In a message dated 7/28/2005 7:25:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Mark@bulgier.net writes:
<< These frames were supposedly ridden by many of America's top amateurs for a time, including John Howard, Wayne Stetina, and Dale Stetina, racking up an impressive season in '76. I say supposedly because I don't know if those name riders actually rode Grafteks or were paid to say they did. >>
Oh they really rode them, Mark! Saw all three aboard them at various times, including the Stetina boys at my Carolina Cup event. Howard was pretty conservative in his bikes (he was a big guy too so that was prudent) but the Stetina family was always trying wild and crazy super light parts and wheels, etc.
<< They broke at the seatstay - seat lug attach point (I've seen this), and had tubes pull out of lugs I hear. Didn't stop me from buying one recently though, which I am in the process of building up with period stupidlight components >>
I sold those framesets "in the day" and had a chain stay pull out of it's BB shell socket while I rode in a Polar Bear metric Century ride on New Years Day in 1977 or 1978. Talk about flexy bb! The reason the Grafteks broke at the seat stay/seat lug juncture was that was just one seat lug made (cast & machined stainless steel) and then the stay socket part was bent to suit the differing frame sizes.. And as many of you builders know, there can be a pretty wide range of angles called for from a small frame to a large frame.....
Dale
Dale Brown
Greensboro, NC USA