Are 25.4 and 26.0 going extinct?
 

Has anyone else noticed the overwhelming change from 25.4 / 26/0 to 31.8? I am trying to purchase a new thomson stem, 26.0, and have just learned the X4 only comes in 31.8 now. Am I high? Whats the dealio?

CARBON FIBRE MI AMIGO. idk, roadie population > fgss population, therefore companies will produce what the majority wants.

Oh propriety!

31.8mm is more flexible.

What bar sizes do MTB bars come in? A: 25.4mm and 31.8mm
What bar sizes do Road bars come in? A: 25.4mm (rare), 26mm and 31.8mm
What bar sizes can you safely do lightweight carbon in? 31.8mm
What is obsolete and garbage? quill stems
What size do quill stems come in? 25.4mm, 26mm, 26.4mm

that said, 25.4mm is here to stay, since that's a common MTB size.

so I just bought pursuit bars in 26.0, should i shim or buy a new stem? Is there any shame in shimming?

No shame as long as you use a Pabst can for the shim

Is it bad to put a 25.4 in a 26?

Shim the 25.4 with a PBR can as stated above.

I did it but my alleged 25.4 bars measure closer to 25.8 with a digital caliper.

Nitto 48cm bars are 26mm at the stem. Therefore, 26mm is not permitted to die. Ever. We must all ensure this by purchasing Nitto 48cm bars in great quantities on a regular basis thus ensuring the production of stems with 26mm clamps.

Im talking about shimming 31.8 to 26.0. You know, like when you use the shim as thick as handcuffs...

as long as there are NJS bikes, there will be 25.4. true story.

25.4 being rare?

The used bin at the LBS's near me are just stocked with them.... not to mention it "was" the standard...

And in my opinion quill stems look nice in their own way. Well the high end or vintage japanese ones anyway....

Well, that's a bit of an exageration, but this is what it looks like shimming my 25.4mm Nitto bars in a 31.8mm Deda stem. Absolutely no slippage under track racing conditions. I don't think it looks bad, but it's all in the eye of the beholder.

As long as you're using a real shim; doing that yourself would take one hell of a lot of PBR.

yea I have a proper shim, I am just hesitant because I hear from some that its a bad idea or that it can cause slippage. Ive had no issues with them before though...

The can will work fine. Just be sure to pour the weed killer inside down the drain and rinse out the can several times before using it.

On any high-end vintage bike, in my opinion.

I would buy a 31.8mm quill. Why don't they make those?

quill stems for 1" forks are flimsy.

1" quill has 22.2mm OD
compare this to 1" threadless with 25.4mm OD
or 1-1/8" threadless with 28.6mm OD

Sure, you can get 1-1/8" threaded forks with 25.4mm OD quill stems, or even a the rare 1-1/4" threaded fork with 28.6mm OD quill stem, but they're mainly found on older MTBs.

Now why pair an obsolete 22.2mm interface with a modern 31.8mm? It's not going to be light, stiff or cheap, when you can just buy an adaptor.