Seems my favorite new bike has a misfit .833 stem. Yay. Which wouldn't be a problem if it was tall enough for my needs.

I've done a bit of research, and know there are really only 2-3 choices, all rather cheap and ugly looking. My question is, were there ever any tall .833 stems made? I'd rather take the time to hunt down something vintage than use one of the newer options.

There were plenty MTB stems that were .833.

Would MTB stems work with road bars?

Sorry for the totally noob question. I just feel overwhelmed with all the different sizes for all the different parts for all the different vintage bikes. Heh. All the information I've researched in the last few months is starting to blend together and I feel like I know less than I did before I started!

Road bars that have a 25.4mm clamp diameter should work if the stem's clamp isn't too wide to slide past the bends. Most alloy stems wouldn't have any issues with sliding the bar through.

The question will be is the mtb stem tall enough?

Is the bike a Nishiki International by chance? I chose mine in a taller size, since the frame's angles were so layed back as to shorten the top tube's reach, so then I didn't need a tall stem.
Same for my SuperSport and Varsity, I chose 24" size for both of these also.

It's a Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 in size tiny (21"). Because of my height (5'6") and insanely short torso, I had to go with a small frame -- top tube length in most larger bikes is usually just too long. This bike feels perfect, and I'm more comfortable on it than any other bike I've ever owned. However, I've set it up for a more upright ride with flipped Albatross bars, and it needs a taller stem to get the bars higher than the saddle (which is already quite low). I might eventually flip the bars, but I do love having the option of not riding SO upright, and if I'm being shallow, like the looks of the flipped bars more... if they were just a couple of inches higher, they'd be perfect.

GB stems may have been cheap but not ugly. Not too tall however.

Added to the upgrade list: new fork.

I kind of figured I might be in trouble with wanting a taller stem on this bike. I was just hoping against hope someone might know better than I.

I seriously love the ride and fit of this bike, so maybe I'll just bite the bullet and flip the bars to get the swept back ends higher, personal aesthetics be damned!

I have one of this and thought it was well made. .833 x 250 mm long with 25.4 mm clamp.

Robot Check

Didn't the BMX crowd use .833?

Yes, but probably won't help out here.

The BMX crowd use hi-rise bars, not stems, to get the grips up high, and the reach of BMX stems is typically very short.

Also, BMX stems often have 7/8" bar clamping instead of the common MTB/townie 1" clamping, and are usually very heavy-duty and un-svelte in appearance.

An inexpensive .833-quill adapter, onto which clamps any threadless stem, is one practical solution, though not much of the "vintage road" style.
The threadless clamp-on stems with 1" clamping will typically also clamp onto 26mm or 25.8mm handlebars very acceptably and also allow very quick stem swaps.

Having done this before, this option is better than others in the end. Painless too.

Thanks all for the advice/comments.

It's actually good to hear the Sunlite is decent quality. I think I was turned off from it after I saw Harris Cyclery describe it as "department store quality". That coupled with the really low price had me concerned. But since it is so cheap, maybe I'll just order and see how it looks. It really IS the simplest solution.

Thanks again, folks!

^ Well, the finish on the Sunlite is certainly not as smooth as the higher priced ones and it is made of steel. However, it won't break and it does "raise dat stem."

Check this out too:Sunlite Alloy Cruiser Stem - 150 x 84 x 1 (21.1) Silver. The stem clamp can be spread enough to get a 25.4 clamp road bar in there. It'll raise the bars up quite a bit and looks way better than that other stem IMHO. Here's another one with more extention:Sliver Road MTB Fixie Fixed Handlebar Riser Stem Alloy Stem 21 1mm Sliver 1" | eBay.