Quill stem question
 

I need a longer stem, I am interested in one from nashbar that is for 1 inch threaded forks. How do I know if I have a 1" threaded fork? It is also for a 26.0 bar clamp. Is that the measurement of the diameter of my bars where they attach to the stem? Here is a pic of the stem area of my bike
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/8274/stem1ca4.th.jpg The bike is an early to mid 90's Miyata 714.

Yes, that's a 1" threaded fork. You can tell because the stem goes into the fork, whereas with a modern Aheadset-type threadless design, the stem clamps onto the outside of the fork.

You *almost certainly* have 26.0 mm handlebars. The only other reasonable possibility is 25.4 mm bars, which were used on old American road bikes and 1980s Japanese bikes for the American market. If you want to be sure, get a pair of calipers, but I'd bet 20 to 1 that you have 26 mm bars.

In any case, that Nashbar stem should work. If it turns out that you have 25.4 mm bars, you can use a thin piece of aluminum can as a shim...

What reach are you looking for? PM me....I have several to choose from....if I have what you want, you can have it....

mark

I just measured my bar, on my caliper it measures 25.5 mm, my caliper is sort of old and generic, so I'd assume that is 26mm?

I guess now is the question, how do I change it?

Yes, it sounds like 26 mm... I forgot to mention that the part of the bar where the stem clamps down is SLIGHTLY thicker than the rest of the bar, that probably explains the discrepancy.

First, you have to remove the handlebar from the stem, this part is a bit annoying because you don't have a "pop top" stem (the newer design):
http://sheldonbrown.com/images/pop-top-stem.jpg
Pop top stems come apart so that it's easy to remove the handlebar.

Since you don't have a pop-top stem, what you must do is unwrap the tape from one side of the bar (do the left side) and remove the brake lever from that side of the bar. Then you use an allen wrench to loosen the stem clamp, and guide the bare side of the bar out of the stem.

After that, you use an allen wrench to unscrew the bolt on top of the stem (the one that's in line with the fork). After you've loosened it a few turns, you can simply pull the stem out. (If it's stuck, give it a soft whack with a mallet then try to remove it.)

Now you have to put the new stem in. Presumably, it's of the newer kind that has a wedge bolt:
http://sheldonbrown.com/images/stems333-220.gif

Slather the bottom 2 inches of the new stem with grease (this will make removal easier later), and stick the stem into the steer tube of the fork. Make sure you stick it past the "minimum insertion" mark on the stem... other than that you can put it to whatever height you desire. Align the new stem, and tighten up the bolt on top so that the stem doesn't slip or turn from side to side.

Now put the handlebar back into the stem, and tighten up the clamp bolt. Replace the brake lever, rewrap the bars, clean up any grease, and tighten everything up. Incidentally, as long as you're doing all this, it's probably a good time to check and/or replace your brake cables, and maybe to adjust your headset if you're feeling bold.

(photos are from Sheldon Brown's awesome web site: http://sheldonbrown.com)

You should credit Sheldon!

Good point! The photos in my above post are from Sheldon Brown's awesome web site: http://sheldonbrown.com

Great info! Thank you all very much, looks like a job that I can handle!