Finally, a 'death stem' that isn't a fourth-hand legend
10-04-12, 09:22 PM
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Finally, a 'death stem' that isn't a fourth-hand legend
Yeah, we've all heard about the Ava 'death stem'. And every example we know about it is fourth hand, or a friend of a friend of a friend heard about a friend who was riding . . . . . . . Yeah, that old crap. Except, tonight, I finally heard a first-hand report.
A friend of the guy who I bought the Lambert from last year showed up at my shop tonight hoping to hire me for a project he has. Restore a 1968 Peugeot PX-10 that he rode from Seattle to Boston back in 1972. No, there's no pictures because what he dropped off with me is an absolute wreck. What I'm trusting him to tell me is a '68 PX-10 (he's got no reason to lie, he's not interested in selling the bike) with the derailleur hanger cut off
. Rattle can repainted in a bad shade of red sometime in the 80's. 
With the original brakes, but some mid 80's Shimano 105 crank and derailleurs. No wheels . . . . yet. The frame needs completely sandblasted, ends chromed, powder coated or painted, reproduction decals - and then we start hunting up the missing parts. I warned him we're going to be verging on four figures. He's still interested.
What was amusing: On this trip, he managed to snap the Ava stem a couple of hundred miles west of Milwaukee, dropped in the bars and accelerating like crazy to catch up with the other three guys on this adventure. He pulls back on the bars while pedaling and . . . . . . snap
Getting into the next very small town, he comes up with a pipe clamp and clamps the stem back together well enough to get into Milwaukee to find a bicycle shop where he purchased a replacement stem.
A friend of the guy who I bought the Lambert from last year showed up at my shop tonight hoping to hire me for a project he has. Restore a 1968 Peugeot PX-10 that he rode from Seattle to Boston back in 1972. No, there's no pictures because what he dropped off with me is an absolute wreck. What I'm trusting him to tell me is a '68 PX-10 (he's got no reason to lie, he's not interested in selling the bike) with the derailleur hanger cut off
. Rattle can repainted in a bad shade of red sometime in the 80's. With the original brakes, but some mid 80's Shimano 105 crank and derailleurs. No wheels . . . . yet. The frame needs completely sandblasted, ends chromed, powder coated or painted, reproduction decals - and then we start hunting up the missing parts. I warned him we're going to be verging on four figures. He's still interested.What was amusing: On this trip, he managed to snap the Ava stem a couple of hundred miles west of Milwaukee, dropped in the bars and accelerating like crazy to catch up with the other three guys on this adventure. He pulls back on the bars while pedaling and . . . . . . snap
Getting into the next very small town, he comes up with a pipe clamp and clamps the stem back together well enough to get into Milwaukee to find a bicycle shop where he purchased a replacement stem.
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Syke
“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”
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Syke
“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”
H.L. Mencken, (1926)
10-04-12, 09:43 PM
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If you can restore that for under $1000 my hat is off to you.
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1 Super Record bike, 1 Nuovo Record bike, 1 Pista, 1 Road, 1 Cyclocross/Allrounder, 1 MTB, 1 Touring, 1 Fixed gear
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10-05-12, 01:42 AM
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I once bought a 60's motobecane with one of the aforementioned death stems. Before I'd even started restoring it my brother took it for a hard ride to see how well things worked. The stem snapped and he skelped his chest off the snapped end and ended up in a heap on the ground. Sore.
10-05-12, 03:04 AM
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Jeez, busted an Ava stem AND bought a Lambert? He seems to have a very specific death wish.
10-05-12, 04:47 PM
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Bicycle Repair Man !!!
This was something I had only hear of up until five years ago... Advice from me would be to replace any of these stems you have as their reputation has been earned.
Lucky for me I have never been riding on when when it snapped but a good number of them have come out of old bikes in multiple pieces and were only being held together with the stem bolt.
Lucky for me I have never been riding on when when it snapped but a good number of them have come out of old bikes in multiple pieces and were only being held together with the stem bolt.
10-06-12, 04:46 AM
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Supposedly a lot of the original parts are boxed up at his brothers. We'll see if he finds them. And I'm thinking about talking to a local bike builder about replacing the chopped dropout. Something in me just can't see bothering to do all this if I can't put the original Criteriums back on.
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Syke
“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”
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10-06-12, 11:10 AM
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Can't you just find one in the same size and vintage in decent shape, buy it,
hang onto it for a couple of months, and then deliver it to him with a bow on it
and just lie about it if he asks you ?
It would be more merciful for everyone involved..........
hang onto it for a couple of months, and then deliver it to him with a bow on it
and just lie about it if he asks you ?
It would be more merciful for everyone involved..........
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10-06-12, 04:12 PM
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You're talking to a man who spent years looking for a Roger Riviere, drove to western Maine to get one when he found it, restored it with the kind of care someone would normally give a P-13 Paramount . . . . . . all because it's was a rather special memory from back in his college years.
And sold it after two years and a bit over 600 miles riding because, quite frankly, it wasn't all that great a ride. But I got that bit of my college days back again for a short while. It was worth it.
And sold it after two years and a bit over 600 miles riding because, quite frankly, it wasn't all that great a ride. But I got that bit of my college days back again for a short while. It was worth it.
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“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”
H.L. Mencken, (1926)
Syke
“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”
H.L. Mencken, (1926)
10-09-12, 06:37 PM
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Lot's of those PX10 derailleur hangers were cut off and something else was bolted or welded on because they only accommodated the Simplex derr. in an era when Nuovo Record was THE road derailleur and Suntour VGT Luxe was THE touring derailleur (well, except for the Nuovo Record with the Spence Wolfe extended cage.)
Brent
Brent
10-09-12, 08:23 PM
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Last edited by Bikedued; 10-09-12 at 08:26 PM.
10-09-12, 08:36 PM
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So a guy on an internet forum who I've never met related a story that another guy told him about a mishap with an Ava stem that occurred in 1972. Ok, not quite a 4th hand story, but still.... 
