Many French stems, apparently the ones bored through from the back of the extension, have been cited as dangerous - prone to sudden failure.
But, what of this one in which the extension was bored out through the front of the clamp section. It is hollowed out all the way to intersect with the quill tube, but does not exit out the back. Might this too be considered yet another "Death Stem" variant?
Or, was it really more a matter of specific potentially defective models rather than the thin "lightened" alloy which put them at risk?
[And, yes... the clamp bolt seen here is actually a Campagnolo binder bolt. The original bolt and nut were poorly cadmium plated and had rusted and corroded. This bolt happens to fit well and is much easier to use, anyway.]
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/
BOB HANSON, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, USA
**************************************See AOL's top rated recipes (http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004)