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Sunday, 23 August 2009 08:22 |
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In 1978 Charlie machined the first mountain bike stem from magnesium billet. It was very light, sophisticated construction similar to the most advanced stems being produced today. It was made of a remarkably strong alloy of magnesium and had a 1.375” diameter extension and with a 1 inch diameter hollow bore. A removable cap with four high strength stainless steel cap screws retained the handlebars. In the following several years he machined several more stems with similar construction, some from magnesium and some from aluminum for use on Cunningham road and mountain bikes. These early high-tech stems were the forerunners of today’s pricey machined and forged stems for road and mountain bikes.
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