Bill, there is not much load on the tube at all. The caps run through the
bushing in the spreader and hence only apply compression and bending to the arm
itself. Make sure that you have a lot of re-enforcement where you attach it to
the tube however. I made a new one over last winter and the first time I rigged
it, it snapped clean at a stress concentration point between the spreader and
the thickened carbon tape that was holding it to the tube, so I can only assume
that there is a fairly significant bending moment on it.
Roger
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