Gang, I have a buddy here in NYC who has a lovely champagne colored late 70's Lotus Gran Compe (Columbus tubing, nice cast lugs and Suntour dropouts) as a daily rider. During a recent ride, he noticed somthing felt "funny" with the front end. Sort of like a loose headset... But with no play in either the locknut or upper cup... But certaily a "wiggle". Upon closer inspection, it turns out that his steerer tube had separated from the fork crown! The only thing holding the fork together was the brake center bolt (which goes through both the steerer and the crown, thank God!) Which leads me to my first question: Is this a common defect for Lotus bikes of this era? Anyone have a similar tale?
Secondly, While inspecting the fork, I came across an odd combo of stamps on the steerer: both the Columbus dove AND the word "Tange". The steerer is rifled and the blades both have Columbus decals. Can anyone explain why the two stamps occupy the same fork?
Matthew Bowne Brooklyn, New York
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