Here is a list of cranks that I have broken when either pleasure riding or racing. All left handers. Raleigh RRA, Chater Lea round, Durax and Duprat. All of these command extortionate prices on the collectors market. Why because not many survived normal usage and are now as rare as rocking horse s--t! As for Pivo stems I will take your word on it I personally have never heard of this unless you are foolish enough to mount steel bars on an alloy stem. Best wishes and be lucky. Michael Butler Huntingdon UK.
>From: Chuck Schmidt <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
>Reply-To: chuckschmidt@earthlink.net
>To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>Subject: Re: [CR]Death Stems are you just being alarmist?
>Date: Fri, 07 May 2004 10:33:48 -0800
>
>Mick Butler wrote:
> >
> > 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.
>
>
>All you have to do is ask people that have raced for a long time about
>the parts they have broken and you'll hear stories that will make your
>hair curl. And if they are old enough they will tell you about the
>_steel_ cranks they broke.
>
>Racing components evolve to the lightest weight that will still get the
>job done. As a consequence you will have breakage and injuries.
>
>Alarmist? As the saying goes, "Life will kill ya!"
>
>Chuck Schmidt
>South Pasadena, Southern California
>
>.