Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - silver Thomson stem

I've been keeping my eye on eBay for a silver Thomson Elite with a certain rise/reach (I've seen a bunch go by recently but now that I actually have money to spend on it, I won't find one. You know how it goes). I've got a friend who is selling a black one that I can pick up for about half the price of a new one and I'm wondering...is it possible to strip the black finish off and polish it? I've used oven cleaner to remove anodized finishes before but really don't want to ruin a Thomson stem. Has anyone ever tried?

Of course you can remove the ano finish from a Thomson. A bead/media/whatever blaster would make the job a million times easier though.

The question is, is it worth the hassle from just buying a new silver one?

The silver ones seem harder to come by. Please correct me if I may be wrong, but I don't even think Thomson makes them in silver anymore.

Besides, 40 bucks for a barely-used Thomson is a good deal.

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/index.php?category=800
Available in silver and black.
:thumb:

31.8 only. I'm looking for the older 25.4 Elite. Thanks, though!

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=935&category=793
only 2 lengths left though in silver

or use a shim.

Scrod, I know we already discussed this in a previous thread, but you should think ab swappin up your bars for an OS 31.8 set of risers.

I know it sucks, but if you really want the silver X2, you'll have to go 31.8, or be patient with ebay/craigs.

They've got to be around somewhere.

I think I'll either keep up on eBay...there's a few sellers that are always selling NOS Thomsons...or buy my friend's black one and strip/polish it.

I'd keep your eyes out for a used one in silver to keep your bling factor instead of stripping it.

Haha...yeah. Although I don't think anything too bad would happen to the laser-etched logo. I'll find a used or NOS one on eBay sooner or later! There are a few up there now, actually....

a good secret with thomson stuff on ebay is to also search "thompson". i've gotten 2 elite seatposts and 2 stems that way for very cheap because of a simple misspelling.

a good secret with thomson stuff on ebay is to also search "thompson". i've gotten 2 elite seatposts and 2 stems that way for very cheap because of a simple misspelling.

i have done the same.