Why I Keep My Bike Clean

[Waldo]

My neighbor and some riders occasionally dog me for keeping my bike so clean. "Why do you clean a mountain bike - it's just gonna get dirty anyway" is the standard refrain.

Well, my standard answers are that it runs better, stays new longer, and most importantly while cleaning I sometimes catch small problems before they turn into wilderness catastrophes.

Case in point, my 5 month old Thomson Elite stem, discovered last night. Yes, those are cracks on both sides, and no, I don't over-torque the bolts or occasionally "check them" by tightening them some more. I'm not a small guy, but if I skip dinner tonight I wouldn't qualify for the Clyde class tomorrow. I don't ride particularly fast or aggressively either: I'm a pure XC guy living in a huck-free zone, so I'm pretty surprised to see a high-end stem fail like this.

Man, it's got to be one of everyone's worst nightmares to imagine bombing down a hill or a rock garden and having the handlebars come off in your hands! Glad I caught this early.

[foofighter]

holy crap that would definitely leave a mark...glad you did catch it when you did...now i'm going home to check mine.

[Burner]

good catch!

[tkblazer]

do you use a torque wrench for your stem? i purchased a park torque wrench for those low torque applications

[Keith B]

Thats the 4th Thompson stem I've seen go like that just on friends bikes!! Wont catch me getting one of those!

[OffRoadie]

Good job on finding that. I'm totally paranoid that some part of my bike will fatigue to failure while I'm on it. Seems to me though, it shouldn't have happened on a five month old stem.

[tkblazer]

i'd send thomson those pics, they'll most likely send you a replacement

[DownhillWebKook]

Your bike can never be too clean. It will look better and work better. If you're sponsored or ride for a team, then you'll be rep'esentin' in proper style. Also, your bike will like you better and won't throw you off if you sketch.

[mtnbikej]

Originally Posted by Keith B

Thats the 4th Thompson stem I've seen go like that jsut on friends bikes!! Wont catch me getting one of those!

Yup, have seen several come through the shop just like that.

Ran one on my Bullit for years with no problems.

[bobzrag]

Originally Posted by Waldo

Case in point, my 5 month old Thomson Elite stem, discovered last night. Yes, those are cracks on both sides, and no, I don't over-torque the bolts or occasionally "check them" by tightening them some more. I'm not a small guy, but if I skip dinner tonight I wouldn't qualify for the Clyde class tomorrow. I don't ride particularly fast or aggressively either: I'm a pure XC guy living in a huck-free zone, so I'm pretty surprised to see a high-end stem fail like this.

arrrgghhh, I just bought a thompson about 2 months ago - hopefully this isn't in my future too, but I'll keep an eye on it - thanks for the heads up.

How long was your stem?

[mntbiker12]

Weird, I've seen that on a friend's as well. I'm sure this isn't unique to Thomson's (saw it once on a RaceFace also), but with so many people running them, chances are better that you'll see it happen.

My friend's was replaced by Thomson w/ a new one no problem.

[Pain Freak]

News to me...those are a first that I've seen do that. I just went out and checked the four that I have and all are good.

[thephat]

I have also seen other brands do that.

We sell way more Thomson than any other stem. I'm talking hundreds a year. Over the years, I have seen a handfull of cracked face plates. Usually they have clearly been cracked for some time, and the rider never noticed till we caught it. You can tell the crack is old from the oxidization.

I have never heard of a failure, and I will continue to run Thomson stems on most of my bikes. Thomson will replace the faceplate if you give them the chance.

This is scary stuff though. All bike parts should be inspected frequently for cracks and other disfigurement.

[thephat]

Originally Posted by mechmann

i agree 100%. i think it goes for the monkey riding the bike too though! i hear a nasty rumor that there were some cracks recently found on Tani.

just a little friendly ribbing... i still hope you heal up in time to show me some stuff at Fontana!

So I can't crack myself up trying to get you back. I appreciate the ribbing though. Where I'm from, that's how you show that you care.

I think that I'll still be in a cast for the Nov Tucky, but I hope to be back strong enough for the winter series.

As long as we're off topic, I just wached Greased. There is a whole segment devoted to Fontucky. Pretty cool. The sound track wasn't bad, and there were some cool dj scenes.

[Waldo]

It was a 90mm stem - unusually short for XC, but my frame is a bit big for me, so I was experimenting. Fortunately I had an extra stem in the garage so I can ride this weekend, although it'll be interesting to run the 110mm after several months with the 90.

And yep, I also know of 2 other riders who had the same experience with Thomsons (one a longtime bike mechanic), and in both cases they were replaced with no questions asked, so I'm optimistic for the same. I agree with comments that so many serious mtbers run Thomsons that I think it's just a numbers game, not a poor product, plus I gotta give them props for standing behind their stuff.

[g-dub]

Dang. This sucks. I'm going to end up spending the whole evening reading up on stress corrosion cracking, and it's all your fault. Do I know how to party on a Friday night or what?

Please tell me you clean your bike with a chlorinated cleanser so I can go to bed early.

BTW, those of you who are concerned about cracking can buy your dye penetrant inspection kits in Corona at Aircraft Spruce:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo.../magnaflux.php

[Abui]

What is your handlebar made of?

[PacMan]

I had a 6 month old Thomson stem crack like that and a new face plate cost me $13. My LBS mechanic called Thomson to see if they would warranty it and they said "No", that it was probably over-torqued. I paid the $13 for a new face plate but don't know if I'll ever buy another Thomson stem.

[Rob]

There's a Turner in for service at Revo with a cracked Thomson 25.4 faceplate.

[Waldo]

Handle bar is an Answer ProTaper aluminum, 25.4 diameter.

I usually just clean the whole bike with a blend of 2% water, 8% Simple Green, and 90% hydrochloric acid.
Is that bad?