3t stem question
 

I just picked up a black 3t quill stem with an Olympic badge screwed on to the front. What the story with this? I have never seen one before. Thanks

Pics???

Actually a 2 piece stem, the bottom of the front face comes off for easy installation for the bars..

http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4b88f7c4.jpg



http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/...ps96c347a3.jpg

No info on this stem? Even with upside down pics I figured someone new something about it.

No addtional info, but it was definitely a production piece

Bars, Posts, Seats and Cranks | Randal Putnam Loves to Pedal

^I don't like the look of that cross-section. Sloar, does yours have the same cross-section at the front of the clamp area behind the badge as shown in the link above, and copied below for reference? Nice looking stem (3ttt podium model with a commemorative badge?), but it seems like those channels would dramatically increase the chance of failure--for what, a couple grams at most? (Armchair engineer speaking here.)

http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse7418501.jpg

Yeah it's the same, I wasn't sure if the commemorative badge had any kind of significance. It's a weird design but I really don't see any flaws in it. Tightened up pretty good and seems solid. Looks at home on my "funny bike".

Don't remember the details, but I've seen the same kind of stem, with the same logo before, being sold at eBay...... for quite a bit of money.
It is and unusual three piece design, The very thin section of aluminum that bar gripping insert goes into at the top and bottom half of the front of the stem does look a bit scary, especially with the grooves having very sharp angles machined into them. Most other clam shell type stem manufacturers use an actual hinge at this point.
Mavic made a similar design stem, but with only two pieces, similarly connected at the front of the bar clamp with a tight tolerance half dovetail-like joint.
Here it is called out as the Mavic 370 stem in Velobase:
VeloBase.com - Component: Mavic 370
I have one on my Peugeot PSV presently, and I had questioned myself for using it for similar reasons, but so far it seems to be doing fine after two years of riding with it on my bike.......

Not my favorite design for a stem that allows for interchangeability.
I actually don't like any of the early attempts to achieve this including Cinelli.