Originally Posted by
Wilfred Laurier
That was likely a 21.1 stem (JIS 1"?) and a 22.2 steerer tube (ISO 1"?) - a total of 1.1mm diameter difference, so a 0.55mm shim is needed. For 1" to 1-1/8" the difference is 25.4-22.2 = 3.2mm, or 1.6mm shim, which would be a goddamn thick can.
It was a much smaller stem. It came off a '74 Free Spirit, whose seatpost size was 20mm IIRC. The point I was trying to make is that there are options, outside the box, which can function just fine.