Cinelli 26.0 bar and stem slippage

[KJMUNC]

Swapping out for a longer stem on my Lemond and running Cinelli Giro bars in 26.0 (clearly marked).

Putting a Cinelli XA 26.0 stem on and the stem clamp will not snug down enough. Even if I torque it all the way down I can still slightly rotate the bars slightly, but they're not sloppy loose. Just enough that if I rode it, hitting a bump would do it.

What gives?? The black spacer under the stem bolt is intact. Are there thinner spacers? Hate to do a Coke can shim job but it can't be more than 1mm off. Maybe some sand paper to help it grab?

Any tips would be appreciated. Was hoping to finish the job today and now just aggravated.

[Tony T]

Isn't the black spacer plastic?
If so, maybe you can shave a bit off with some fine grit sandpaper.

[Black Dog]

Most of the XA stems were 26.4 not 26, as was the case for most older Cinelli bars. Do you perhaps have a 26.4 stem? If you do it can be shimmed with some shim stock.

[KJMUNC]

It's way less than a mm....couldn't even get a slip of paper between them. I just pulled the stem shim out from under the bolt and cinched it down. Prob solved!

[lhuerta]

If your XA stem is not stamped 26.0 on quill then it is a 26.4

[Black Dog]

It's way less than a mm....couldn't even get a slip of paper between them. I just pulled the stem shim out from under the bolt and cinched it down. Prob solved!

Make sure that the stem is not a 26.4. If it is, it may seem tight on the stand but on the road it will slip; and not at a convenient time. It really sounds like you have a 26.4 stem.

[mktng]

used bars?
if yes, how old?
could have been so over tightened that its deformed the clamp area.

if new?
i'd triple check that stem with calipers

[ultraman6970]

I was going to sugest that the stem is probably 26.4 and not 26. It does makes a difference? well it depends. The biggest problem IMO for old cinelli stuff is consistency in the measurements of their stuff, u measure 3 stems and handlebars from the same batch and I assure you will get different diameters in all of them.

Well could be that the handlebar is deformed as hell too.

BTW never seen a 26.0 xa stem either, that doesnt mean they did not make them at some point.

[zmudshark]

Does the stem have a wedge expander or a conical expander?

All conical were 26.4, a wedge could be either (XA vs XE, I think).

[ultraman6970]

The XA doest have a expander or any internal mechanism is just a clamp, but have the plastic logo. So pretty much is that the stem has a larger diameter than the handlebar or that the handlebar is just way to deformed to the point of not being the right diameter, good handlebars but the aluminum is way too soft IMO and the little friction carvings basically can disappear.

[peanutgallery]

The "fix" might scare me more than the issue that caused the need for it. Make sure you didn't crimp the bar or something, that is why that spacer was there

That stuff was terrible - even when new. But it sure looked cool

I do not miss quill stems, thinking back to the day...they were terrible. The flex and stuff like your current issue, not sure how I still have any natural teeth:)

Get a current style quill stem/bar if you must still run one, much superior

[ultraman6970]

3t and itm quill stems are the way to go IMO.

[colker]

3t and itm quill stems are the way to go IMO.


I like the ITM eclypse. I see nothing wrong w/ quill stems.. they are heavier but as functional as ahead stems.

[11.4]

On a good day, Cinelli bars were rarely round. The ferrules could be quite significantly out of round. And as mentioned above, even the full circumference could vary quite a bit, regardless of roundness. I've had plenty of problems trying to fit 26.4 to 26.4, 26.0 to 26.0, and I don't even let people mount Cinelli steel track bars to any stem but an old Cinelli steel stem which was burly enough to put up with all the misalignment. Old bars used to be rather like that, until the really thin-walled heat treated bars came along and they cracked or crimped too easily if they weren't a precise diameter and precisely round. You're putting a relatively early bar into a relatively late stem. If you were using an 1-A stem you wouldn't be seeing a problem because the stem clamp just adjusted. A Record stem tended to have a few problems. And later stems, especially all the threadless ones, simply don't cope with earlier bars well. Try a different bar and keep swapping until you get to one that holds well.

[Fivethumbs]

If you still have slippage maybe get one of the reissue Cinelli 1A stems. I have a couple. They are beefy and strong like bull.

[colker]

On a good day, Cinelli bars were rarely round. The ferrules could be quite significantly out of round. And as mentioned above, even the full circumference could vary quite a bit, regardless of roundness. I've had plenty of problems trying to fit 26.4 to 26.4, 26.0 to 26.0, and I don't even let people mount Cinelli steel track bars to any stem but an old Cinelli steel stem which was burly enough to put up with all the misalignment. Old bars used to be rather like that, until the really thin-walled heat treated bars came along and they cracked or crimped too easily if they weren't a precise diameter and precisely round. You're putting a relatively early bar into a relatively late stem. If you were using an 1-A stem you wouldn't be seeing a problem because the stem clamp just adjusted. A Record stem tended to have a few problems. And later stems, especially all the threadless ones, simply don't cope with earlier bars well. Try a different bar and keep swapping until you get to one that holds well.

I have stripped the threads on two nos 3t record stems clamp just by tightening. The 3t evolution is better.

[ultraman6970]

What we always did with 3t records back in the day was to ream them to specs before installation, that was going to take care of all the creaks and possible issues with the stem clamp, they were not that round sometimes. I even still have one reamed to 26.4 with my full name engraved to it and a cinelli girod'italia attach to it. Never a single problem.

[bobdenver1961]

I did the same thing with a Cinelli XA stem. Took the plastic spacer out to tighten on a 26.0 bar. Next day I went out to ride and the stem had cracked all the way through where the plastic Cinelli logo is.

Glad that did not happen when I was riding!

Bob

[sales guy]

Another issue could be the sleeve. Back when I had a shop we sold a bunch of Cinelli bars. The alloy sleeve that went into the stem would come unglued and the bars would slip. Stem was tight. But the shim wasn't. After that we stopped bringing in sleeved bars. Only one piece buldge center bars.

[fignon's barber]

I had a 26.0 XA stem and a new re-issue criterium bar with the same issue (I posted this in response to another thread a few days ago). I identified the problem as the surface coating of the bar being slippery. I cleaned both stem and bar surface with rubbing alcohol, tightened, and problem solved.
By the way, the only indicator that the stem was a 26.0 was a circular yellow caution sticker on the box stating "26.0 ! ".