I agree with everything you've said, except this part:
> Almost every bent axle (crashes excluded) I
> have seen can be matched
> to a frame with poor alignment and spacing.
I have bent and cracked several Campy axles, and I have a friend who has damaged far more than I have. We both know how properly align dropouts and have good riding technique. Every once in a while though, there is a pothole or ridge you can't avoid. Bumps that won't so much as dimple a GL330 can break Campy axles. It seems like the newer axles are more brittle, with fewer bending, more cracking. BTW I am 6'1" and 165-170 lbs, my friend is 6'3" and about 180. Also, he switched to Shimano casettes years ago and hasn't had any trouble since.
Tom Dalton
> My 5 cents,
>
> Gilbert Anderson
> Raleigh, NC
>
>
> In a message dated 1/17/01 2:58:15 AM,
> tomwitkop@juno.com writes:
>
> <<
> Further divergence but perhaps helpful. I was
> recently at John Hollands'
> frame shop north of Baltimore in Maryland. He is
> very knowledgeable and
> happily shares that information. He also builds
> beautiful appearing
> frames although I have never ridden one of them. To
> the point-he advised
> that he receives approximately one e-bay frame
> weekly with problems.
> Most problems are the wrinkled top and down tube;
> the fracture in front
> of the bottom bracket shell; and one I was ignorant
> of-the hairline
> fracture in the right Campagnolo dropout. He had a
> 2 lb. coffee can
> full of fractured Campagnolo dropouts. His theory
> is that the normal
> freewheel style set up allowed for an extended
> spacer or spacers between
> the right side lock nut end of the bearing. This
> extended axle would
> continually flex while riding constantly massaging
> the dropout and
> eventually and apparently, inexorably, leading to
> failure. The theory
> seems reasonable to me. More impo.
>
> TomWitkop >>
>
>
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