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26mm quill stem clamp not holding a 26mm bar

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26mm quill stem clamp not holding a 26mm bar

Old 11-11-20, 01:40 PM
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26mm quill stem clamp not holding a 26mm bar

I had to replace the original quill stem on my 1999 bike which has a 1" headset but kept the handlebars. I found a beautiful vintage 26mm Cinelli 1A stem on Ebay that I purchased. The original handlebars are ITM Super Italia Pro-260 which are 26mm in diameter where the stem clamps. The problem is that there is play in the handlebars even when I get the clamp as tight as I dare to go. One of the suggestions I saw was to cut a shim out of a beer can and place it between the clamp and handlebar. That still doesn't provide enough bite for the clamp. Am I missing something or does anyone have any suggestions?
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Old 11-11-20, 01:49 PM
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Have you checked the bar width with a set of precision calipers?

Obviously, one of the two items are not 26.0, but it is hard to measure the stem as easily.
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Old 11-11-20, 02:11 PM
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Cinelli used a 26.4mm standard for quite a while back in the vintage days. The 1a was produced in both 26 & 26.4. Don't recall when they changed. Do a search.

Unfortunately, sellers on Ebay often just say 26 when it could be the old standard.
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Old 11-11-20, 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by KCT1986
Cinelli used a 26.4mm standard for quite a while back in the vintage days. The 1a was produced in both 26 & 26.4. Don't recall when they changed. Do a search.

Unfortunately, sellers on Ebay often just say 26 when it could be the old standard.

Thanks for the info, I bet that's it.
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Old 11-11-20, 02:38 PM
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Have you tried a handle bar shim in place of the "beer can" shim, it looks a lot better that a cut up beer can.
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Old 11-11-20, 02:39 PM
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...if it is that, you can still find 26.4 bars, but only used, I think. I don't know if anyone is still making them new.
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Old 11-11-20, 05:29 PM
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If you need to sleeve a 26.0 bar to a 26.4mm stem, you will need a 0.2mm shim which is approximately 0.008"; IIRC a beer/soda can is about 0.003" to 0.005" on the sides. Many hardware and big box stores have a K&S Metals display which likely has the correct shim stock. If not, a local machine shop (you only need a small piece) or McMaster-Carr should be able to help.
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Old 11-11-20, 09:47 PM
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Originally Posted by 3alarmer
.
...if it is that, you can still find 26.4 bars, but only used, I think. I don't know if anyone is still making them new.
I have yet to see any new 26.4 bars out there I would doubt anyone would make them unless custom. It never caught on as a standard and didn't stick around for a long enough time to really grab people. Everyone wants to try to change the standards and make something better and sometimes it works and a lot of times it makes it worse or fades away.

I do like Cinelli as a company and like many of their components and frames and such. My new 1A is fantastic and looks great. I just need to figure out if I am dumb and want to get it pantographed with the Phil logo for my Phil Wood bike or if I should leave well enough alone it looks great and save that money for something else.
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Old 11-12-20, 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by JoeTBM
Have you tried a handle bar shim in place of the "beer can" shim, it looks a lot better that a cut up beer can.
Nitto, Problem Solvers, and probably others offer actual handlebar shims. Machine shops could probably cut a piece of appropriate shim stock to do the same thing.
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Old 11-12-20, 08:07 AM
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Originally Posted by veganbikes
I have yet to see any new 26.4 bars out there I would doubt anyone would make them unless custom. It never caught on as a standard and didn't stick around for a long enough time to really grab people. Everyone wants to try to change the standards and make something better and sometimes it works and a lot of times it makes it worse or fades away.

I do like Cinelli as a company and like many of their components and frames and such. My new 1A is fantastic and looks great. I just need to figure out if I am dumb and want to get it pantographed with the Phil logo for my Phil Wood bike or if I should leave well enough alone it looks great and save that money for something else.
The great thing about standards is that there are so many of them.
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Old 11-12-20, 08:10 AM
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Thanks for the replies; I think I'll try a proper shim. The ones I've seen so far are for 25.4mm -> 26mm but I bet those will probably work.
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Old 11-13-20, 02:35 AM
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Originally Posted by MidTNBrad
Thanks for the replies; I think I'll try a proper shim. The ones I've seen so far are for 25.4mm -> 26mm but I bet those will probably work.
They come as a set of 2 pieces, you might be able to just use one for your issue.
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Old 11-14-20, 06:27 PM
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...and once you match the handlebars with the stem, a little smear of toothpaste on the mating surfaces will help hold the bar position
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Old 11-14-20, 07:02 PM
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Originally Posted by reconnaissance
...and once you match the handlebars with the stem, a little smear of toothpaste on the mating surfaces will help hold the bar position
How about some carbon fiber paste?
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Old 11-14-20, 07:04 PM
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Originally Posted by MidTNBrad
How about some carbon fiber paste?
never tried it. Is it gritty?
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Old 11-14-20, 09:08 PM
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Yeah, moreso than toothpaste. Just not sure if a dry interface would be better or not.
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Old 11-24-20, 10:13 PM
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Just closing the loop on this one. I tried cutting out a piece of aluminum from a piece of downspout I had around the garage. It fit tightly between the handlebar and stem but it must have been too smooth because I could, with a little effort, rotate the handlebars in the clamp. I ended up ordering a 24.4mm -> 26mm shim from Velo Orange and I put it in today. Works like a champ. The surface of the shim is micro textured so it provides some grip in the clamp. After installing the shifters, running the cables, and wrapping the bars I should be good to go.
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Old 11-25-20, 03:12 AM
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I have a problem with handlebars rotating, but rather than those lovely aluminium clamps I have those (un)lovely pressed steel clamps where the nut and bolt are never going to seat on flat let alone parallel surfaces. I seek a replacement, I have even considered using a quill stem with my quill-less stem clamp if I could find one of the right size.
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