Originally Posted by
Scrodzilla
I can understand wanting to keep the aesthetic of a quill stem though, and not everyone is concerned with the ultimate stiffness of their setup. Believe it or not, some people are entitled to like what they like.
To say quill stems are "obsolete" is a little ridiculous. Yes, newer things have been developed. Are clips and straps "obsolete" since the introduction of clipless pedals? From a transportation standpoint, some could say bicycles are obsolete.
Quill stems are obsolete, as are clips and straps, as are sailboats. That doesn't mean you can't use obsolete technologies. Sail boats are fun and fundamentally different from motorized boats. The same could be said of fixed gears. A quill stem, on the other hand, just holds the bars to the stem...it really doesn't alter the nature of how the bike works or looks. To me it seems absurd to severely limit your choice for bikes just so you can have a quill stem. Thats my opinion...but you are all free to do what you want of course...just don't get insulted if someone disagrees and attempts to offer you perfectly reasonable advice. Just because you disagree with the advice, doesn't mean its not good advice.