Originally Posted by
event horizon
Again, where are all of these examples of cracked stems and face plates? Heck, why don't you start with just a single example?
If it's true that "they are not designed to support bending loads which actually pull the bolts at an angle to the stem" then what evidence do you have of these failures?
Wow! Because TimothyH has not provided instances of cantilever failure, better judgement should be suspended? In a part that is in the critical (and completely non-redundant) path from the road through the front wheel, fork, steerer, stem and bars to the riders hands. Riders suffering real injuries from face plates coming un-bolted, the bolts breaking and the faceplates breaking have all been documented over the years. Torque wrenches, once rarely used,are now commonplace as there is little room for error. Stems keep getting lighter.
event horizon, you might just want to read up on Mohrs' circle of stresses. The cantilevered load that these units add to the bolt at the head is exactly what you would do if popping the heads off was your intent. Might never happen. But if you ride long enough, it might. Want to volunteer to do 20,000 miles of chipseal with the Envy and report back?
(I have an Element Bolt GPS on an out-front mount but it clamps on a 31.8 mm bar. Since mine is a 26.0. I simply wrap the bar with a couple of wraps of innertube.)
Ben