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Just had a vintage quill stem snap on a test ride
It was on a 90s steel frame I was fixing up for a customer. I took it for a quick spin around the block and heard a loud pop, then the bars went loose. The old alloy stem cracked right at the wedge. I had to walk it back to the shop and swap it for a modern threadless setup with a converter. Has anyone else seen a lot of these old stems giving out lately?
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laura_schmidt8217d ago
That's a solid pre-ride check. Adding a quick visual scan for cracks or deep corrosion on old alloy parts is smart too. Metal fatigue doesn't always give a warning sound.
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Classic case of vintage parts deciding retirement starts now. At least it happened on your test ride and not with the customer halfway down a hill.
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corablack17d ago
Totally agree about the test ride saving the day! When my old chain snapped last year, I started doing a real hard pull on the pedals while it's still on the stand before every ride. You can sometimes hear a creak or feel a skip that warns you something's about to go.
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