The joys of swapping two quill stems!

[Fishbike]

Okay last night was night. I had been putting it off. I felt good after a short ride in the continuing unseasonably warm weather and after packing things in at the office a little earlier. I finally decided to swap the quills on the Pelizzoli and the Mercian. One was a little long and one was a little short. Easy solution right?

It took three hours! Tektro brake that needed to be disconnected to be removed (and that I forgot how it attached); bar end shifter that did not want to be taken apart or reassembled; old quill stem stuck in head tube; old quill stem part stuck in old head tube; old quill stem part stuck in new head tube; old quill stem that did not want to get tight in new head tube; numerous bouts of bar slippage; Campy hood that needed to be repositioned while I was at it; messed up rear shifting from repositioning of bar end shifter; test rides up and down by street at 10:00 p.m. in the dark! And I still need to re-tape the bars! :crap:

The good news is both bikes now fit properly.

I sure like the look of classic bikes and quills, but please remind me to get the length right the first time!

[tv_vt]

Gotta love removable face plates on stems.

I too remember those days of having to slide the quill stem all the way around half the bar to get it off. Don't miss 'em.

[christian]

Boo hoo hoo.

Sometimes looking good hurts. Just ask the ladies in high heels! :beer:

[Fixed]

it was worth the time and trouble
now you have two great fitting bikes ready to go
cheers :beer:

[farmallguy]

I have to replace a quill stem tomorrow to get the fit right on a recent build. Not looking forward to it but it has to be done. I also don't think I would like the look of an adapter on this bike, so quill it is.

Jack

[93legendti]

TTT Motus or Evol.

[EricEstlund]

Remember when we used to just call that a stem swap?

I'm sometimes a fuddy dutty, but I don't mind the routine.

[buldogge]

Why didn't well-executed quills with removable faceplates become more popular?

I have a Deda that is pretty nice on my Spectrum...I have considered chopping/machining/welding a Cinelli 1R as well.

Eric, have you made custom quills with faceplates???

-Mark in St. Louis

[EricEstlund]

I have, though I'm not sure if I have any photos. I can do any combo you need.

Here is an example of an open faced thread less (in this case with a brake hanger):

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2571/5845584821_5f63c3d6b9.jpg

[witcombusa]

Why didn't well-executed quills with removable faceplates become more popular?

-Mark in St. Louis


Because they look like crap? :confused:

[Kylide]

Salsa also made the faceplate ones and are pretty excellent provided you don't end up with a recalled one. Also I have a gorgeous Mavic quill stem that the bottom slides off and the bars just drop right out. The only downside is having to run 26.2 bars or using a soda can shim :-(

[buldogge]

???

This is the Deda Murex that I have...not horrible...

-Mark



Because they look like crap? :confused:

[old_fat_and_slow]

.

[ultraman6970]

It depends a lot of the design but at the same time the front face plate quill stems showed up 1 inch threadless came up and then quill stems got harder to get.

Love that deda murex, did not know it.

Nitto at some point made a kit that was blue something?? it was a quill stem that was beautiful together with the handlebars. And as usually happens they stop making them and left the usual stuff in catalogs.

[martinrjensen]

man, don't chop up a 1R. That's the nicest looking stem on the face of the planet. Chop up a 1a or an xa maybeWhy didn't well-executed quills with removable faceplates become more popular?

I have a Deda that is pretty nice on my Spectrum...I have considered chopping/machining/welding a Cinelli 1R as well.

Eric, have you made custom quills with faceplates???

-Mark in St. Louis

[fourflys]

here is a great article from Jan Heine that might cut your time down...
http://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/inserting-a-handlebar-into-a-stem/

[ultraman6970]

nitto crystal blue is the way to go :P

[buldogge]

Even better...it's a De Rosa panto'd piece! :p

The 1R would lend itself to the design...I might be able to make an XA work as well.

Anyone want to trade a De Rosa XA for a De Rosa 1R...(110-120mm, the 1R is a 115)???

man, don't chop up a 1R. That's the nicest looking stem on the face of the planet. Chop up a 1a or an xa maybe

[witcombusa]

man, don't chop up a 1R. That's the nicest looking stem on the face of the planet. Chop up a 1a or an xa maybe

The 1R, the XA are nice but my favorite is the Nitto made Shimano Dura Ace stem....THAT's the one for me!

[farmallguy]

Here's the Nitto Crystemblue

http://velobase.com/CompImages/Stems/6DB3F688-966E-481D-8B1C-610DA5078369.jpeg

I just saw one on ebay, BIN was about $400!!!!

[fiataccompli]

I have a lot of bikes with quill stems. I agree it's a hassle, but it's really not terrible IMHO...I mean, unwrap half the bar, loosen & slide off a brake lever (or maybe a brifter or maybe a lever & bar end), and then do the reverse...maybe re-set a brake cable. I just got through building up/rebuilding a Vitus 979 frame and used a faceplate quill stem thinking somehow I would appreciate the versatility. Turns out I want a slightly longer stem so it's back to a classic stem. I don't own a quill stem with a face plate that I don't think is butt ugly...but I'll probably run it if I think it will fit.

Now, stuck quill stems with composite (ie some carbon) steerer sections...that's an ugly intersection of bike design I think.

[stephenmarklay]

TTT Motus or Evol.

I was looking at the Evol for my newest build. So that thing is safe right? :confused:

[93legendti]

I was looking at the Evol for my newest build. So that thing is safe right? :confused:
I rode one, I didn't have any problems...I'm no expert on stem safety. But, why wouldn't it be? TTT has been around a long time and so have stems with faceplates. The ones I have are very pretty. Ymmv