Got this stem in a box of other stuff. Though the logo(s) have been obliterated, I will hazard a guess that it's an early Cinelli 1A stem because of the 7mm expansion bolt. It's got a 115mm reach. I have no use for it. I'd be happy to pass it along, but not if it's clearly unsafe. (If it's unsafe to use, I wouldn't even put it in the Box o' Crap.) As you can see, the work on it was done in a crude fashion, nothing like what we'd expect from Drillium Dude or Jon Williams (Drillium Revival). Aside from the holes on the sides and top (most of which go through to the bottom), the clamp has been drilled from the front and shaved on either side.

Keep? Toss? Sell? Trade? Salvage the expansion bolt and toss the rest?

Salvage the expansion bolt and toss the rest. The clamp has been spread so wide that I'd be afraid it would crack if you attempt to tighten it on your bars.

Paperweight?

I would never ride with that stem.

Salvage the bolt and the paperweight role seems reasonable.

I wouldn't use it even if it were safe. I would go bonkers looking at those out of line holes all the time.

It would be an interesting period piece for display if the stopped holes were not so sloppily done and ugly. The milling of the clamp, if blended into the sides instead of leaving that ledge would have been kind of a cool idea for a TT build.

But to your question I would definitely not put that on a bike to ride.

Add more drilling, you could make an interesting lawn sprinkler with it.

Screw it to the wall next to your bottle opener....if it starts looking good, you've had enough! (or perhaps a bit too much!) ;-)

I would NOT ride it....

Actually, I don't think it's been spread. I needed to loosen the clamp bolt to get it to slide over the center section of a bar I have sitting around. I think most of the meat between the two sides of the clamp has been cut away.

Thanks for the responses. I will salvage the bolt (I have a 7mm 1A on another bike. Heaven only knows when I might come across another one.) Maybe a trip through my ultrasonic cleaner and a bit of polishing will do the trick for the paperweight idea. (Or I could make a wood base and make a trophy.)

Ride it once to see if it whistles......

Drillium a handlebar, clamp together and use as a bike hanger.

The bar-clamp bolt is a seat-binder I believe. The original would have been nutted if the quill bolt is a 7mm.

If stupid was for sale, it would look like that stem, in my opinion. Very dangerous and, again my opinion, ugly as me.

I'd not ride it simply for the embarrassment of the poorly aligned holes.

Aluminum is cheap now, about $0.40/lb. so just can it.

this.

I wouldn't ride it because so much material was taken away around the clamp area - not a whole lot left with which to clamp the bar safely IMHO. And let's not talk about the fact that I have a hard time looking at the holes since they don't exactly line up just so

DD

It would make a good hose hanger if bolted to a wall up side down.

I'll be the lone voice of dissent.

Due to my diligent mathematical calculations using my propriatary formulas (that I'm not inclined to share- thank you) that stem is not only perfectly safe- but the person that did the drilling actually IMPROVED the stem. He clearly must have studied the Jimbeam-Whiskey Principle- as the holes are precisely aligned with the inherent natural vibratory principles of aluminum- binding the whole stem- as a whole- closer together and strengthening the aluminium particles and their bond to the other alloys present, while also removing approximately the same amount of weight as a Schwinn Varsity fork. It's a no brainer.

Or perhaps I need to re-check my calculations.

Was this drilled by the same guy who was swiss cheesing Campagnolo cranks on ebay?

What is scary is probably someone rode it for a time then level heads prevailed at some point.

I would keep it as a display piece. Or maybe start a Drillium Blog of Shame. I bet the wild web would send in LOTS of images.

I learned about drillium way before bicycles. In elementry school I read the memoirs of Clessie Cummins, of Cummins Diesel. Early on in his career he was given the task of lightening an Indycar frame. He placed such large and numerous holes in it that they had to scrap it.

I like the way you think.

Thanks! Congrats on your weight loss! Keep riding! I lost close to 15 since the end of May. Feels great and is motivation for loosing more!

Clamp it in a vice-see how easily it breaks when you twist on the bar?
Doubt it will break-not that it wouldn't break after taking a pounding on rough road for a few years

I would totally ride to tho.
Too bad it's an amateur job (not aligned)
Seems pretty safe to me. Stem, especially Cinelli 1As had a LOT of material in it.

Bolt it to the wall as a coat hanger.

Not sure why, but I was looking at this thing again. It's really too bad the guy drilled the holes on the bottom all scatter-shot. As I could easily re-do the top and sides in a bigger size and put them in line or better yet mill a flute over the whole section of holes. On the side the flutes could run level into the clamp cuts. Then all the sharp edges could be smoothed and the surface polished. Still would be questionable for use but would look great on an over the top period TT build. Maybe the holes underneath could be added to and made into some type of pattern...........

If you want to send it to me I would dick with it in my spare time just cuz I like to save stuff like that. Better than making it a hat rack in my opinion.