This stuff is mostly late 60's/ early 70's. Some call them "death stems", but nearly all the French makers made this style in that era. I ride them without a lot of concern. The AVA bars of the era, on the other hand are, in my opinion, more suspect. I keep a pair with some very nasty hairline cracks to remind me to examine such bars regularly. Not a bad idea with stems, either.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Houston, TX
> Need to call upon the list's collective expertise to date an AVA stem and
> handlebar set that I recently acquired.
>
> Stem is rather plain -- no AVA diamond logo or "lugged" styling that I've
> seen on other AVA stems, hex head stem expander bolt, nondescript keyed
> binder bolt that is inserted into the stem clamp under the bar/parallel to
> the bike's top tube (as opposed to in front of the bar/parallel to the
bike's
> head tube, as on the AVA "chicken beak" stem).
>
> The key distinguishing feature is the cutout clamp that allows one to view
> "AVA" inscribed on the center front of the dural bars when the stem/bars
are
> assembled.
>
> Is this an example of the infamous AVA "death" stem? What time frame were
> these manufactured?
>
> Thanks in advance for your help,
>
> Ian Kersey,
> Williamsburg, VA