Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 13,501
Likes: 995
From: Boston-ish, MA
Bikes: 72 Peugeot UO-8, 82 Peugeot TH8, 87 Bianchi Brava, 76? Masi Grand Criterium, 74 Motobecane Champion Team, 86 & 77 Gazelle champion mondial, 81? Grandis, 82? Tommasini, 83 Peugeot PF10
Are there burrs or imperfections inside the steerer tube? Can't really tell from those pics.
Does the stem have a burr or imperfections?
Is the stem one of those ultra-long ones like the Technomic?
A possible, perhaps most likely, explanation is that the steerer tube was deformed by someone over-tightening a stem.
Or are you trying to insert a 22.2 stem into a 22.0 fork and it sort of goes in partway?
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Real cyclists use toe clips.
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jimmuller