3TTT MOTUS STEM BROKE!

Derk <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

While cycling my 3TTT Motus stem suddenly broke.

I would advise everyone who has one to periodically check the part that holds the bolts. This
caused the problems of the Motus I have.

Before it broke it creaked a bit, which I forgot to check once at home.

Greets, Derk

Derk,

I had the same problem last spring. The clamp fractured at the bottom bolt. Apparently, the torque
specs are quite specific; the bolts need to be tightened exactly as called out in the tech
literature. I hope you didn't perform a face plant when the stem broke. I was lucky..I was down in
the drops, so I could hold on when the bars rotated.

If you don't get any satisfaction formn your LBS, try talking to the folks at 3ttt directly
<[email hidden]>. They were very nice, and replaced my stem with no trouble (or charge!). They did
however, want the old stem shipped back to them. Shipping to Italy was not that expensive, and i was
more than satisfied with the the service.

Good Luck

//jtd//

Quoted message said:

If you don't get any satisfaction formn your LBS, try talking to the folks at 3ttt directly
<[email hidden]>. They were very nice, and replaced my stem with no trouble (or charge!). They did
however, want the old stem shipped back to them. Shipping to Italy was not that expensive, and i
was more than satisfied >with the the service.

3ttt BREAKS THE LAW!!!! And provides satisfactory customer service with no courts/lawyers
involved. Too easy?

And there could have been an installation error at cause. But sounds like they know they have a
design problem, and are replacing the ones that break. JMHO. --Tom Paterson

Johnny Two Pedals said:

I had the same problem last spring. The clamp fractured at the bottom bolt.

Same here!

Quoted message said:

Apparently, the torque specs are quite specific; the bolts need
to be tightened exactly as called out in the tech literature.

I did this with a torque wrench.

Quoted message said:

I hope you didn't perform a face plant when the stem broke. I was
lucky..I was down in the drops, so I could hold on when the bars rotated.

Sounds like a copy of what happened to me.

Quoted message said:

If you don't get any satisfaction formn your LBS, try talking to the folks at 3ttt directly
<[email hidden]>. They were very nice, and replaced my stem with no trouble (or charge!).

I am going to mount another stem. I don't trust this one any more.

Greetings, Derk

[email hidden] (Tom Paterson) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If you don't get any satisfaction formn your LBS, try talking to the folks at 3ttt directly
<[email hidden]>. They were very nice, and replaced my stem with no trouble (or charge!). They did
however, want the old stem shipped back to them. Shipping to Italy was not that expensive, and i
was more than satisfied >with the the service.

3ttt BREAKS THE LAW!!!! And provides satisfactory customer service with no courts/lawyers
involved. Too easy?

And there could have been an installation error at cause. But sounds like they know they have a
design problem, and are replacing the ones that break. JMHO. --Tom Paterson

Tom,

Whoa now, big fella! Sounds like you got your knickers in a twist over this....

To be completely accurate about this "legal transgression" on the part of 3TTT, you should know the
entire story. (B-T-B, I wrote the post you quoted without attribution...naughty naughty!). I very
well may have installed the stem incorrectly, or made the cardinal mistake of "re-tightening" the
bolts during a sanity check. In either case, 3TTT was informed of this. The stem was out of
warranty, so the US importer did not help, and the LBS from which it was purcahsed was Out of
Business. I could not locate another like stem either by mail order or from a brick and mortar LBS
(quality quill stems are becoming rather rare). As a last resort, I contacted 3TTT , inquiring about
procuring a replacement clamp, and was surprised when they offered to replace the entire stem,
gratis. They could just as easily told me to go [censored] up a rope (anybody care to translate that into
Italian?) Perhaps the folks at 3TTT were impressed that I took the time to have my original email
translated into Italian before sending it, or by the photos enclosed to illustrate the break.
Perhaps they were trying to hide a design problem...but really, I don't care! My problem was solved
without rancor, and no lawyers got to suck any blood.

After rereading your post a few times, I'm still not sure if your tongue is firmly planted in your
cheek, or if you have some axe to grind. Assuming the latter, I fail to see why you would have
problems with any company providing decent service to a customer...unless you are a recent Law
School grad who needs to pay off his BMW/student loans.

In either case, keep em' spinning!

//jtd//

"Derk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

While cycling my 3TTT Motus stem suddenly broke.

I would advise everyone who has one to periodically check the part that holds the bolts. This
caused the problems of the Motus I have.

Before it broke it creaked a bit, which I forgot to check once at home.

Greets, Derk

Less than a year after I bought my 3TTT Motus, mine creaked. I checked the part that holds the bolts
and saw large cracks. I didn't warranty it because I *really* don't want any critical parts like
this (on my bike) made by this company. I bought a Salsa stem made by Waterford.

"Frank Knox" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Derk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

While cycling my 3TTT Motus stem suddenly broke.

I would advise everyone who has one to periodically check the part that holds the bolts. This
caused the problems of the Motus I have.

Before it broke it creaked a bit, which I forgot to check once at home.

Greets, Derk

Less than a year after I bought my 3TTT Motus, mine creaked. I checked the part that holds the
bolts and saw large cracks. I didn't warranty it because I *really* don't want any critical parts
like this (on my bike) made by this company. I bought a Salsa stem made by Waterford.

Hmmmmmm...I thought my incident was rather isolated, but it seems that may not be the case. I
performed a google search after my break, and didn't get a single hit....now here are three
identical stories. Not enough to be statisticaly valid, but a good basis for a much closer watch. I
wonder how many others are lurking in the weeds?

Perhaps a new stem may not be such a bad idea...tis a shame, however...the Motus is a stiff,good
looking stem, and I really like the fixing bolt sweat cover.

Were you using 3TTT bars also?

//jtd//

Johnny Two Pedals said:

Perhaps a new stem may not be such a bad idea...tis a shame,

My dealer ordered me a Mutant instead. Hopefully these are more reliable?

Quoted message said:

Were you using 3TTT bars also?

I have a 3TTT bar also.

I read in TOUR Magazine that they weren't fond of the Forgie either btw....

Greets, Derk

Derk said:

I read in TOUR Magazine that they weren't fond of the Forgie either btw....

What exactly did they say about the Forgie? I used one for 11,000 km without an incident, not that
it proves anything. It has only one bolt in the steerer clamp and only two for the face plate, which
obviously isn't the best possible design.

Antti Salonen said:

What exactly did they say about the Forgie? I used one for 11,000 km without an incident, not that
it proves anything. It has only one bolt in the steerer clamp and only two for the face plate,
which obviously isn't the best possible design.

They tested 2 Forgie Stem/Bar combinations and both of the bars broke close to the stem....

Check that bar!

Greets, Derk

Derk said:

They tested 2 Forgie Stem/Bar combinations and both of the bars broke close to the stem....

Check that bar!

I have checked both bars I've used with the steam recently, and they showed nothing out of the
ordinary. There are/were two stems called Forgie in the 3T line, one traditional and one Aheadset-
type. Which one was tested by the Tour magazine?

-as

"Johnny Two Pedals" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Frank Knox" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Derk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

While cycling my 3TTT Motus stem suddenly broke.

I would advise everyone who has one to periodically check the part

that

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

holds the bolts. This caused the problems of the Motus I have.

Before it broke it creaked a bit, which I forgot to check once at

home.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Greets, Derk

Less than a year after I bought my 3TTT Motus, mine creaked. I checked

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

part that holds the bolts and saw large cracks. I didn't warranty it because I *really* don't
want any critical parts

like

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

this (on my bike) made by this company. I bought a Salsa stem made by Waterford.

Hmmmmmm...I thought my incident was rather isolated, but it seems that may not be the case. I
performed a google search after my break, and didn't get a single hit....now here are three
identical stories. Not enough to be statisticaly valid, but a good basis for a much closer watch.
I wonder how many others are lurking in the weeds?

Perhaps a new stem may not be such a bad idea...tis a shame, however...the Motus is a stiff,good
looking stem, and I really like the fixing bolt sweat cover.

Were you using 3TTT bars also?

//jtd//

Cinelli Giro Italia

Cool stem failure video (165 kb *.wmv file) here:

biketechreview.comstemage.WMVOpen ↗

and the accompanying blurb here:

biketechreview.comextremeload.htmOpen ↗

-kraig

Kraig Willett said:

Cool stem failure video (165 kb *.wmv file) here:

Quoted message said:

biketechreview.comstemage.WMVOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

and the accompanying blurb here:

Quoted message said:

biketechreview.comextremeload.htmOpen ↗

It's not obvious from reading the explanation what the load and load cycling was during this test. I
take it th buzzing noise is the frequency of load cycles but I think it might be helpful if we knew:

1. What the static load used was.
2. What the cyclic varying load was.
3. What the frequency was.
4. What that means in millions of stress cycles.

Without that, I'm no wiser than before seeing the test or it's result. From the failure pictures I
see that the weld bead broke rather than tearing out parts of the base metal but that still tells
me little.

Please explain.

Jobst Brandt [email hidden]

Antti Salonen said:

I have checked both bars I've used with the steam recently, and they showed nothing out of the
ordinary. There are/were two stems called Forgie in the 3T line, one traditional and one Aheadset-
type. Which one was tested by the Tour magazine?

The ahead set.

Greets, Derk

I could send the picture by email to those who are interested.

Greets, Derk

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Kraig Willett said:

Cool stem failure video (165 kb *.wmv file) here:

Quoted message said:

biketechreview.comstemage.WMVOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

and the accompanying blurb here:

Quoted message said:

biketechreview.comextremeload.htmOpen ↗

It's not obvious from reading the explanation what the load and load cycling was during this test.

It's a blurb that occupied a free weekend some time ago - it's not a journal article.

Quoted message said:

I take it th buzzing noise is the frequency of load cycles

Nope, it's an air compressor.

Quoted message said:

but I think it might be helpful if we knew:

1. What the static load used was.
2. What the cyclic varying load was.

to ~1000lbs

Quoted message said:

3. What the frequency was.

Pressure on for around 4 seconds and off for four seconds (you can probably prove me wrong by
looking closely at the video, but that is approximately correct from memory).

Quoted message said:

4. What that means in millions of stress cycles.

Definitively, beyond a reasonable doubt with a 99% confidence level? - probably not a whole lot
unless one has lots of time and money. I have neither. Some might argue that a protocol that does
not go into the millions of cycles acceptable for comparative and developmental purposes as long as
the failure modes are representative.

FWIW, the failure mode in this stem was the same as a CT stem that I tested for several hundred
thousand cycles.

Quoted message said:

Without that, I'm no wiser than before seeing the test or it's result.

But you were pretty wise to begin with, and I didn't write it for you specifically. It was aimed at
a much broader audience who might not even know that stems can _possibly_ fail - or where to look
when inspecting one.

C'mon Jobst, it wasn't even a _little_ cool seeing that stem snap like a twig?

Quoted message said:

From the failure pictures I see that the weld bead broke rather than tearing out parts of the base
metal but that still tells me little.

Please explain.

Any other questions?

-kraig

Kraig Willett said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Cool stem failure video (165 kb *.wmv file) here:

biketechreview.comstemage.WMVOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and the accompanying blurb here:

biketechreview.comextremeload.htmOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It's not obvious from reading the explanation what the load and load cycling was during
this test.

Quoted message said:

It's a blurb that occupied a free weekend some time ago - it's not a journal article.

I don't understand what you mean by that. If you did tested the stem then you might give a few
sentences on the parameters involved.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I take it th buzzing noise is the frequency of load cycles

Quoted message said:

Nope, it's an air compressor.

I thought the sound track had something to do with the test. That was a bit misleading.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

but I think it might be helpful if we knew:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

1. What the static load used was.
2. What the cyclic varying load was.

Quoted message said:

to ~1000lbs

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

3. What the frequency was.

Quoted message said:

Pressure on for around 4 seconds and off for four seconds (you can probably prove me wrong by
looking closely at the video, but that is approximately correct from memory).

Oh! That was the blurriness of the picture. Usually such tests are done with a steady load with a
superimposed vibratory load so that a reasonable statistical number of load repetitions are
achieved. 1000lbs in the direction perceptible from the video is not a realistic load for a
handlebar stem considering that stems are loaded by torsion more than any other load.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

4. What that means in millions of stress cycles.

Quoted message said:

Definitively, beyond a reasonable doubt with a 99% confidence level? - probably not a whole lot
unless one has lots of time and money. I have neither. Some might argue that a protocol that does
not go into the millions of cycles acceptable for comparative and developmental purposes as long
as the failure modes are representative.

There were no million cycles at the rate you mention, or the test would still be underway. The
failure mode using 1000lbs may not have anything to do with failure in use, or it may do so but as I
said, this is not the principal loading on a stem.

Quoted message said:

FWIW, the failure mode in this stem was the same as a CT stem that I tested for several hundred
thousand cycles.

How was that test constructed?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Without that, I'm no wiser than before seeing the test or its result.

Quoted message said:

But you were pretty wise to begin with, and I didn't write it for you specifically. It was aimed
at a much broader audience who might not even know that stems can _possibly_ fail - or where to
look when inspecting one.

In condescending to a less informed audience, you left out essential elements of a credible failure
test. If you write it up, it should contain the information essential to the test and its
credibility.

Quoted message said:

C'mon Jobst, it wasn't even a _little_ cool seeing that stem snap like a twig?

If you doubles the load, do you think it would do otherwise? How about 1/4 the load and over a
larger number of cycles? I'm sure I can cause a failure in any commercial stem with 1000lbs
test load.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

From the failure pictures I see that the weld bead broke rather than tearing out parts of the
base metal but that still tells me little.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Please explain.

Quoted message said:

Any other questions?

I take it you came into this with foregone conclusions and don't want to go back and reconsider any
of it. This is not giving the stem a fair hearing. I am not convinced of your assessment on the
basis of this test. It may or may not be a good stem but without comparing it to some other well
accepted stem, the test is not revealing anything useful.

Jobst Brandt [email hidden]

For me, the response you gave me to the following question posed last
June (after your review of the complete stem test and write-up) was
all I needed:

Did you see anything that you would consider egregiously wrong?

You've seen the whole test, its results and now it seems as if you are feigning ignorance - what
gives, what is your motivation behind this bizarre line of questioning?

-kraig

Quoted message said:

They could just as easily told me to go [censored] up a rope (anybody care to translate that into
Italian?)

avrebbero potuto semplicemente mandarmi a quel paese (politically correct) avrebbero potuto
semplicemente mandarmi a cagare (politically incorrect)

:-)

Francesco