Bicycle Mechanics - So I've got my 1" threadless carbon fork, my new

OS ITM Millennium stem (w/ cuff for mounting to the 1" steerer tube) and my new OS WCS Ritchey handlebars, and I'm waiting on my new Cane Creek 1" threadless headset - what do I need next? I'm planning on bringing all of that down to the LBS to have them installed, but I don't want to forget anything. I know I'll need some new grip tape. Do I need some spacers?

I also plan to have them look over everything and tune the bike up, if necessary, as I bought the bike used and it is a little older than most. Got a new wheelset as well and will ask them to true and/or check spoke tension on those.

How much is all this going to cost me - ballpark?

Interesting.....I'm thinking of doing the same thing myself. I hope somebody answers this one? Where is sydney when you need him?

New bar tape would be cool. You'd need spacers to get the desired hieght. I'd make sure the LBS is OK with installing customer parts.

If you haven't cut the steerer, don't do so in a hurry. What often happens is people are in the shop and the mechanic says: "how high do you want your bars?" And the customer, without really being sure, and not wanting to be difficult, makes a rushed decision, and says: "er, um, yeah, that feels about right." So, the steerer gets cut, then they put on the 30mm of spacers (or whatever), then a month later, the customer realizes his bars are way too low, and his back is killing him/her.

So........if you're even the slightest bit unsure about handle bar height, just whack in 40mm (or even 50mm!)* to start with, and get the bike going. Don't hastily cut the steerer. The new A-head systems are so easy to change around, that it's rediculous, :) so, it's super easy to alter the amount of spacers, etc.

There's a lot of controversy concerning spacer height, especially on 1" steerers. In my opinion there's absolutely nothing wrong with 40mm on 1".

Many bike shops have a policy of not letting a bike leave out of the door with greater than the "approved" amount of spacers. I'm not sure how this applies to customer-supplied forks though. I personally play it safe and put not more than 25mm of spacers (I use 20mm) under the stem with a 1" carbon fork. If the shops have this policy and you want to wave the safety recommendations then just instruct them to cut the steerer to a specific length (which you will of course have to have measured up ahead of time) and do the assembly yourself. It's not hard. BTW, great choice on the ITM Millenium stem. I just got one (the carbon version) myself. Be aware that the stem has a 34mm stack height. Also get yourself a high-quality torque wrench pay close attention to the torque values.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/2001-aegis-aro_svelte/pict0008.jpg
http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/2001-aegis-aro_svelte/pict0001.jpg

Thats a purty bike there Khoun. Whats that fancy weaved looking stuff though? :D

Thats a purty bike there Khoun. Whats that fancy weaved looking stuff though? :D

Wicker. :D

Many bike shops have a policy of not letting a bike leave out of the door with greater than the "approved" amount of spacers. I'm not sure how this applies to customer-supplied forks though. I personally play it safe and put not more than 25mm of spacers (I use 20mm) under the stem with a 1" carbon fork. If the shops have this policy and you want to wave the safety recommendations then just instruct them to cut the steerer to a specific length (which you will of course have to have measured up ahead of time) and do the assembly yourself. It's not hard. BTW, great choice on the ITM Millenium stem. I just got one (the carbon version) myself. Be aware that the stem has a 34mm stack height. Also get yourself a high-quality torque wrench pay close attention to the torque values.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/2001-aegis-aro_svelte/pict0008.jpg
http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/2001-aegis-aro_svelte/pict0001.jpg

Man is that a beautiful setup. Thanks for the advice.

You may want to also put a spacer above the stem to start off. This way you can start with the bar lower and move it up if you need to. Don't cut to length hastily.
Most Stems will allow you to flip them over for a little more rise. The ones that do usually have upside down repeated graphics.

You may want to also put a spacer above the stem to start off. This way you can start with the bar lower and move it up if you need to. Don't cut to length hastily.

I think although I'm not sure that spacers above the stem also count in the "spacer safety rule" but I'm not certain. However, I believe that they are considered a seperate stack. That is to say that with a 1" carbon steerer, you're allowed a maximum of 25mm above and 25mm below the stem. Perhaps someone could comment. Also be careful with top-spacing. The top-cap must seat exactly even and provide uniform load on the spacers. This may be a little tricky to get down. Some spacers are wider than others which is to say that they have a larger OD although you will of course need to make sure their ID is 1". Oh and in case no one has warned you yet. Do NOT use a star-fangled nut. You must use a compression plug instead.

Other things you will want to pay close attention to is burrs on the metal bits such as the shim (to convert the stem steerer clamp from 1-1/8" to 1") of the stem. Hit the the inner edges with a file. Don't forget about the slot itself. I know it's tight to get in there and if you don't have a round file, sacrifice an emery board. Also, make sure the shim's slot is facing opposite the stem's clamp slot. That is to say that the slot of the shim should be towards the front part of the stem. If your spacers are metal, make sure to deburr them as well and it's always a good idea to take a file to the the clamp assembly for the handlebars too even if you're not using carbon bars. And last but not least, make sure there are no sharp jagged edges on the expanding sections of the compression plug.



Most Stems will allow you to flip them over for a little more rise. The ones that do usually have upside down repeated graphics.

Although technically, ITM doesn't want you to flip-flop their stems, I did it with my old ITM BigOne when I first started riding roadbikes and it worked out fine. The only issue is aesthetics and so if you can get around riding with a "W_|_I" stem then it'll be fine. I did flip the front faceplate around but it wasn't really visible because it was hidden by my computer anyways. :)

Remember that when you go to tighten down the clamps, snug them up alternatively and check with a torque wrench. Also, be sure to recheck the torques and the pre-load after your first long ride.

has anyone ever done damage to there steerer by having to higher stack height, or is it a flex issue ?

has anyone ever done damage to there steerer by having to higher stack height, or is it a flex issue ?

Jeez, ****, you're ruffling some feathers :p