PhotoJoe 

My daughter is now riding my wife's old RockHopper, but she's stretched out a bit too much. Is this a common stem approach with the front cable pull going through the stem? What's the best way to get a shorter stem for her? Any insights are appreciated.

melloveloyellow

I have a vintage Ritchey, and encountered this issue. It's hard to find stems with a brake cable pass-thru anymore. You can find stems w/o one, so you have to get creative. You can get a headset brake cable hanger, like this:


...or the fork brake bosses may be compatible with a front V-brake which eliminates the cable routing issue. The V-brake uses a different brake lever, so you'd need some dual-purpose levers such as Tecktro offers.

The hanger is the simpler fix if your headset has enough stack height to accommodate it.

bikeme

That hanger mentioned is what's found on many older bikes. As for stems, try Dimension brand. They're cheap and come in many lengths and rises plus they offer the old school mtb bar size (25.4) https://www.bikeman.com/bicycle-repai...ebar-diameters They come in black or sliver, too.

PhotoJoe 

Thank you for the insights. I appreciate it!