Bicycle Mechanics - Steering Help Please

Hi everyone, I recently purchased a used cannondale bike and I would like to replace my steering tube(sorry I dont know whats the proper name for it) so I can put a stem on it. Is it possible to replace a 1 piece with 2, like most of you have?
Please tell me what needs to be done here (I am a newb to this), I would like to have a lower center of gravity, but with this setup that I have now,I dont think is possible.
Here is a pic.


Thanks

Garen

The quick answer is no. The long answer is that you can get a converter that will plug into your threaded fork and allow you to put a newer-style stem on, which I believe is what you're looking for. It looks like this (http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_175545_-1___).

As far as lowering, if you unscrew the bolt of your current threaded stem (possibly under a rubber plug, judging by the appearance of your stem), you should be able to lower it into your fork some more. It's hard to tell how much more without seeing your headtube. You don't want to push it too low, as it can become stuck at the bottom of the steerer. See the end of Sheldon's (http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_st-z.html#stem) stem section for an illustration.

Thanks man, the link you posted helps, do they come in different sizes or any of them fit in there?

More stem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_(bicycle_part))wisdom.
Your stem it is a quill style* (for a threaded fork steerer) with a lot of rise. You may be able to lower it a few inches using the vertical adjustment.
If you need your bars any lower you can swap the stem for one with less rise (ie the diagonal upwards bit is flatter).
Quill stems come with different rise and length.
Other variables are the diameter of the handlerbar clamp.
Most quill stems fit a 1" steerer tube (the bit on the fork).



* the other style of stem is threadless. They are incompatable.

To add a bit more confusion: if you buy a new stem you need to make sure that the opening of the stem matches the diameter of the handlebars. Generally speaking, quill stems come in 25.4mm (most flat bars), 26.0 (most road bars), and occasionall 26.4 (some Italian road bars). It's possible to shim them with a strip cut from a soda can, but it's not optimal.

edit: Sorry: just read Michael's post and he covered that.

Thanks for reply guys! Those links gave me a great ammount of info about the all this.

The pic below is how I want my setup to be, except the stem a lil longer. Seems like I need that adapter and a stem that will match the diameter of adapter and the handlebar.
Am I getting this right?

you have a 1" threaded fork which is attached with a lock nut where your quill stem goes into the top of it. The picture you posted is a thread-less setup 1 1/8th steer-tube which is held in place with a thread-less headset and thread-less stem.
best bet for you would just be swap out your quill stem for something more suitable.
to get to the second picture you are going to have to change fork,headset, and stem AND your frame is set up for 1" and most of these are going to be 1 1/8th"

I'll admit lack of knowledge - can't you get 1" threadless stems?

Edit: Guess not, after a bit of research. Harris seems to think 1 1/8" with a shim is safe; I'm not sure I'd do it on my bike.

Yes. And and at least with Ritchey, if you get a 1 1/8 in., they include a shim in the box.

You either need to get this...

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/imgWrapper.aspx?img=/st/ST307E00BLK__1____18.jpg&type=3

and this...

http://www.nashbar.com/images/nashbar/products/medium/NS-DSOS-NCL-ANGLE.jpg

or just this...

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/imgWrapper.aspx?img=/st/ST308B01SIL__26.0_100..jpg&type=3

Butter: Thats the route I am heading towards(the top 2 pics you posted) without spending a lot on a new fork and everything else thats envolved.

Now I've got to figure out how long of a stem and degree I want to go with.
I dont know why wouldnt be safe to go this route?

Thanks for the help!

There are certainly alot of options when it comes to stem length and angle. The good news is, unless you buy a stem with a 90 degree angle, you can always flip it over. This gives you 2 possible angles for every stem.

Exelent, I was wondering about if thats possible.
Thanks Butter!