Originally Posted by
Scarbo
You are very, very fortunate that nothing bad happened. And, so am I. I still shudder when I recall a time when a stem cracked on me while I was riding my bike at the start of this 1/2 mile 14% grade. I noticed the problem just in time. We all just need to inspect our equipment regularly. And hope for the best. In my case, I believe it was just a defective stem and not the result of over-torquing; but, as Timothy says, over-torquing is often the problem.
Yes, very fortunate the mechanic spotted it, must not be my time to go just yet. Thing is, I rarely get out of the saddle or sprint so I would't say I've ever put a lot of stress on the front end. More of a climber, love to sit and grind up the foothills of N.C.