From: jbrandt@hpl.hp.com (Jobst Brandt)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: Very Lucky (Synchros) break
Date: 4 Aug 2000 21:18:49 GMT

Brian Lafferty writes:

> And Euro bicycle makers used to hammer a piece of wood up into the steerer
> tube to ease the failure if the steerer tube broke, as it often did, on
> ****ty Euro roads. Both of my PX10LEs had them hammered up there.

This and other urban legends abound. Roads in Europe are no worse
than elsewhere and a wooden plug only enhances the probability of
failure because moisture collects between wood and tubing. Those who
have had a bicycle where the paint shop failed to remove the paper
plug in the seat tube know how that works. The paint begins to
wrinkle, there where the clump of wet newspaper is stuck and then it
cracks.

Jobst Brandt <jbrandt@hpl.hp.com