Bicycle Mechanics - Thomson Stem Problems

Alright, so I got this Thomson stem and it's pissing me off. First of all if I tighten the bolts down too far they get somewhat stuck, and instead of unthreading smoothly they just pop to their next position. I have greased them, and I even used the proper torque setting's given in the manual, 47 in-lb which seemed rather low. And as it turned out, was, because my handlebars twisted on me while I was riding. So now I just torqued them down to where they were, which I am sure is way past 47 in-lb but now it ticks. It's not a creak, it's a high pitched very distinct tick that only comes when I put some force on the handlebars, i.e. standing up, hammering up a hill. Any thoughts?

I assume you're using the right stem for the bar diameter. ...ie; road vs. mtn.

I am indeed

Have you contacted Thomson? That would be my first step (or you trusted LBS, of course).

I would make sure all bolts are very evenly tightened. Not just the final torque but evenly tightened as you torque down on the bars and steerer tube clamp.

But, you have probably already done it but it is my only thought.

have you greased the handlebars?

I haven't put grease on the bars where they contact the stem, but I greased the bolts that hold the faceplate over the handlebars. I noticed today, well yesterday, that my faceplate doesn't have even spacing above and below the bars so I am going to try to adjust that as well. I may contact thomson but I think it will be a last resort kind of thing.

I have noticed the "tick" problem you describe - Amahana1 is correct in suggesting use of a little grease on the bar - it will not worsen the slippage of the bar if installation is correct. As you mention, be careful to balance out the top and bottom gap between faceplate and stem body. This ensures the best distribution of clamping force. the best approach is to loosen right off, tighten until the bar is just held in place, ensuring that the gaps are even before tighening down. Tighten top and bottom screws alternately by the same amount and things won't go too far wrong.

Good luck,

Ed

I had the same problem - lots of stiction in the tightening of the bolts. I too greased them with Phil's and lithium and they still snap instead of thread. Even had one break with just a wee bit of torque.

Noise-wise, I'd second (or third) the suggestion of a thin layer of grease in the inside of the bar clamping area. It took me about 5 builds before I started doing this as part of the normal build and I've not had a stem related noise problem since I made it part of the routine.

Overall, I'm not real pleased with those stems in general. I doubt I'd buy another, which is a shame since the fit/finish quality is so good. Love the seatposts, don't love the stems.

So, I greased the bars, balanced the faceplate gap and greased the circular clamping plates. And it still does it. So either, it's unfixable, or it's something else. Though it still sure as hell sounds like it's comeing from there. I am thinking maybe there's some flex in the steerer and the spacers are making the noise? I don't know, but I give up. Atleast until I get a new bottom bracket because right now, it drowns out that tick.

Gee, maybe it's coming from your bottom bracket?

There you go. Blame the poor bottom bracket again. One of these days, they're going to rebel.
Gee, maybe it's coming from your bottom bracket?

nah, my bottom bracket is making noise too, that's how I know it isn't that.

nah, my bottom bracket is making noise too, that's how I know it isn't that.

Hey, did you grease/anti-seize the bottom of the bolt heads (where they contact the face plate)? That would be another metal-to-metal contact point that may cause friction while torqueing. Also, I strongly second the recommendation to contact Thomson. I once had an out-of-spec post that would "dimple" when torqued due to the bad fit in the seat tube. They were very helpful and verified over the phone (I have good digital calipers) that it was out of spec. They sent a new post directly to me. Great customer service...