I finally had a vintage quill stem crack on me during a test ride

It was on a 1980s Peugeot I was fixing up for a customer last Thursday. I had just put on new bars and was taking it around the block when I felt a sharp click and the bars went loose. The old steel stem had a hairline crack right at the wedge slot I hadn't spotted. Had to walk it back and swap it for a Nitto replacement I had in the bin. Anyone else run into this with older parts, and what's your go-to check before sending a bike out?

3 comments

3 Comments

ward.anna26d ago

I mean, I've definitely missed a crack before and felt like a total goof. It's so easy to get focused on the big stuff and miss that one tiny stress line. Now I just hold old stems up to a bright light and look for any dark spots.

adams.vera26d ago

Try holding it over your phone's flashlight, @ward.anna, that trick works even better.

alicer5326d ago

Actually, the light trick works best for finding cracks in clear stems, not dark ones (learned that the hard way, @ward.anna).