N
Nick Keenan
Guest
On Friday I took delivery of a brand new RANS Vivo. After a brief test ride I noticed that the stem
was a little loose, in that I could twist the handlebars independently of the front wheel. So I
tightened the two stem bolts, and all seemed well.
Today I took it for my first real ride. After a few miles, I went over a bump, and the handlebars
were twisted again. Lucily I had a 5mm Allen wrench with me, so I tightened the stem bolts again. A
few miles later it happened again, so I cursed and tightened the stem bolts again.
A few miles later, the stem snapped as I was pulling away from an intersection. It had vertical
cracks on each side of the steering column. If the stem bolts are 6 o'clock, then the cracks were at
3 and 9 o'clock.
So now I have to fix it. There isn't a RANS dealer who is convenient to me, so the most practical
thing is for me to order the part and either fix it myself, or have my LBS install it for me.
Now here's the question: Did I screw this up, or was the part defective? I can't shake the suspicion
that I just overtightened those stem bolts. My experience with working on bikes is that there is
almost nothing on a bike you really want to torque down tight. However, I couldn't figure out any
other way to keep the handle bars from twisting. There are two practical ramifications to this
question. The first is I have to decide whether to make a warranty claim; if I'm responsible I
won't. The second is that I don't want to just order the part, replace it, and then make the same
mistake again.
What say ye, members of the jury?
Thanks, Nick Keenan
was a little loose, in that I could twist the handlebars independently of the front wheel. So I
tightened the two stem bolts, and all seemed well.
Today I took it for my first real ride. After a few miles, I went over a bump, and the handlebars
were twisted again. Lucily I had a 5mm Allen wrench with me, so I tightened the stem bolts again. A
few miles later it happened again, so I cursed and tightened the stem bolts again.
A few miles later, the stem snapped as I was pulling away from an intersection. It had vertical
cracks on each side of the steering column. If the stem bolts are 6 o'clock, then the cracks were at
3 and 9 o'clock.
So now I have to fix it. There isn't a RANS dealer who is convenient to me, so the most practical
thing is for me to order the part and either fix it myself, or have my LBS install it for me.
Now here's the question: Did I screw this up, or was the part defective? I can't shake the suspicion
that I just overtightened those stem bolts. My experience with working on bikes is that there is
almost nothing on a bike you really want to torque down tight. However, I couldn't figure out any
other way to keep the handle bars from twisting. There are two practical ramifications to this
question. The first is I have to decide whether to make a warranty claim; if I'm responsible I
won't. The second is that I don't want to just order the part, replace it, and then make the same
mistake again.
What say ye, members of the jury?
Thanks, Nick Keenan