I'm nowhere near as cut as your son, and I felt the difference when I tried
a stem extender with a modern-style stem instead of a standard Nitto or
such.  The rocking of the handle bar when I cranked it was less.  I didn't
feel the difference was very significant.  Plan is to go back to a Nitto
based on looks.

Stem flex is a far cry from stem breakage.  Well-made parts are able to take
literally millions (at least) of cycles of elastic flexing (NOT inelastic)
before fatigue begins.  Metal fatigue is what leads to fracture.  Additional
factors include the presence of stress risers due to deep scratches, overly
sharp edges, or casting flaws that might cause internal stress risers.

On Fri, May 6, 2011 at 6:58 AM, MichaelH <[email protected]> wrote:

> The new RR contains an article by GP outlining his believes about
> various aspects of  bike strength, comfort, weight, and comfort.
> There wasn't much new there for anyone who has followed him for a few
> years, including why he prefers threaded headsets and stems, but it
> did trigger this question from me.
>
> My son, who is 39 years old and a very muscular 170 lbs claims that
> he experiences stem flex while climbing with a traditional quill
> stem.  I am always disinclined to challenge people's subjective
> experience but I have never experienced this and suspect it is in his
> imagination.
>
> Has anyone here felt their stem flex and has anyone ever broken a
> stem?
>
> michael
>
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-- 
Ken Freeman
Ann Arbor, MI USA

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