custom titanium stems from China
 

Not sure if any classic and vintage bike rebuilders have considered this or not but I am intrigued at the idea of running a titanium stem on several of my 1990's/early 2000's era aluminum roadbike builds I'm working on. One of them the Klein Quantum has a 1" straight steerer and I have outfitted this with a really nifty ti aheadset type stem that accepts 31.8 bars. This part was less than $100 and really looks great with a matching ti seatpost.

The custom one I just ordered is for a Cannondale Six13 that I am working on. It will have Deda Trentacinque 35.0 bars so I need the titanium builder to do the custom option. They say they are willing to do it for me and the price is $135. If the quality of the finished product is anything like what I got in the 1" aheadset stem, I'm gonna be stoked.

No images of the one in hand?

Pics or it didn't happen. ;)

They are made from old Chengdu J-7 parts

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ca8557dc0.jpeg

Definitely! Pics when I get home from work - hopefully later tonight.

Don't knock it. There's one manufacturer on AliExpress from Taiwan offering these beauties. I have no doubt they can make one hell of a stem.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...52bf8bc523.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c66ec5ee39.jpg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c08a2ee5f9.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f85a3c1e28.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1ea61ccb34.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bea35422af.jpg

-Kurt

I’m pretty sure Waltly Ti bikes are made in China and people tend to be really happy with them. Right now, due to high demand , wait times for a custom frame are “3-4 months” .

https://www.waltlytitanium.com

I have never been on AliExpress because I thought it was cheap knockoff stuff. Now I’m intrigued and I suspect it could become quite a rabbit hole.

I have zero doubt there are Chinese craftspeople who can weld Ti with the best of them... but Chinese businesses tend to go with the cheapest thing they can get away with... labor, materials, quality control, and overhead... so you just have to be more diligent.

US and EU businesses tend to request the cheapest thing they can get away with from Chinese (or Taiwanese, or other manufacturers) in order to minimize cost with maximum profits. While some of these businesses may follow the lowest-common-denominator approach, the country has the equipment and the know-how to manufacture anywhere between "crap" to "gem" with every possible option in between.

As I say this, I can't help but think of the gorgeous Velo Orange Gran Cru stem. It's not crap. IIRC, it's either from China or Taiwan.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1c14fb723a.jpg


Granted, there's no guarantee that by cutting out the middleman you're getting a decent product, but only experience from other customers will bear out exactly what you are getting for $135.

-Kurt

Oh, it is, indeed. Prepare to be overwhelmed!

I found this VERY high-quality, anodized aluminum handlebar there. I couldn't find a pattern like this offered anywhere else from anyone, name brand or otherwise.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6c4555b3df.jpg

AliExpress is also where this 1X MTB Hollowtech II crankset came from. Couldn't find anything quite like it from stateside sellers.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6b146c3edf.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1e8a9061ce.jpg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4ced3fd0ff.jpg

-Kurt

I dabbled for a bit. Is it “Wish” 2.0? Looks the same…

BTW - would some of y’all quit lumping China and Taiwan in the same bucket? Please?

Seeing as I'm the only one who mentioned Taiwan: No, I'm not throwing it in the same bucket in regards to quality. But the Taiwanese parts that I showed on AliExpress (Chinese sales site) are, in some cases, sold through Chinese dealers. More importantly, the parts and frames I showed are TI parts from sources that offer custom TI bike parts, along the lines of what the OP was talking about.

Yet, the OP gave us next to no information, so this conversation is half guesswork. They could be ordering a Taiwanese-made, custom TI stem through a Chinese dealer, for all we know.

IMHO, the OP's post has so little to converse upon without a picture that this thread was destined to devolve into something completely ambiguous and not particularly grounded in the first place.

-Kurt

I'm not the OP, but I can offer this example, from J&L Titanium via eBay. Not quite the level of welding and finish that I'd look for from, say, Moots or Ibis, but it's darn fine.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ece474fdbf.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e02bf38931.jpg
Similar in design to the Velo-Orange "tall stack" stem. This one is made for a threadless 1" steerer tube and 31.8mm handlebars. Slated for an upcoming build this spring. Or summer...

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a81922165.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bd09b59f2.jpeg

mhespenheide - I think this is the same stem I have here. Hopefully the single bolt is sufficient to keep the headset bearings at the correct pre-tension level. The fact that these were made for 1” steerers is nice (I have a second one in reserve for a future project).

I will post photos of the custom one for the 35.0 bars when I get it. Hopefully the 35.0 bar clamp in titanium won’t be so garishly large as to detract….

cudak888 - my apologies for being speculative… I will occasionally sneak in a quick post from work (during a moment of downtime only) to spark my own anticipation of fun things to come. I am an RN working 12 hour shifts and also recovering from COVID. BTW: on the Klein pictured, I realize that I will need to cut the fork down although the temporary protuberance on top of the stem doesn’t look horrible. The knurled spacers top and bottom I think accentuate the quality look of the titanium stem. Velo Orange sold them a few years ago but I can’t find them any more. If anyone knows of a vendor still selling these knurled (faceted) spacers, please share the vendor name…

Hmm, a Ti stem on a Six13, I'm having a hard time picturing it. Which Six13 are you working on specifically? (I really miss my Six13 :( )

As a general statement, I wouldn't have a problem with something coming out of Taiwan, the level of craftsmanship there is quite high. I get all my basic consumable parts from a Taiwan supplier and have not been disappointed yet. I've also racked up thousands of miles on my Bianchi S9, a ti frame apparently welded in Taiwan.

Ah! The Fishbed! If I ever become a member of the C&V section of Planeforums.net, it'll be because I bought one of those. :love:

No worries, and no offense taken. :thumb:

-Kurt

OK, but are not the vast majority of Raleigh Sports level bikes fitted with 26tpi bottom bracket shells?

I would be interested if they made quill stems.

They are.

-Kurt

keeping those thread secrets you are.