Re: [CR]Life expectancy of stems and bars ... Then and Now

(Example: Framebuilding:Paint)

Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:08:12 -0700
From: "Kurt Sperry" <haxixe@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]Life expectancy of stems and bars ... Then and Now
Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
In-Reply-To: <2980b1ee45a22761c50262ba515fc6ed@comcast.net>
References: <2980b1ee45a22761c50262ba515fc6ed@comcast.net>


When I first realised that on old Cinelli 1A stems the extension was solid I knew they were probably massively over-engineered.

Kurt Sperry Bellingham, Washington USA

On Sun, Mar 16, 2008 at 2:04 PM, Bianca Pratorius <biankita@comcast.net> wrote:
> I just purchased some decades old Cinelli Milano track bars. I paid $46
> delivered on ebay and this was about the lowest price I saw in weeks of
> looking. Someone had used them with brake levers and scarred them up a
> bit. I sanded them down and polished them up until the tops were
> pristine and they will go on my new track project. The Cinelli stem I'm
> using came off a 1984 bike and I similarly had to polish them up. I'll
> use them for the next forty years until I die and then someone else
> will get them and be glad for the treasure. ... I think two years life
> expectancy for modern bars and stems compares less favorably to these
> timeless classics. Ebay sales stats have determined that used modern
> stems and bars are virtually worthless at least compared to their
> original price. I've sold two Colnago stems in the last year - both for
> over $250. I suspect that old carbon fiber will only be useful in the
> future to build nests by masochistic birds and to give a little extra
> sting in tomorrow's terrorists' nail bombs.
>
> Garth Libre in Miami Florida USA