Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - School me on quill stems...

Still tossing around different fixed gear choices, currently considering a Langster Steel or a Masi Speciale.

The new langster steel's have the quill stem. I'm not too familiar with these, so I'm looking to weigh the pros and cons of them against a removable stem (not sure of the technical term for the stem on my Allez, but I'm sure it gets the point across).

Are they sturdier? Harder to position up or down to fit your riding preference?

They are not sturdier, they are easy to adjust up and down. They have that classic look that alot of people admire.

They look rad.

Up and down is easy to move. It's the reach that will take more effort.

They look rad.
+1

Height is easy to adjust, they are usually pretty flexy, it's a PITA to change bars on them. I don't have a problem with them, as both of my bikes come with quill. One has a threadless adapter, but that doesn't make it less flexy. The only thing I hate, is when people go out of their way to change from threadless to threaded because it's a lot of time, effort, and money to switch to a pretty inferior system.

I think your Allez has a threadless stem

threaded looks rad on certain bikes

less stiff

maybe less versatile

I think your Allez has a threadless stem

threaded looks rad on certain bikes

less stiff

maybe less versatile

No, it's threaded for sure. I wish it were threadless, but no worries. The fixed gear is closer to being threadless since I have an adapter.

They look rad.

Up and down is easy to move. It's the reach that will take more effort.

even your up and down is limited to how far the quill will go into the steerer and it's minimum insertion point.
with a threadless stem, you just swap it out for a stem with sharp angle.

even your up and down is limited to how far the quill will go into the steerer and it's minimum insertion point.
with a threadless stem, you just swap it out for a stem with sharp angle.

This is a very good point.

They look rad.


+1

+2

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk177/thirdgenbird/yokota%20build/DSC00895.jpg

Threadless can look damn good too btw

http://www.boutiquecycles.com/media/images/uploads/bikes/0229_sparton.jpg

Threadless can look damn good too btw

http://www.boutiquecycles.com/media/images/uploads/bikes/0229_sparton.jpg

agreed. it all depends on what you are building.

True, what stem is the one you posted? I want.

True, what stem is the one you posted? I want.

its a deda murex. its a little flexy, but overall it is very nice and has a removable 2 bold "face". if you buy one it wont look quite like that. i had to do some sanding and polishing to make it that shiny.

Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah. You're telling me that stem has a removable face plate? That's the only threaded stem I've seen with a removable face plate that doesn't look like complete ass. I didn't realize it was your bike either. What's the rest of the ride look like?

Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah. You're telling me that stem has a removable face plate? That's the only threaded stem I've seen with a removable face plate that doesn't look like complete ass. I didn't realize it was your bike either. What's the rest of the ride look like?

it did look like this:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk177/thirdgenbird/yokota%20build/DSC00910.jpg

then the frame was upgraded to this:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk177/thirdgenbird/tommasini/2010-09-08175146.jpg

the eurus wheels are off my other bike. i am in the process of building "proper" wheels for the tommasini. silver campagnolo hubs laced laced to silver campagnolo tubular rims (all NOS, 28h, 2x)

edit:
you can see one of the new rims hiding in the second picture. (tan sidewalls will return)

They are flexier, heavier, there are fewer choices(and fewer and fewer everyday) I'm not saying you can't find them but at somepoint when you ask for one at a bike shop they're going to give you odd looks and offer the only option(maybe by pyramid?) it'll be heavy, black and awkwardly angled but you'll take it because you need one and eBay is full of scammers, while your at it look for some fixed gear that use 27 inch tires, it's the next "old school" trend we are going to watch people embrace(because they look so classic)

Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah. You're telling me that stem has a removable face plate? That's the only threaded stem I've seen with a removable face plate that doesn't look like complete ass. I didn't realize it was your bike either. What's the rest of the ride look like?

3T mutant stems also have removable face plates.

Thanks for the advice. Definitely seems like quill stems are or should be obsolete technology for good reason, but as some of you mentioned, their looks and nostalgia attract. I get that, but I want versatility. The stem has been one of the key components when looking at FG bikes. Has to have a certain kind...not quill, at least for what I want.

http://www.bikebits.ie/product.asp?id=339&category=Road+Racing&product_type=Stems

Had this stem on my Colnago Master Olympic. Not easy to handle as a Deda murex, but nicer.

I read even a lot of mixed reviews about the murex.

Or look at this

http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2010/09/3t-cycling-revives-gimondi-barstem-for.html

Thanks for the advice. Definitely seems like quill stems are or should be obsolete technology for good reason, but as some of you mentioned, their looks and nostalgia attract. I get that, but I want versatility. The stem has been one of the key components when looking at FG bikes. Has to have a certain kind...not quill, at least for what I want.

Yeah, fixed gears should be obsolete too since variable gears is so much more efficient and versatile technology, yet here we all are.

Once you find a quill stem and bar setup you like, and fits you well, little change is required thereafter. Unless you like to constantly change things out. The only threadless stem I have is on my 29r singlespeed mtn. bike, and I haven't changed anything on it other than swapping the grips for ourys. So a removable faceplate is nice but not essential for most riders I think. I recently scored a dura ace quill stem for my fuji track bike, it is amazing - no stem clamp bolt visable anywhere!

There are people here who have come up with all kinds of reasons to dislike quill stems, but it's mostly hyperbole. If threadless stems are stiffer, it's at an order of magnitude impossible for mere mortals to detect. Maybe they're slightly more versatile, since you can flip them. Is this really such a big deal?

There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Neither is clearly superior. I suspect that the primary reason the bike industry has moved to threadless is because it makes things cheaper to manufacture (even though consumers have never seen a price drop that reflects this).

The way I see it, if threadless was truly superior, there wouldn't be so many bikes still being manufactured with quill stems. Think of any other 20+ year-old design improvement on bikes—if they were any good, they became 99% standard.

There are people here who have come up with all kinds of reasons to dislike quill stems, but it's mostly hyperbole. If threadless stems are stiffer, it's at an order of magnitude impossible for mere mortals to detect. Maybe they're slightly more versatile, since you can flip them. Is this really such a big deal?

There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Neither is clearly superior. I suspect that the primary reason the bike industry has moved to threadless is because it makes things cheaper to manufacture (even though consumers have never seen a price drop that reflects this).

The way I see it, if threadless was truly superior, there wouldn't be so many bikes still being manufactured with quill stems. Think of any other 20+ year-old design improvement on bikes—if they were any good, they became 99% standard.

The difference in stiffness between a 22.2mm diameter quill stem to a 28.6mm threadless is more evident the longer it gets. The threadless can also be made in carbon fiber or aluminum, which is much lighter than a fork with steel steerer.
There's really no disadvantage to threadless stems over quill stems, other than price, which is evident in that no one would recommend switching from a threadless fork to threaded fork for the sake of using quill stems. You don't see a cost saving in threadless, because manufacturers can use more complex materials or draw tubes thinner to take advantage of the better interface and that costs more money.


the one place you find a lot of quill stem usage are on are cheap department store bikes made from hi-ten steel. keeping the quill stem on these sorts of bikes also makes it cheaper to hobble together useful bikes from older junk bikes.

If threadless stems are stiffer, it's at an order of magnitude impossible for mere mortals to detect.

WRONG. do i need to make a video to prove it? my quill setup is a higher end deda bar and stem and my threadless setup is a cheap wayless bar/stem setup.

you can visually see the flex difference between the two. that said, the deda setup is much nicer for long relaxed ride. (i also have a very stiff ITM threadless setup but its a very oversized stem and bladed road drops.)



I suspect that the primary reason the bike industry has moved to threadless is because it makes things cheaper to manufacture

i suspect the primary reason is not cost but stiffness and weight.

if you still think its price, count the threadless stems here:
wal-mart (http://www.walmart.com/cp/Bikes/136291)
and here:
excel sports (http://www.excelsports.com/main.asp?page=7&major=1&minor=35)

find the average price, weight, and percentage of quill stems in use.


i'm not hating on quill (i love my murex) but technology has advanced. threadless just ha no place on my tommasini

Yeah, fixed gears should be obsolete too since variable gears is so much more efficient and versatile technology, yet here we all are.

True, but thats what makes us awesome :thumb:

No one has mentioned that bicycle geometry standards have changed over the years.

Here is Shane Perkins a professional track racer from Austrailia who has raced in Japanese Keirin. Notice the difference between his two bikes:

http://www.cycling-inform.com/content_images/1/DSC01725s.jpg
http://images.theage.com.au/2010/08/19/1809073/perkins_main-420x0.jpg

His butt, feet, and hands are in the exact same position on both bikes, but the frame's geometry is drastically different. The modern frame is smaller and requires and upward stem and longer seatpost extension. The Keirin frame is larger. Basically, the top tub is a few centimeters higher off the ground.

If you use a downward sloped quill stem on a modern bike, you may seriously compromise your fit.

On a frame like the langster steel a quill stem works fine and looks great. On a frame like the masi it would look out of place which is why it's set up for threadless. Both types get the job done just fine. If you worry about swapping bars once in a while with a threaded setup, just get another quill stem for your other bars.

In the end (for me at least) it's a choice between a classic vintage look and a modern look. I have quills on all my der aged bikes and threadless on my modern ones.

If you use a downward sloped quill stem on a modern bike, you may seriously compromise your fit.

My Cinelli Pista stem on my Mash is quill-like in its downward angle. Technically my bike is illegal under UCI regs with drops bars on it. The front wheel sits higher than the bottom of my bars. No one at the velodrome has noticed yet and I'm sure that would change if I entered a race with this bike. For me, with bullhorns, risers or drops, the angle works. I also have a regular Cinelli stem that is far more relaxed. It sits in a box.

Fit is also what you make of it. Fit is a recommendation and there is always a preference for variability as I am sure you know Carleton. Just saying for everyone else reading this that variables in fit that YOU prefer can be introduced. I love being as aero as possible. Not bad for a lifetime upright bar BMXer that's had spine surgery.

My Cinelli Pista stem on my Mash is quill-like in its downward angle. Technically my bike is illegal under UCI regs with drops bars on it. The front wheel sits higher than the bottom of my bars. No one at the velodrome has noticed yet and I'm sure that would change if I entered a race with this bike. For me, with bullhorns, risers or drops, the angle works. I also have a regular Cinelli stem that is far more relaxed. It sits in a box.

Fit is also what you make of it. Fit is a recommendation and there is always a preference for variability as I am sure you know Carleton. Just saying for everyone else reading this that variables in fit that YOU prefer can be introduced. I love being as aero as possible. Not bad for a lifetime upright bar BMXer that's had spine surgery.

That's awesome. My back hurts right now. 6 days a week for over a year is killing me. I'm going to enjoy my 1 month off the bike.

You taking the month off to heal the back?

This post is old but I thought it worth mentioning, quill stems have the added disadvantage of having a tendency to seize inside the fork tube. This tends to be more of a problem in wet or humid climates. If this happens then you need to use ammonia and a hammer to remove it, or alternatively, A saw and a new set of forks. A threadless system does not have these drawbacks and, as mentioned already, has the advantage of adjustabuility. You can independently change stem length, angle and height.