Originally Posted by
idiq
What do you mean by stem top? The top cap? Do you mean the stem face plate? If so, you still can, just loosen it more. I think your best bet would be to get a 31.8mm bar, and since the bar diameter tapers in, any sweep would be negated and you could do minimal loosening of the bolts but still remove. Are you not planning on using any grips? Even 26.0 quill stems without removable face plates managed to allow twisty road bars with sharp curves out.
Yeah the face plate.
Good point, about the drop bars on quill stems, but it still just seems like it would be more elegant to have something that can slide straight in/out with minimal fiddling, plus there's the scratching issue mentioned by twitcho. As far as upgrading to a 31.8mm stem goes, most (all) of the light weight ones I see have 4-bolt face plates, which I suspect will require two bolts loosened instead of just one.
But I guess I don't have a choice if I can't get a flat carbon bar.
Originally Posted by
elTwitcho
Might make more sense to get an open face stem than try and find a 0 degree sweep bar. You don't want to run the risk of scratching up a carbon bar sliding it in and out of a stem clamp anyway
I intend to run an open face stem and I hope to rig up a QR bolt to it so I can slide the handlebar out as easily as the seatpost. I'm just not sure it will work without a unswept bar.