing the greatest stress, such as high speed descent through bumpy corners) will pretty much fuck up your day. Donā€™t let that happen to you.

Stop! ā€¦ i have repeated nightmares of massive structural failure during a hairpin descent.

Squall ā€¦

NEW 2013 GIANT TCR ADVANCED SL 1 ISP FRAME SATIN COMPOSITE/WHITE/GLOSS BLACK, XL
COMPACT GEOMETRY
Advanced SL-Grade Composite
Integrated Seatpost
Color: Gloss White/Black/Silver
Size: XL/58.5CM
Toptube: 60.5CM
MPN: 90213G90413A0
BRAND NEW IN ORIGINAL BOX FROM GIANT, TAKEN OUT FOR PHOTOS ONLY. NEVER ASSEMBLED WITH UNCUT SEATPOST. INCLUDES FRAME ONLY. FORK, SEATPOST HARDWARE, BOTTOM BRACKET AND HEADSET NOT INCLUDED. SOLD AS PICTURED.
SOLD BY AUTHORIZED BIKE SHOP WITH SHOP RECEIPT AND FULL FACTORY WARRANTY.

I would question any ā€œnewā€ road frame sold without the forkā€¦they just donā€™t typically come that way. Buyer beware, ymmv of course.

maybe they somehow lost/parted out the fork, and hence have been unable to sell the frame?

or maybe it was a ā€˜special orderā€™, i.e., weird deal for some random gaijin who since bailed on them (thatā€™s a HUGE frame for Taiwan bike shops, unlikely they carried that as part of normal inventory).