Campagnolo Record

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Campagnolo Record crank, broken at the pedal eye. Note it is the older design with the ``vanity'' groove.

[recordcrankscloseup-quarter.jpg]

Used about 1981-99 by a rider weighing about 70 kgf. It was ridden about 135,000 km with over 620 km of climbing (vertical gain). The bicycle used typical ``road'' gearing (42-24 lowest gear) and was ridden in steep areas, including e.g., two Alps tours. On failure, the rider crashed and was injured, requiring stiches in his head.

A portion of the broken face near the embossed ``9/16'' is dark-colored. The darkened area typically indicates a crack which has been present for a while. The light-colored region typically indicates the final failure area. There is also a dark-colored region on the face near ``20F'', indicating slight cracking there also before the final failure.

Note the pedal spindle contact area is slightly recessed. When new, the area was flat. The recess was likely worn by repeated small pedal axle motions gradually eroding the face. The wear debris may have contributed to the crack formation.

[recordcrankscloseup-crop.jpg]


See also FAIL-016.