I am utterly grateful too, and I apologize if I sounded defensive or combative. I was asking for one thing (options on mating a threadless stem to a threaded fork), but several people offered something else, (That looks wrong. Don't do it.) And I didn't insult anyone who didn't insult me first. (No Schwinn for you... Get a clue.)

Thanks again JohnD--you are the man! I'll get a threadless/modern bar & stem first, and then later try a Technomic or a 1/A later to see if it feels good. I concede that my stiffness paranoia might be because of my experience with that 1/R--that thing felt like angelhair pasta that got left in the water overnight.

Paz y amor, hermanos cosmicos!
(Peace & love, cosmic brothers.)