so I am doing a bit more work on my folding bike, I am looking at putting a lower stem on the bike as the current ones are too tall and non adjustable. I could get get an adjustable folding one of the bay, but I was thinking of maybe just getting a long quill stem or adaptor and just using that. I wouldn't need much more then 20cm of height on the stem.

what are your thoughts on this idea?

LOL on a side note, removing the folding stem system would shave some severe KG's off the bike.

Just me but I’m having a hard time remembering what you started with(bike). Pic or thread on this machine?

If folding is not important to you, a non folding set up is fine.

that would probably help. rofl...

Its been 6 years

its still a work in progress so to speak. looking for new wheelset/cranks and looking at lowering the stem to something more normal lol

I'm currently switching the cheap folding stem/handlebars to a long quill stem and HiRise handlebars

I was thinking of something similar except much lower and drop bars lol...

I found a temporary solution that works. it was to use a quill extender and quill stem. I was able to get the front end 1.5-2 inches lower giving me a much better setup. I can swap the 2 pieces over once I track down a stem long enough on the interwebs. on a side note the new stem setup is easily 1/2 to 1/3 the weight, which is a nice bonus.

If you get a chance to post some pics, I'd like to see your new setup.

oh I will post pics soon. gotta get new brake cables first. also now that its much lower I can shop around for drop bars C:... lol this is an addiction.

Yep, addiction sums it up nicely.

Just ordered Wald #8069, will post pictures after it's installed.

I still have to properly install and adjust the brake cables, but here is the bike in the current state/




The original bike minus the logos and stickers. Weighing in at 34lb...


the new bike weighing in at 22.8lb. Nearly 11.5lb shaved off the weight of the bike. handles very well and is nice and fast.

Nicely executed!

Looks a lot cleaner but I would deflate tires and rotate so the valve stem come out straight Probably be good to check headset, hubs, and bottom bracket threads for adequate grease . I have found those areas underlubed on the last 2 bikes I bought.

the BB is brand new, also the hubs were rebuilt. I have yet to do anything with the headset as its fine, although I do plan on replacing/rebuilding them at some point soon.

I am also patiently looking around for some aluminum BMX wheels and a crankset I can put on this beast. shave an extra 1-2lb and get that extra performance.

Back in the '80s, when I worked in bike shops, the only aluminum BMX wheels I ever came across were much heavier than conventional spoked wheels. Are there now aluminum BMX wheels that are designed to be lighter than spoked wheels?

I have no idea. The bike will be stored on my boat, so having some marine grade materials will be nice. if I can save some LBs that would be nice too. although I already achieved my goal of under 25lb lol.

You can also check out 20in recumbent wheels for light weight and quality from places like Hostel Shoppe.

Looks like a good project outcome.

that site is pure gold lol... I will look into it.

Looks really good, but will you be shaving off all those unwanted mounting points and repainting for a cleaner look?

Of course, I would just run a coaster brake and do away with all the hand brakes and mounting points, as well as rim wear from braking, but still allow coasting

lol I am not that much of a weight weenie. plus those points might come in handy in the future if I ever decide to turn it into a touring bike or something else...

Do these frames ever come up for sale? I only ask because the auction sites I use have people offering whole bikes and others offering parts, including the leftover frames - and quite cheap. So how much would it cost to buy a frame, store the best one away, and then get active with the hacksaw, file and paint to build that real ultimate bike?




In my case, for example, at the back is my ride, in front is a parts bike - currently stored as parts. This spring I will start work on building the latter into a new ride, and I already have a new blade in my hacksaw ready to remove the chainguard mounts...

here is the bike after the build... a bike ain't complete without a gold chain.