Frankly this sounds like hogwash from Campagnolo to me. Just what stresses at the hub flange are lower for a track application than a road application? Given the variations in rider weight and strength, rims, spokes, spoke tension etc. a well engineered product needs sufficient margin for safety that any difference between road and track stresses should be relatively insignificant in the whole picture. Furthermore, this application difference does not seem to cause failures in the old Record track and road hubs which share an identical flange design. Given the long history of those products, has anyone seen this problem of "road riding induced" failure bear out on other large flange track hubs?
Also I would warn all dealers of these hubs that, in the US, under an implied warranty of fitness, they would be liable to replace the hubs if they sold them knowing they were to be used on the road. I wonder what percentage of sales ONLY get used at a velodrome.
Joe Bender-Zanoni
At 06:15 PM 6/12/01 -0400, Sheldon Brown wrote:
>I've always considered the Campagnolo Record track hubs to be the
>finest in the world. Unfortunately, it turns out that Campagnolo
>doesn't agree with me.
>
>Recent official communication from Campagnolo Technical and Product
>Information indicates that current production is too fragile and
>delicate for use on the road.
>
>Campagnolo considers using these hubs on the road to constitute
>"abuse" and "misuse" and plans to deny warranty coverage in the
>future for track hubs that have been used anywhere but on velodromes!
>
>You can see more details on this, along with a very scary photograph, at:
>
> http://sheldonbrown.com/
>
>I have never heard of any other track component being denied warranty
>coverage for on-road use.
>
>Despite Campagnolo's position, let me assure Harris Cyclery customers
>who have bought these hubs from us in the past, that even if
>Campagnolo won't stand behind them, we will, and will provide normal,
>reasonable warranty coverage for hubs that we sold.
>
>Sheldon "Coasting Is Bad For You" Brown
>+-------------------------------------------------------------+
>| I still feel that variable gears are only for people over |
>| forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength |
>| of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailleur? |
>| We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear! |
>| --Henri Desgrange, _L'Equipe_ article of 1902 |
>+-------------------------------------------------------------+
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