Hi Jeremy,

I've never heard the definitive story, other than that's where it occurred... Probably got hooked on an old Fiat, or something... (grin)

Perhaps Maine Sail will weigh in eventually, he's followed this whole saga pretty closely...

As best as I can determine, it does appear to be more of a material failure, than one of design... Interestingly, there have been virtually no documented examples of the shank on a Manson bending, or at least significantly... And, apparently, the only Rocnas that have bent so dramatically are the Chinese ones, after they changed the specs from the harder or higher tensile steel that Peter Smith's original design had called for... (Sorry, I might be applying the wrong terms regarding the "strength" of the steel, my eyes start to glaze over when metallurgy gets drawn into the discussion (grin))...

best regards,

Jon