Originally Posted by
JohnDThompson
But if you can fine-tune the height, what advantage does having a wide choice of stem angles offer?
And the difficulty in swapping stems is not inherent in the quill design. One could use a quill stem with a removable faceplate. It's just that most (but not all) quill stems do not have removable faceplates.
You mention the quill design isnt inherently difficult for stem swapping because a stem with a removable faceplate would allow for stem swapping, but then say that such a design wasnt used. That kinda makes it the very thing you say it isnt.
I have seen a quill stem with removable faceplate, but it was an ugly riser thats new by Sunlite. I used it for a hybrid refurbishment. I havent seen, in person, nice looking quills with a removable faceplate and that'd be neat if they existed.
As for the height adjustment negating the need for different stem angles...well yes that is true, but I would prefer a lower stem with a 0deg rise rather than a tall stem with a -17deg rise. Its why I finally swapped a bike of mine over to a Nitto dynamicII. My stems will never be low and sleek looking, but if I can keep them from being geeky tall, thats a win.