Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

What exactly is a "randonneuring stem" ?

Search
Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

What exactly is a "randonneuring stem" ?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 05-17-16, 02:20 PM
  #1  
Disco Infiltrator
Thread Starter
 
Darth Lefty's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Folsom CA
Posts: 13,446

Bikes: Stormchaser, Paramount, Tilt, Samba tandem

Mentioned: 72 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3126 Post(s)
Liked 2,102 Times in 1,366 Posts
What exactly is a "randonneuring stem" ?

I understand the handlebars, I have some, I like them, I can tell the difference. But is there a difference in the stems? Something about height, or reach, or how the pinch bolt is oriented, or Frenchness, or something else?
__________________
Genesis 49:16-17
Darth Lefty is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 02:27 PM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
jetboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Oakland, CA
Posts: 2,885

Bikes: centurion cinelli equipe, look hinault 753, Zunow z-1, 83 stumpy sport

Mentioned: 66 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 814 Post(s)
Liked 331 Times in 186 Posts
the difference is $30
jetboy is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 02:29 PM
  #3  
Partially Sane.
 
stardognine's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Sunny Sacramento.
Posts: 3,559

Bikes: Soma Saga, pre-disc

Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 972 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 643 Times in 468 Posts
It's probably the Frenchness, lol.
stardognine is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 02:35 PM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
clasher's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Kitchener, ON
Posts: 2,737
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 229 Post(s)
Liked 147 Times in 102 Posts
Any stem one uses to ride a brevet? I've never heard of the term myself... got a pic?
clasher is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 02:50 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 6,280

Bikes: 78 Masi Criterium, 68 PX10, 2016 Mercian King of Mercia, Rivendell Clem Smith Jr

Mentioned: 120 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2317 Post(s)
Liked 597 Times in 430 Posts
I think the difference is more like $100.

I am pretty sure it's any stem that looks good next to a Berthoud bag.
Salamandrine is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 03:39 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,271
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 228 Post(s)
Liked 167 Times in 110 Posts
Where did you hear of this fabled beast? I must investigate.

SP
OC, OR
rando_couche is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 03:39 PM
  #7  
Senior Member
 
3speedslow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Jacksonville, NC
Posts: 9,337

Bikes: A few

Mentioned: 117 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1942 Post(s)
Liked 1,068 Times in 636 Posts
It would be the tall one.
3speedslow is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 03:46 PM
  #8  
Disco Infiltrator
Thread Starter
 
Darth Lefty's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Folsom CA
Posts: 13,446

Bikes: Stormchaser, Paramount, Tilt, Samba tandem

Mentioned: 72 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3126 Post(s)
Liked 2,102 Times in 1,366 Posts
Maybe I have started a foolish thread, because now that I really dig, I can only find it in the context of i.e. "GB Randonneur bars and stem," or "SR rando bars and stem," which I could have misconstrued.
__________________
Genesis 49:16-17
Darth Lefty is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 03:52 PM
  #9  
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,627

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3870 Post(s)
Liked 2,563 Times in 1,577 Posts
I know that some randonneuring buddies have wished for arms that magically got longer toward the end of a ride. A stem that magically got taller would be pretty sweet.
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 03:55 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
steelbikeguy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Peoria, IL
Posts: 4,468
Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1827 Post(s)
Liked 3,367 Times in 1,573 Posts
Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
Maybe I have started a foolish thread, because now that I really dig, I can only find it in the context of i.e. "GB Randonneur bars and stem," or "SR rando bars and stem," which I could have misconstrued.
Randonneur bars are not uncommon, and usually have the outer part of the top of the bars raised a bit above the center. Haven't heard of rando stems, though, although there are some designed to incorporate the little doohickeys that support the front bag.

Steve in Peoria
(I believe "doohickey" is an old French term )
steelbikeguy is online now  
Old 05-17-16, 04:13 PM
  #11  
2k miles from the midwest
 
Dylansbob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Washington
Posts: 1,964

Bikes: ~'75 Colin Laing, '80s Schwinn SuperSport 650b, ex-Backroads ti project...

Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 525 Post(s)
Liked 931 Times in 446 Posts
Can't forget about the threaded boss for a bell too.
Dylansbob is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 04:16 PM
  #12  
aka Tom Reingold
 
noglider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,498

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7345 Post(s)
Liked 2,452 Times in 1,430 Posts
randonneur stems exist.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.

Last edited by noglider; 05-18-16 at 12:08 PM.
noglider is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 04:39 PM
  #13  
Senior Member
 
noobinsf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Oakland, CA
Posts: 3,265

Bikes: '82 Univega Competizione, '72 Motobecane Grand Record, '83 Mercian KOM Touring, '85 Univega Alpina Uno, '76 Eisentraut Limited

Mentioned: 57 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1088 Post(s)
Liked 1,205 Times in 701 Posts
As far as I can tell, this just seems to refer to the name of that slotted stem, not necessarily denoting a specific function or category in the way "randonneur" applies to bars. But I could be wrong.
noobinsf is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 04:53 PM
  #14  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 20,305
Mentioned: 130 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3464 Post(s)
Liked 2,827 Times in 1,995 Posts
Are not those the stems with the integral bell mount?
repechage is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 05:10 PM
  #15  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 6,280

Bikes: 78 Masi Criterium, 68 PX10, 2016 Mercian King of Mercia, Rivendell Clem Smith Jr

Mentioned: 120 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2317 Post(s)
Liked 597 Times in 430 Posts
Sorry OP, apparently we are a snarky bunch. There is no such thing as a randonneur stem. There is such thing as a randonneur bar, which is just a regular drop bar where the top is bent up a bit into a very shallow V shape.

Although I had rando bars on my Motobecane when I was 13, and I knew what they were because it said so in the brochure, I didn't actually know what a randonneur was until a couple years ago.
Salamandrine is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 05:14 PM
  #16  
Extraordinary Magnitude
 
The Golden Boy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waukesha WI
Posts: 13,642

Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT

Mentioned: 84 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2607 Post(s)
Liked 1,694 Times in 933 Posts
Aren't they spelled "randnnner" or "raundeneouereer" or something like that?
__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*

Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!

"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
The Golden Boy is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 05:45 PM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
trailangel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Pasadena, CA
Posts: 4,848

Bikes: Schwinn Varsity

Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1931 Post(s)
Liked 742 Times in 422 Posts
I think this is it:
https://www.compasscycle.com/shop/co...readless-stem/
trailangel is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 05:46 PM
  #18  
RUSA #3100
 
Oldairhead's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Oregon City
Posts: 836

Bikes: Yes

Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 237 Post(s)
Liked 505 Times in 181 Posts
Over 10 years as a randonneur and I have not heard that term before. You can "set up" a bike as a randonneur, which for many would include a slightly higher rise on the stem. One reason being is that after 500 kilometers your arms are too short. The part of your body that can benefit the most from this is your neck. None of it makes any sense, especially the part about riding 600 km (375 mi) in under 40 hours, for fun!

Oldairhead
RUSA #3100
__________________
https://utahrandonneur.wordpress.com
Oldairhead is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 06:00 PM
  #19  
Senior Member
 
noobinsf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Oakland, CA
Posts: 3,265

Bikes: '82 Univega Competizione, '72 Motobecane Grand Record, '83 Mercian KOM Touring, '85 Univega Alpina Uno, '76 Eisentraut Limited

Mentioned: 57 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1088 Post(s)
Liked 1,205 Times in 701 Posts
Originally Posted by trailangel
It appears to be this one, I think -- but again, just a chosen name for a specific stem, not a functional designation:

Attached Images
File Type: jpg
rando stem.jpg (1.7 KB, 173 views)
noobinsf is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 06:12 PM
  #20  
Partially Sane.
 
stardognine's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Sunny Sacramento.
Posts: 3,559

Bikes: Soma Saga, pre-disc

Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 972 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 643 Times in 468 Posts
Originally Posted by noglider
But now, this question will come up every few years, and searches will lead to this thread. If we try hard enough, we can spread rumors that randonneur stems exist.
Of course they exist. I was just reading about them on the internet.
stardognine is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 06:15 PM
  #21  
Disco Infiltrator
Thread Starter
 
Darth Lefty's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Folsom CA
Posts: 13,446

Bikes: Stormchaser, Paramount, Tilt, Samba tandem

Mentioned: 72 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3126 Post(s)
Liked 2,102 Times in 1,366 Posts
Originally Posted by steelbikeguy
(I believe "doohickey" is an old French term )
The French word is "widget," the t is silent

Originally Posted by noglider
But now, this question will come up every few years, and searches will lead to this thread. If we try hard enough, we can spread rumors that randonneur stems exist.
Originally Posted by stardognine
Of course they exist. I was just reading about them on the internet.
You guys are evil
__________________
Genesis 49:16-17
Darth Lefty is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 06:17 PM
  #22  
Banned.
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: on the beach
Posts: 4,816

Bikes: '73 falcon sr, '76 grand record, '84 davidson

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 59 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 22 Times in 17 Posts
here's a useful link i found:

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Randonneuring Stems for Bicycles
eschlwc is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 06:30 PM
  #23  
Partially Sane.
 
stardognine's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Sunny Sacramento.
Posts: 3,559

Bikes: Soma Saga, pre-disc

Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 972 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 643 Times in 468 Posts
Don't open that door! It's a trap!
stardognine is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 06:49 PM
  #24  
No longer active
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 1,001
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 89 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 6 Posts
A stem that goes a-riding?

Enduring randonneuring through weathers not abiding?
DIMcyclist is offline  
Old 05-17-16, 07:56 PM
  #25  
bicyclatte!
 
echo victor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 501
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 45 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by trailangel
I was about to link to the quill version until I saw you'd posted this.

Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
The French word is "widget," the t is silent
...
__________________
If someone can pour a Guinness with a cycle instead of a shamrock on top, I'll update my profile pic.
echo victor is offline  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.