A few words in Phil's defense if I might. While I would never condone knowingly putting people at risk, it was a different world with regard to litigation and the CPSC in the 70's. The common and monumental recalls of today simply did not exist then. You need to judge him in relation to the times.
When I was working for one of the largest Campy distributors of the era, part of my job was to inspect incoming returns daily. Campy stuff broke with great regularity (cranks, pedal & crank spindles) yet, Campy never recalled it's products either. Perhaps you remember the 1st generation single bolt super record seatposts that would never hold tight and slipped at exactly the wrong moment? Campy quietly inserted a helicoil and just about the same time dropped their famous warranty.
TA cranks were no better and perhaps worse with regard to durability. They lacked the spider problems of campy but broke at the pedal eye with regularity. I saw many both in our warehouse and in France.
The world changed in the early 80's when Raleigh was sued for not providing a light on all their bikes (a young man was either killed or seriously injured) and we now have things like fork tabs that make life safer for the uneducated, but stifle creativity by requiring massive amounts of money to be earmarked for insurance and legal funds rather than product. I suppose we are safer now, but it is nearly impossible for young, upstart creatives to get a leg in the door without serious financial backing.
Phil cared about people and if you ever visited his shop you knew that the moment you walked in and saw people in wheelchairs assembling your bike parts.
Bryant Bainbridge
Portland, Orygun