Originally Posted by
icemilkcoffee
There are a few quill stems with 31.8 clamp size. Like the Nitto UI.
The headset and quill stems are elegant looking components on any classic bikes. Whereas a 1 1/8" stem is just huge and clumsy looking. Also- why do bikes even need 1 1/8" steerer tubes? There are a fair number of motorcycles that don't even have steering stems that big.
Your aesthetic preferences aside, the fact remains that there is currently a vastly wider selection of 31.8 handlebars. Threadless stems are also widely available and most are much cheaper than the Nitto UI, which is particularly helpful for dialing in fit.