RE: [CR]Death Stems are you just being alarmist?

(Example: Production Builders:Peugeot:PY-10)

From: "Feeken, Dirk" <dirk.feeken@sap.com>
To: "'classicrendezvous@bikelist.org'" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: RE: [CR]Death Stems are you just being alarmist?
Date: Fri, 7 May 2004 17:10:00 +0200


Over here reports of suddenly braking bars arised in the mid 80s. It turned out that a large bunch of race bike bars by a big manufacture had a serious flaw. The bars had an inner steel(?) sleeve in the middle where it is clamped to the stem. Due to an error in the manufacturing process these sleeves were dislocated and were installed too much to the right, so that the left(!) end of the sleeves was a few mm to the right of the clamp area. (source: H.C. Smolik of "tour") Later everybody remembered that "alloy bars suddenly brake".

Dirk _____stem ______/_____\_________bar ======== sleeve ______________========_ \ / | |

--- Dirk Feeken Heidelberg Germany

-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Mick Butler Sent: Freitag, 7. Mai 2004 11:20 To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR]Death Stems are you just being alarmist?

I have ridden Viscount Aerospace forks, Ava and Pivo extensions (stems) and Cinelli M71 pedals without any problems. Where do all these horror stories come from? I never had any trouble with any of this equipment. Although I would not recommend road riding on the Cinelli's. In my capacity as an official starter in time trials have personally witnessed Campag cranks snapping and also their pedals breaking when pushing off. We have had their titanium bottom bracket axles spectacularly fail in our events. Why no horror stories about this maker? Best wishes and be lucky. Michael Butler Huntingdon UK.