Classic & Vintage - Does anyone know about dura ace stems?

I plan on putting a Dura Ace stem on my all Dura Ace Univega Ultraleggera. Does anyone know about dura ace stems? With my calipers I measure 26.1 for the handlebar hole. I plan on using Cinelli bars (which are 26.0) with it so they should work right?

I have a shimano 600 stem, which is supposed to share an identical forged component, with slightly heavier hardware. I like the design. Used with a 26.0mm handlebar (as designed) they work nicely. I'm currently using mine with a 25.4mm bar and the proper Nitto shim. It makes a bit of noise under hard sprinting but I put that down to the shim setup.

They certainly look nice and clean. Just make sure you use a decent 6mm allen key, not a ball-end one, and a cheater pipe/ring spanner on the end to get the clamp nice and tight.

- Joel

The Dura-Ace and Ultegra stems (produced by Nitto) are functionally identical, pretty design, aimed at 26.0mm stems. I've seen D/A stems used with 26.4mm Cinelli bars, no problem - the clamp design is functional but has a bit of flexibility on the sizing. Wouldn't be good with a 25.4mm bar, though, except with shim as Tom is doing.

You'll need a relatively long 6mm allen to get at the recessed bolts for quill and bar clamp. And I've always used a ball-end 6mm allen, and it's worked fine.

My confustion was because the stems were manufactured by Nitto and Nitto bars are mostly 25.4. I guess if there is rattle in the shim I will go with a 26.0 Cinelli bar. I get annoyed with creaks and noises coming from the handlebar area.

The stem is very beautiful. One of the most beautiful I have seen. I have mine polished to a mirror finish. It is very stout looking. It looks even stiffer than the Cinelli 1-A(my favorite.) What do you think of the functionality of the stem?

Thanks for the info it was very helpful.