As I've aged the drop and reach has gotten to be a problem for me. A year or so I purchased a threadless headset adapter so I could get more rise and shorten the reach. Last week I purchased the chrome Velo Orange +17 degree stem and silver bars in 46. I think I'll probably drop the stem a little after I've ridden it but I think it looks much better then it did with the threadless set-up. I love the original look but that ship has sailed. I also got a new cog set with the 29 tooth large cog, this should help on the hills. :-)

New current set-up:




First Attempt:


The original set-up:

You gotta do what you gotta do to stay on the road. None of us are getting any younger. At 59 years old the only way I could beat somebody with a straight block is if I put it in a tube sock and used it as a club

Edited to add:

I started using the Specailized Hover Expert (alloy) handlebars that have a 15mm rise to them; Drop is 123mm and Reach is 75mm. That puts me 1.5cm ahead of the game in terms of flexibility issues. The drops are comfortable to my hands and the tops are flat as opposed to round. Both of my road bikes have them as will any more I build or buy. Yeah they're black, but once you get the tape on it isn't that bad.

Nice looking Merckx. Much better with the quill stem. If you wanted to go even more traditional, You could get a Nitto Technomic stem, which has the traditional shape but is extra tall, perfect for old geezers like me and you.

Looks just fine to me, none of these bikes do us any good if we ride them less, make it fit better and ride it more.

The main problem seems to be the length of your legs. A taller frame would give you a more comfortable fit to begin with.

Nice bike, BTW.

I like the quill stem but I do not like the threadless or the new stem. I prefer more of a smoother aluminum stem with a rise like I have on my Centurion Pro-tours
This is a bit too high

IMG_20180514_165851694 by Bwilli88, on Flickr

this works well

s-l1600 (4) by Bwilli88, on Flickr

on this

IMG_20161122_124629931 by Bwilli88, on Flickr

I do not like welded stems very much.

I agree there's nothing more elegant than a quill stem set up (I'm partial to Cinelli) but a quill adapter provides more options in terms of fit. It'll go up or down just like a quill stem and you can flip a threadless stem to a positive or negative rise/drop. As cheap as threadless stems are, you can have several of varying lengths and angles for times of inflexibility flare ups and you can make those changes without having to unwrap/re-wrap the bars because of the face plate.

We have a member here who makes a pretty cool set up for threaded forks to use a threadless stem. I'm probably going to give his product a try.

This frame is 63cm center to top of seat tube. My problem is very long legs with sort torso. I'm only 6'2" but have a 97cm inseam. you typical 64 has just a too long too tube. I'm was pretty stretched out with the original Cinelli stem and bar set-up.

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I like this set-up what stem is this? You could give it a polish, I'm guessing it takes 26bmw bar.

It is a Sakae Riser stem, takes 25.4 bars and works very well. The humidity here in Cambodia precludes any good polish.

I know. But they are out there. My favorite bikes all measure 62-64 cm CT and have 55-57 cm top tubes. This is the most extreme, at 64 x 55.

Beautiful. I am raising my stems every year it seems. Love your bike and id say the seat height is fine.

To retain the classic quill look but want the height, suggest the Nitto Technomic. Commonly found and reasonable price. Offered in various heights to super tall.

I recently built a 1984 Trek 760 with the intention of using for a loaner visiting family and some nephews of varying height.

The last time, one if them complained to where we ended up swapping the entire bar, levers, seat post to another bike. More hassle and time than I wanted.

So now I have the 760 set up with an average but extended height Nitto Technomic stem and a matching but extra long Kalloy seat post ($13 all day 'long' pricing). The excess seat post buries into the seat tube and the stem lowers and hides enough for traditional look and fit. The only caveat when preparing for this quick adjustability is having sufficient brake cable for when fully raised.

(Loving this setup, matter of fact the entire bike complete with down tube index shifting. The kids can fly in style and experience a bit of old school.)

If it works, then that is the important thing.

As mentioned, your seat is pretty high, but you said you have a short reach. There are shorter stems that could be used with a larger frame. Perhaps a 65cm frame, and a 60mm stem.

Nonetheless, if that frame works, then great!!!

Welcome to the club!!

Plenty high.

I, too, been dealing with the frustrations of an aging, ever less flexible back over the last few years. But in no way, shape, or form would I ever consider putting a threadless stem on an adaptor on my bikes. Most standard quills provide enough height adjustability for me, and there is plenty of variety in the dimensions that are available out there. What works well for me is keeping a few different pre-set bar/stem/lever set-ups on hand - its quicker and easier to swap than a threadless stem...plus quill stems just look better.

However, as part of hunting for ways to be able to stay on my roadies for more than just neighborhood jaunts, I've had a couple of so-called "professional fittings" and combining their suggestions with my own real-world riding experiences over lots of miles has led me in a different direction than the taller and/or more steeply upward angled stems that seem to be the preferred method here. Going to lesser, then zero-setback seatposts, shorter/shallower reach bars, and increasingly incrementally shorter stems has been the ticket that enables me to ride comfortably over long, or short, distance while still allowing me to spend a good deal of time in the drops.

As always, YMMV...

Except for one slight problem...they're hideous beyond belief.

I was able to get out for a ride to work out the fit for the final set-up. I'm please with the fit and I think it looks better now too.

I can't bring myself to change this one, it will be fine for shorter rides. :-) Nostalgia

I didn't know there was a flared option until you pointed me to it. The closest I've come to flared bars is on an old Schwinn Le Tour and I think they were really randonneur bars. What is the flare good for and does it make using ergo power brifters weird? I keep a spare set of Hover Expert bars and a Power Expert saddle in reserve waiting for my next bike

Merckx looks good.

I'd like to point out (to most everyone), because I'm seeing it in every one of these posts, that short reach bars are also your friend in the bringing-the-hoods-closer game. Those are some properly vintage long reach bars I'm seeing and they are doing you no favors, to say nothing of, honestly, having a nice, comfortable bar-to-hood transition that your palms would like. Having the lowest valley of your palms (the part right by your wrists) "upended" by a classic drop bar coming in at an angle (relative to your hoods) effectively lengthens your reach. As a few of us have shown, Soma Highway One's look great on a C&V steed and you gain reach/comfort and hand comfort all in one go. [MENTION=173992]non-fixie[/MENTION] has the trifecta of solutions going on--short(er) top tube, shorter stem (per proportion relative to height), and brake levers run way up on angled up/back bars. Hanging brake levers far forward on classic drop bars makes for poor comfort.