I may have bought something I can't use. I have no history with bars with a 31.8mm diameter.

I bought a Velo Orange Nouveau Randonner bar as it was 44cm wide ( I find 39/40s to be too narrow). The bars are 31.8mm diameter.



The bars were intended for my Bianchi. My Bianchi uses a 22.2mm stem. Currently it has these and I don't like the look.



I thought I'll find a stem that has a 31.8 diameter clamp and add them. I wanted a classic looking stem, not a threadless stem.
Not so easy. It seems there aren't many choices for 22.2mm threaded stems that have a 31.8mm clamp and the classic look.

I found only the Velo Orange stem, and I'm not liking the look of the welds. I see no difference between this and the one I have currently.



and this one on Ali Express

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I understand that I may just have to forget using this bar and find a wider bar that has a 25.4mm diameter.
Just asking before I start looking again.

​​​​​​Does any one known of any other brands that have stems with a 31.8mm clamp that will fit in a 22.2mm fork?

That’s one of my favorite drop bars. Here’s one on a bike I built using that VO stem as well. I agree the stem is a little aesthetically challenged but it does the job.

Another option is using a threadless stem with quill adapter, though it can be hard to get something to look right on a vintage bike.

I'd go with the aliexpress & skip the middleman.

Should have said I'll probably I will go with Ali Express, just figured I'd ask if any other options.

One thing to note is that the Velo Orange stem is steel and not aluminum, so while the welds are visible, they’re much less pronounced than on the Profile Design stem pictured.

Also, Nitto makes a 31.8 quill stem but the model escapes me at the moment.

If you can find a Factory5 stem you will have found the original stem which is a great stem unfortunately it looks like someone decided to take their design make a poor copy and sell it. Quite sad. It is a Chinese product but the original from F5 has almost a puzzle fit which you can see here: https://theradavist.com/factory-five...1-8-quil-stem/

It is a great stem looks very clean and has worked just fine.

This one? https://www.rivbike.com/products/ste...ll-31-8-cr60-3

Ick, can't we keep those monstrosities off C&V?

Maybe at least give a 'trigger warning'?

In my opinion (which you didn't ask for) they're inappropriate even for a modern road bike let alone C&V, when the stem and bars are made of metal. That size only exists for plastic parts, and maybe MTBs (but I prefer smaller diameter bars for MTB use as well). But now that it's the "new standard", even alu road bike bars show up with it, for no good reason.

Yeah it makes the bars stiffer, but no one has shown any advantage to that, especially given that they'll transmit more shock to your hands.

I can handle a bit of ugly, but when it's bad engineering as well is where I draw the line.

I went down this path with the Fishlips bike and still regret it. I just couldn't get past the looks on the few quill options. I went with the adapter and a threadless stem. Never again though. My usual choice now is just to pony up the funds for a proper 26.0 handlebar and a nice stem like a Nitto Pearl. I've looked many times now and just have never found a good looking 31.8 quill stem.

I'd personally be worried about using an ali express open face stem without seeing a ton of legit reviews on it's safety and durability.

How about a stem adapter and the Velo Orange Happy stem for an interesting look. You could also use any number of other stems

First questions: Are those TRP brake levers at the desired elevation (as in, from the ground to the top of the surface/ridge where your palms rest), where you intend to ride from? Or are you wanting them higher?

If so, this keeps open the option to go, well, all out and get an innicycle headset in Super Silver. Then you can get a svelte, modern 4-bolt (at the handlebars) stem and it will work nicely with your 31.8mm clamp handlebars. You could even get a more slender modern stem with a 26.0mm clamp.

Otherwise, you're honestly looking at sending those 31.8mm bars along to someone else or another project. Get a standard quill stem or a Technomic (26.0mm clamp) if you're looking for a taller setup, get a Soma Highway One, Dimension Short Drop, or Daija Cycleworks Compact drop bar handlebar--all 26.0mm clamp--and you'll be all squared away. Your present setup is what I call the 'mountain range' look. Stem angles up, bars angle down, brake lever/hood top angles up. A lot of angles to get no height benefit that couldn't be done with a frame-matching 73° stem and compact bars. Cannondale did this a ton in their '90s catalogs. If you like it, then keep it. If not, awesome, a compact drop bar does a lot of good, which is why you bought one in the first place!

I find the Ali Express more period correct as well ,(Just my 2 cents) Beautiful bike by the way.

Isn’t there a funky new headset option: threaded, but works with a threadless stem? I can’t remember its name but it’s been out for a couple of years.

swap that in, use a 31.8mm stem, job done.

Edited to add: found it!

https://innicycle.com

I use the 90-190 version Riv sells on my Trek. Being Nitto made, the finish is excellent ..


https://www.rivbike.com/products/stem-nitto-90-190

I see three types and sizes of stems. The profile seems to have a lot more rise than the Velo Orange 90' so it will give you a bit more upright position than the one from Ali Express, which looks really short in reach compared to the others.

While we all want our bikes to look appealing, especially to others IMHO when it comes to bars and stems your comfort should be more important than how others think of your stem.
I try and stick to Nitto B115 bars, with a 25.4 clamp area which allows me to use a Nitto Hybrid style stem to sit up a bit and take some pressure off my hands. This black stem on my Ugly Betty is a bit taller than on my other bikes but gets the job done.


A silver stem certainly has a more appealing look.

While not elegant a threaded to threadless adaptor is a solution and allows you fool around with hight and length without retaping the bars

I use a little section of hose to sort of hide the real skinny quill part and make it look more even.

Thank you for adding these to our collective knowledge. Amazon also has these listed and has a few not positive reviews.

I am not sure if two models actually exist, 80mm and 100mm reach, or if measurements are very vague. This review for a 100mm states the reach is 90mm.

Here’s a setup I toyed around with, pics from before I dialed it in and cleaned up the look. Same VO handlebar. Used a quill riser (for the added height compared to a regular quill adapter), shim, and tall stack stem. Still not perfect aesthetically but looked better than a standard threadless stem and adapter.

Sometimes you find a handlebar you love, and aesthetics take the backseat. I also like the Nitto Noodle but it’s 2nd to this one in terms of comfort for me.

I don't have a problem with the aesthetics of a TIG'd quill stem on a vintage road bike, as such. 3TTT made some nice Chromix Plus ones out of Columbus tubing that look good on certain builds.

The thing that gets me is the feeling that visually, 31.8 clamps, threadless stems on adapters or some TIG'd aluminum quill stems can look out of proportion on a bike with standard tube diameters. With a threadless on an adapter, for instance, the threadless extension is often larger diameter than a standard top tube, and way bigger than the adapter quill. Or a 31.8 clamp leads to a bulge in the bar and the stem near the clamp.

Just (one of) my aesthetic hang-ups.

25.4, 26.0 and 26.4 bars and stem are common as dirt. Why use this weird oversize stuff?

For me, the issue is finding a bar the width and shape I like in those sizes. I can compromise for most of my riding but when I’m doing longer distances, I get more particular about what works.

Thank you all.
I should have said that I only had time for a single ride before the weather changed and the bike has since sat in my garage.
I did not enjoy that ride as the bars felt "wrong". "Wrong" could of course have been that I needed to make a small adjustment, or because I am just new to riding with this bar and stem combination.
I do like the idea of a fatter bar, thinking it might be easier on the body over a long haul.
RiddleOfSteel I will probably be pulling those Tektros, no matter what way I go, as the hoods are shot and I have other levers including 105s with good hoods or even new hoods.
jamesdak has a very valid point. I checked the reviews on those Ali Express stems and the reviews are disturbing.
Tonight I'm making the drive to Buffalo to get to the co-op where I'll search and see if I can find a solution. I can always trade the 31.8 bars.
Thank you again.

I've owned the AliExpress stem and it worked great, looked handsome. Not sure what the bad reviews were. At one point about 10 years ago I also found some 22.2 / 31.8 clamp stems made in Italy, but they were kind of ugly. If I had this challenge, I'd go with the AliEx or a Nitto threadless to an adaptor.

My 2¢: One of the advantages of using 31.8 for aluminum bars is that the bar can be formed in shapes other than circular without having to dramatically taper down to 25.4 or 26.0. All of my aluminum bars have nice contoured sections next the hoods that my hands nestle in like newborn babes in the arms of their mothers (they also have sexy flat tops that save me many watts on the road). I had the opportunity to ride a bike with a vintage 26.0 bar last summer and my hands (admittedly old hands) ached after the ride.
John

Those VO bars are ovalized and swept back on the tops, so it requires an open face stem. In this case 31.8 is a logical choice for the design. They aren't marketed for "classic/vintage" bicycles.

That said, I've used their quill adapter for years and have no qualms about using them with a threadless stem. There's a much wider choice of angles and extensions with those than any quill. It looks good enough from the side and while riding all I see is a threadless stem. I never thought traditional quills were anything special myself. Pain in the butt to change out. I was so happy to get the adapters and use open face stems. I love the look of quills of course, as long as they're on someone else's bike !

I think the Nitto UI stem is the least bad among all the ass looking choices:

Although you don't like welded steel stems, the advantage here is that the steel material that wraps around the bar is very thin. Think about it- you have a fat oversized bar. It will look even fatter with the thick aluminum stem around it. It's the bike equivalence of "do these pants make my butt look big?". You want to de-emphasize that thickness as much as possible.