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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 18,100
Bikes: Stewart S&S coupled sport tourer, Stewart Sunday light, Stewart Commuting, Stewart Touring, Co Motion Tandem, Stewart 3-Spd, Stewart Track, Fuji Finest, Mongoose Tomac ATB, GT Bravado ATB, JCP Folder, Stewart 650B ATB
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Either the bars or the stem clamp are not round. Tha the bars can seem secure but there's still a gap as shown proves this. I would be more nervous if the stem clamp had been deformed (as can happen if its pried open too far) than if the bars are a tad oval. Why? Because when a bar catastrophically fails generally only one side breaks off. When a stem goes bad both sides of the bars become loose.
It's possible that careful measurements can gain more insight. But if the stem is the culprit I would stop riding the bike and replace the stem. Andy (who laced a pair of Akront alloy rims for a friend for his Honda 550/4 sport bike way long ago)
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AndrewRStewart