Originally Posted by
JohnDThompson
Not even that with an old-school threaded headset and a quill-type stem. Only those new-fangled threadless headsets and stems rely on the steer tube to set handlebar height. If you need to get the bars lower than your current stem allows, use a quill track stem rather than a road stem.
I forgot about track stems (and I think I even have one). I've got two custom stems that are -22 and -27. Since I push the length so far, I'm not sure stock track stems would do it for me, even accounting for the 2:1 ratio stem length to washer height that works so well for me. (I figured out years ago that moving handlebars along that ratio doesn't change my shoulder location and back lean at all. Just takes me from hands out there and aero to hands low, back and powerful for aggressive sprinting and climbing short walls. I prefer the hands pretty well out there though its fun having most of my bikes varying.
Back before I started riding very long custom stems, mine all had dents in the throat. At one point I didn't own a stem that didn't. (Being a long, skinny climber, I really wasn't worried that my massive (huh!) strength was going to tear those 1As and TTTs apart and they didn't leave me and go to others.)