In all the discussion on whether Campy riders ride harder (or just are harder on equipment - the stuff I see fail doesn't always happen with the strongest riders), nobody seems to have mentioned potential remedies:
The cracks that often appear at the juncture between spider and arm on Campy Record, NR and SR cranks can be filed out using a round file, for example, a chainsaw file. Before you do this, make sure you protect the front of the two spider arms adjacent to the pedal arm with masking tape. Otherwise, you may scratch them - I know! You can remove quite a bit of material here - as far as I understand it, the thin web here does not contribute to the strength of the crank.
Does this prevent breakages? I don't know. I had a set of cranks with substantial cracks, filed them out, and used them for 20,000 plus miles in town - lots of stress for the cranks with all the accelerations. But maybe they wouldn't have broken otherwise, either.
Jan Heine, Seattle