Chop, call me cynical, but I wouldn’t expect reasoned debate about the relative merits of different brands of bikes on a “mono-folderist” forum like Yahoo Birdybike…I much prefer the pluralist approach of Bike Forums.
I have always been a little concerned about the Birdy Stem – not because I have suffered a catastrophic failure, but simply because it has never inspired me with a great deal of confidence. Then again, this wariness derives from little more than an aversion to its primitive look and the fairly recent R&M dictate that recommended changing the stem after 3 years of riding. However, as far as I am aware, there has not been an issue of widespread stem failure with the old design - Chop excepted of course.
It did appear that the new stem mechanism looked more robust and better engineered. I thought it was sensible to have the lever flush with the plate when riding as this would help to eliminate accidental unclasping (with the older mechanism my baggies would occasionally snag the lever). Obviously something has gone awry.
@Zonker – looks like a trip to the LBS or Birdy dealer…