AVA "Death Stems": any and all conditions

[Squirrelking]

I'm looking for some examples of the infamous Death Stems found on 70's French bikes, I would be especially interested in any cracked examples but would also like an intact example to compare with.

The stems will be used for my final uni project investigating the failure modes with a view to possibly finding a way to remedy the known (or perceived) problems. No stems will be harmed in the making of this project.

If anyone has any suggestions as to where else I may procure one of these that would be helpful too. Credit will be given and the results made available once everything is done.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[Midlife]

Good luck with finding some . I thought they cracked at the top of the slots cut into the stem for the expander to work, and was sorted by cutting one slot and not two?

Shaun

 

[Squirrelking]

Yeah pretty much however there will be a lot more to it than that. The shape of the cuts, the wall thickness, the material itself and the stresses going through it are all contributing factors that may or may not be the root cause.

 

[hamster]

You could try Campag Record crank arms from the 1970s also.

 

[hurin76]

I got a few of these stems about - pm if interested