Vitus frames came with both aluminum and steel steerer tubes. The aluminum ones tended to break at the threads for the headset.
They soon stopped shipping the frames with the aluminum steerer.
Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, CA
On Apr 26, 2007, at 4:37 PM, Aldo Ross wrote:
> Steel fork steerer? The steering tube on my '83 Alan Super is
> aluminum.
>
> Aldo Ross
> Middletown, OH, USA
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: <oroboyz@aol.com>
> To: <biankita@comcast.net>
> Cc: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2007 5:19 PM
> Subject: Re: [CR]Beautiful rare valuable stem stuck in crap bike.
>
>
>> << Wouldn't you know it, some jerk apparently hammered the wrong
>> size stem into the steerer tube?>>
>>
>> No, that steerer is the largest "hole" made in that era.
>>
>> Have you used "Kroil"? absolutely great stuff.. but it would
>> logically take 3-4 days of applications, soaking, tapping with
>> hard rubber hammer, etc.
>>
>> << The shop owner says a torch, but this qualifies as a special
>> case because the stem is aluminum and so is the pitifull frame. >>
>>
>> The fork steerer, what the stem is really stuck in, is steel...
>> hacksaw the frame away from the fork and steerer. Then use heat on
>> the steerer. Not enough to melt the stem (doh!) but to loosen all
>> the gunk. Clamp the fork crown in a big vise, then put some bars
>> in the stem and start twisting and pulling...
>>
>>
>> Dale Brown
>> cycles de ORO, Inc.
>> 1410 Mill Street
>> Greensboro, North Carolina 27408 USA
>> 336.274.5959
>> http://www.cyclesdeoro.com
>> http://www.classicrendezvous.com
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: biankita@comcast.net
>> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>> Sent: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 4:55 PM
>> Subject: [CR]Beautiful rare valuable stem stuck in crap bike.
>>
>> A local bike shop owner wants to gift me a TTT pantographed
>> Colnago stem in the perfect 10 cm size that I use. The
>> pantographing seems unusual in that it is a shade deeper into the
>> aluminum surface. The stem is stuck in one of those crack addict's
>> bikes. This one is an old ALAN that has a crack in the headtube,
>> part of the seat lug cracked off on the tightening fixture, a
>> crack in the downtube, a bent crank, rusted and corroded Zeus
>> brakes, etc. The only things worth saving are the SR headset and
>> the stem. Wouldn't you know it, some jerk apparently hammered the
>> wrong size stem into the steerer tube? We have had it soaking in
>> every kind of thing for two days and we can't even turn it one bit
>> no less get it out. I tried sticking a solid metal rod into the
>> fork from underneath and tapping it to break the stem loose. Even
>> that won't work. Short of cutting the head tube and then cutting
>> the fork in half what might be done. The shop owner says a torch,
>> but this qualifies as a special case because the stem is aluminum
>> and so is the pitifull frame.
>>
>> Garth Libre in Miami Fl USA
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
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