Quoting p6man <p6man@home.com>:
> Hi lightweight bike lovers! I just brought home a nice '71 Raleigh
> International. The bike's in very good original condition, but has an
> AVA
> handlebar stem (the one with the hollow top), and unmarked bars. Might
> this be the same stem and bars that I've heard horror stories about?
> Are these stems really an accident waiting to happen? No, I don't see
> any
> cracks yet, but should I be concerned? I'm guessing that this is the
> original/correct stem and bars for a '71, but I'm not sure, as my '74
> Int.
> uses a GB. Anyone know? Thanks,
>
> Duane Kennard <p6man@home.com>
Having recently bought a used '71 International from an I-bob, and gotten such a stem with the bike, I'm guessing that it's the correct one. Sort of a faux lugged look to it? The extension is hollow, and open at the rear? If so, then it matches mine. The catalogs pdf'ed at the Retro Raleigh site appears to confirm this. Personally, I like the looks of the stem, especially when polished up. Okay, what horror stories exist for this stem? My assumption was that if this stem was defective, it would have broken a long time ago. I'd be interested in hearing any evidence of this stem being failure prone. Admittedly, a hollow extension will be weaker than an equivalent solid one. On the other hand, the quills of all stems are hollow, and they don't seem to be particularly failure prone. I'd be also be concerned with the manufacturing technique (melt forging vs drop forging). The hollow extension makes me wonder if it wasn't just cast, which would be a weaker method of manufacture. btw, my 74 International also has the GB.
Steve Kurt
Peoria, IL