Originally Posted by
ElliotSF
I have new 25.4 North Road bars and an old 26.0 Nitto stem. So when I bought the bars, I bought a Nitto shim, too. But the other day when I went to put on the shim, it wouldn't slide on. There isn't enough extra space to slide the shim into place! So I installed the bars without the shim and tightened the stem nut. The new bars seem secure and, at a quick glance, there's still a few threads of travel left on the stem-tightening bolt. Just wanted to check with you-all. Am I missing something? Is it odd or dangerous to have a 26.0 stem accept and hold a 25.4 bars without a shim required? Many thanks.
Yes, it is potentially dangerous to do this with a quill stem, because you are deforming the stem and aluminum is not very ductile, so it could develop cracks that could expand suddenly. This could result in a sudden failure that would cause the bar to separate from the stem and your teeth to separate from your face. This might happen tomorrow, or ten years from now or never. How lucky do you feel?
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