DIY 25.4 to 26.0 shim

[Veloo]

Anyone ever DIY a shim for a set of 25.4 bars to 26.0 stem?

Does a cut soda can do the same job as an actual shim would?

[Bentley]

A shim is just a thin piece of metal... the source of the metal is not really a consideration. That said a quick check with the micrometer should advise if the soda can is thick enough.....

[Bentley]

Originally Posted by Veloo

Anyone ever DIY a shim for a set of 25.4 bars to 26.0 stem?

Does a cut soda can do the same job as an actual shim would?

The Internet says a soda can is .097mm thick, so it appears that even if you make a shim the complete diameter of the clamp you are still a bit short. I think those shims might be available on EBay, maybe Amazon.

[Bentley]

The shim is available on EBay

[Dave]

The diameter difference is .6mm or .024 inch. You need .012 inch shim material. A pop can is only about .004.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by Bentley

The Internet says a soda can is .097mm thick, so it appears that even if you make a shim the complete diameter of the clamp you are still a bit short. I think those shims might be available on EBay, maybe Amazon.

Yes aluminum beverage cans are a little thin for a single layer shim, so the key is to cut a long strip from the beverage can and wrap 2 or 3 layers. I've done this, and it works fine.

[zmudshark]

Old time blade feeler gauges for spark plugs work. Known thickness.

[palincss]

Originally Posted by Bentley

The shim is available on EBay

Rene Herse sells the Nitto 26.0 -> 25.4 shim.

[RudAwkning]

I used a Sapporo beer can to shim a 36.4 seat clamp down to 35.4

That’s thicker than what you need, but maybe a can between the two would work? Like an energy drink can?

[slambers3]

Try it but pay your dental insurance premiums first.

[slowpoke]

Surprised no one has quoted Pirsig here... soda/beer can is fine. Double up like what Mark said.

[dddd]

Getting three wraps of soda can stock to fit tidily into the applicable space is going to be tough enough, not to mention that the stem's clamp isn't so much cylindrical, it's heavily tapered to one side toward the bolt.

And the soda can stock is poly-coated, i.e. lubricated. You'll need to sand off the poly coating from both sides to assure the expected level of grip, then measure the thickness again.

The bigger-diameter beer cans are thicker, but you'll need to drink various beers and then sand and measure the empties. I've used Fosters Lager cans for their added thickness (for a seatpost shim).

Isn't Sapporo sold in steel cans(?), those wouldn't be very thick.

[jemoryl]

I have a bike that takes a 30.0 mm seatpost but had a post that was 29.4 mm. Made a shim using thin metal sheets that I found in a hobby store - available in a range of thicknesses, apparently for construction of models? Found exactly the thickness needed, I think they had brass and stainless. Also, if you have access to an industrial supply place like Grainger you should be able to get something.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by dddd

Getting three wraps of soda can stock to fit tidily into the applicable space is going to be tough enough, not to mention that the stem's clamp isn't so much cylindrical, it's heavily tapered to one side toward the bolt.

If there's enough of a gap that a shim is needed, there should be enough space to install the shim. As far as getting multiple wraps, you first wrap the strip of beverage can around a smaller diameter "mold" to bend it into a tight curve. Then when you wrap it around the handlebar, it will naturally squeeze tight.

Originally Posted by dddd

And the soda can stock is poly-coated, i.e. lubricated. You'll need to sand off the poly coating from both sides to assure the expected level of grip, then measure the thickness again.

I actually never found the layers of paint of poly-coat to be a problem. If you're concerned about, you can probably remove it with steel wool, and/or use carbon assembly paste.[/QUOTE]

[dddd]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

...I actually never found the layers of paint of poly-coat to be a problem. If you're concerned about, you can probably remove it with steel wool, and/or use carbon assembly paste.

I've also never had a problem with the coatings, and just like you said I have removed the coatings with steel wool and water. One might want to know how thick that the coating is, since it might yield over time causing some loss of clamping tension. So better imo to remove it first.

I mention that last thought because when I worked at NASA, I was brought in following a wind-tunnel failure/disaster that probably cost some fraction of a billion dollars to repair, so the wind tunnel hadn't been operational for some years. Costly on many levels. The failure resulted from clamped layers of steel which pulled apart unexpectedly, causing an internal "vane-set" to collapse into the enormous fan-drive section of this the largest wind tunnel facility in the world. It was later found by testing that the metal surfaces had some kind of protective coating on them which led engineers to assume structural integrity of clamped layers of steel that would not be realized in use. Luckily no one got killed.