American Classic Seatpost Failure

On Nov 25, 2:57*pm, Chalo wrote:

That's unfortunate to hear. *I hope that over time you prove yourself
incorrect on that point.

I can say that my body likes to return itself to a reasonable likeness
of its previous condition. *(Though my teeth did not grow back; I had
to seek professional help with that.) *Your body most likely can heal
too. *Make the demand of it and see how it goes.

Chalo

OK, I'll be more explicit. I shattered a portion of my spine. I now
have a titanium cage where one of my vertebra used to be. The
surgeons also fused several of my vertebrae together, limiting my
flexibility, and making a road bike position very uncomfortable. This
former USCF racer now rides a recumbent trike (Catrike Speed).

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
Just about everything eventually breaks - especially lightweight
stuff, so I wasn't especially concerned beyond checking my parts a
little more carefully from time to time and replacing some stuff
before I notice problems.

Very true. You can't expect bike parts to last forever, and you must
accept some responsibility in checking your equipment. If I sued the
manufacturer every time a part broke... well, I'd have a few lawsuits.
Most recently I had a Ritchey crank snap in two while sprinting... I
landed on the ground but wasn't hurt badly enough to worry about.

BTW, I used an AC seatpost for several years when I was racing a
lot... probably 40k miles and a lot of crashes, but it held up fine.

I now use a Thomson Elite post, which has a good rep for durability.

On Nov 24, 9:35*pm, wrote:
The American Classic seatpost hardware failed on my road bike. *More
specifically, the single clamp bolt broke, causing my saddle to
disconnect from the seatpost. *While I was riding. *I crashed, my
bicycle was destroyed, and I was very seriously injured.

American Classic denies any design or manufacturing defect. *I plan to
report the failure to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in
an effort to alert other bicyclists to the potential danger and/or
force a recall. *To bolster my claim that an investigation is needed,
I'm searching for others who have experienced a failure with the same
clamp bolt. *I've heard second-hand stories of other American Classic
seatpost failures. *A few concrete examples, with names, dates, etc.,
might be enough to get the CPSC's attention.

BTW, my problem was with the prior generation seatpost, not the new
curved top design (although I note that the curved top design also
relies on a single clamp bolt).

Thanks in advance.


Was the saddle clamped in using a torque wrench? When bits get lighter
and racier, the more sensitive they are to improper torque. It's also
why proving any case against American Classic is probably doomed. At
least you're alive enough to complain!

wrote:

Chalo wrote:

I can say that my body likes to return itself to a reasonable likeness
of its previous condition. *(Though my teeth did not grow back; I had
to seek professional help with that.) *Your body most likely can heal
too. *Make the demand of it and see how it goes.

OK, I'll be more explicit. *I shattered a portion of my spine. *I now
have a titanium cage where one of my vertebra used to be. *The
surgeons also fused several of my vertebrae together, limiting my
flexibility, and making a road bike position very uncomfortable. *This
former USCF racer now rides a recumbent trike (Catrike Speed).

That sucks. I broke vertebrae T6 and T7 in a car crash over twenty
years ago, but since my convalescence they have given me no further
trouble. I count myself very lucky for that.

I'm glad to hear that you don't suffer debilitating paralysis, and
that you have other options available to you for continuing your
cycling habit.

I don't know whether sitting upright on a bike is feasible for you,
but not all normal bikes require a stooped posture or a flexible
spine. It's hard to beat a 'bent tadpole trike for back-friendliness,
though.

Chalo

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:22:58 -0800, Ron Ruff wrote:

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
Just about everything eventually breaks - especially lightweight stuff,
so I wasn't especially concerned beyond checking my parts a little more
carefully from time to time and replacing some stuff before I notice
problems.

Very true. You can't expect bike parts to last forever, and you must
accept some responsibility in checking your equipment. If I sued the
manufacturer every time a part broke... well, I'd have a few lawsuits.
Most recently I had a Ritchey crank snap in two while sprinting... I
landed on the ground but wasn't hurt badly enough to worry about.

the ritchey design is fundamentally flawed - the "i-beam" thing. it's
known to be a fatigue risk since that profile means the skin is much more
highly stressed and slightest riser therefore initiates fatigue. modern
designs use an ovalized crank arm which is much less sensitive.

this is not new technology. if competent, ritchey should know this and
minimize hazard to the consumer accordingly. on this basis, and in the
light of a number of these failures, i'd pursue ritchey as they clearly
haven't done their homework and are jeopardizing consumers.




BTW, I used an AC seatpost for several years when I was racing a lot...
probably 40k miles and a lot of crashes, but it held up fine.

I now use a Thomson Elite post, which has a good rep for durability.

On Nov 24, 8:35*pm, wrote:
The American Classic seatpost hardware failed on my road bike. *More
specifically, the single clamp bolt broke, causing my saddle to
disconnect from the seatpost. *While I was riding. *I crashed, my
bicycle was destroyed, and I was very seriously injured.

American Classic denies any design or manufacturing defect. *I plan to
report the failure to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in
an effort to alert other bicyclists to the potential danger and/or
force a recall. *To bolster my claim that an investigation is needed,
I'm searching for others who have experienced a failure with the same
clamp bolt. *I've heard second-hand stories of other American Classic
seatpost failures. *A few concrete examples, with names, dates, etc.,
might be enough to get the CPSC's attention.

BTW, my problem was with the prior generation seatpost, not the new
curved top design (although I note that the curved top design also
relies on a single clamp bolt).

Thanks in advance.


I'm sorry to hear of your injuries, keep your recovery goals high.
Bodies are remarkable things but sometimes they're just looking for a
fight. I knew a guy who lost a good bit of one calf when a shotgun
slid down a log and discharged into his leg. Doc said he would loose
the use of that calf, but by (in part) riding himself into the
ground , that calf eventually worked pretty well although it was the
weaker of the two, being somewhat smaller.

I looked at my bike last night as I have an AC seatpost, probably from
the late 90s. Never a problem but now I'm so spooked I'm going to
replace it. The Thomsons mentioned in the thread look pretty sweet.
Early Christmas.

On Nov 25, 4:13*pm, wrote:
On Nov 24, 8:35*pm, wrote:


I looked at my bike last night as I have an AC seatpost, probably from
the late 90s. Never a problem but now I'm so spooked I'm going to
replace it. The Thomsons mentioned in the thread look pretty sweet.
Early Christmas.

In my opinion, that is a very prudent decision. I take some comfort
in the knowledge that I might have helped you avoid a terrible crash.
Of course, most cyclists will not see this thread, which is why I'm
alerting the CPSC. My hope is that the CPSC will issue a recall. I
believe that most bike shops keep appraised of such recalls, which
could benefit those who have their bike professionally serviced.

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:13:59 -0800 (PST), wrote:

I looked at my bike last night as I have an AC seatpost, probably from
the late 90s. Never a problem but now I'm so spooked I'm going to
replace it.

Good move. I wouldn't ride a post like that more than a couple
thousand hours.

wrote:
force a recall. To bolster my claim that an investigation is needed,
I'm searching for others who have experienced a failure with the same
clamp bolt. I've heard second-hand stories of other American Classic
seatpost failures. A few concrete examples, with names, dates, etc.,
might be enough to get the CPSC's attention.

I recall that back in the early(?) '90s when I subscribed to Velonews, there
was a photo of Jonathan Vaughters riding his bike without a saddle in a race
coverage photo. He was riding out of the saddle, obviously, and the
seatpost tube was just sticking out of his frame. My recollection was that
it was an American Classic post with a broken bolt.

Found this with an internet search:
http://search.bikelist.org/beta/View....aspx?id=76728

I probably still have that issue of Velonews, but it's sitting in the closet
of my childhood home (thousands of miles away), so I can't be any more
specific when/where.

On Nov 25, 11:42*pm, "Andrew Lee" wrote:
*wrote:
force a recall. *To bolster my claim that an investigation is needed,
I'm searching for others who have experienced a failure with the same
clamp bolt. *I've heard second-hand stories of other American Classic
seatpost failures. *A few concrete examples, with names, dates, etc.,
might be enough to get the CPSC's attention.

I recall that back in the early(?) '90s when I subscribed to Velonews, there
was a photo of Jonathan Vaughters riding his bike without a saddle in a race
coverage photo. *He was riding out of the saddle, obviously, and the
seatpost tube was just sticking out of his frame. *My recollection was that
it was an American Classic post with a broken bolt.

Found this with an internet search:http://search.bikelist.org/beta/View....aspx?id=76728

I probably still have that issue of Velonews, but it's sitting in the closet
of my childhood home (thousands of miles away), so I can't be any more
specific when/where.

Thanks, that's an excellent tip. I'll see where it leads.