berbes

hello-

i need a stem & i know NOTHING about upscale biking, so pls be nice.

i have Nitto Grand Raundoneur handle bars, 42cm width & 25.0 mm clamp diameter. i need to know what are my stem options that will this fit them, then fit into a '06 trek 520? also, will the quality of this stem be 'in the neighborhood' of the rest of my bike? there are so many choices and it seems companies that build a top of the line stem also build lesser ones, so that does nothing to make things less confusing.

thanks for this guidance!
jackie

jimbud

If at all possible take a photo of the bike you're making the improvements to and post it on here. That way everyone can see what you have and can make a recommendation for you.

AEO

you sure it's 25.0mm? I thought nitto came in 25.4mm or 1in" clamps.

you need something like a threadless stem with shims to make it work since I've don't think you'll be able to find a 1 1/4in" steerer clamp to 25.4mm handlebar clamp.

berbes

hello jim,

this is the bike i got on ebay-

bike 1.jpg bike 2.jpg

i didn't like the handlebars, so got the Nitto Grand Raundoneur handle bars, but when i tried to attach them to the existing stem, i put a little too much muscle into it, and broke the stem, and that's where i am now.

i am also noticing i now need different brake levers with the turndown handlebars! while we're here, any suggestions on those??

to answer your q aeo, here are the handlbars i got on ebay:

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN:IT&ih=001


now i'm even MORE confused. thanks for any direction, folks!

AEO

you have V-brakes, they don't work well with regular short pull drop bar style brake levers.
You'll need to swap out the V-brakes for cantilever brakes if you want to use aero brake levers with the bike.

As for the bar size, I guess they do come in 25mm clamp size. You'll need a shim that does 26.0mm to 25.0mm along with a, what looks to be a 1in threadless steerer tube to 26.0mm handlebar clamp.

berbes

getting more confused with each post. i've seen other 520's with drop down handlebars and the 'stock' v-brakes. i can't just replace the brake levers without changing my whole braking scheme?

Bontrager

Try other forums. This is for other types of bikes.

berbes

i have a road touring bike, what forum should i be asking my q in?

Bontrager

Bike Mechanic
Utility Cycling

I dunno. Most of us in here have bikes that require us to wear spandex and shave our legs. You in?

Bontrager

Edit: you're going to have to get brifters (STI) type brakes and shifters. The cable pulls on them are different than your current components and there might be other issues/incompatibilities. You may have to buy much more stuff on ebay to put road bars on them.

berbes

my apologies, i had no idea this was for PROFESSIONALS only. maybe i can find a forum with nicer folk who put up with stupid newbie q's better.

idcruiserman

You can run V-brakes with caliper levers, but you'll need adapters to provide the proper leverage. Or you could swap to cantilevers brakes.

more info

Everest

You might have better luck in the Touring or Mechanics forum. That being said, 25.0 is a very non standard handlebar size so you are going to have find a shim (Nitto makes one last I checked) that allows you to mount your 25.0 bars in a stem designed for 26.0. You also probably have a 1 inch steerer tube on your fork so you will probably need a shim there that converts a stem for 1 and 1/8 steerers to 1 inch. Your brakes have a non standard pull for road levers you will need to find special levers that are designed for this last I checked the only ones available were Tektro RL520 and Dia-Compe 287V's. Also when installing parts please use a torque wrench and only torque down to specs. Finally if you have a local bike shop I would highly recommend that you bring your bike in and tell them what you need they should be able to help you find correct parts, and install them for you correctly. It might cost a little more to do it this way but ypu will get the right parts the first time and wont break anything else.

AEO

ask mechanics forum. I think you have a nice bike, but you're clearly in over your head with the mechanical aspect of the bike.
I can only imagine you broke the original stem, because you either have fists of steel or you were trying to make something that doesn't fit, fit forcefully.

CastIron

Take it easy Berbes, we run a little fast and loose here.

Nitto bits are available from Rivendell and they make a nice product. Check there for some of your bits. You may not need to change brakes if you use a Problem Solvers Travel Agent. Paul Components also makes some unique bits that might help as well.

It's nice bike. Love the fenders!

berbes

hey, thanks so much. things have changed since my 10 speed schwinn ruled the streets aeo, you're right about getting the new handlebar and assuming it'd fit the stem i popped with my fists of steel (missed it by THAT much). i'll move over to the mechanics forum for my lessons to begin there.

hey cast iron, those woodies are pretty cool. everytime you roll over & pick up a rock, it sounds like you hit a baseball!

munkyv22

On a parting note, that bike looks awesome. Nice find.

And as far as bikes are concerned, you can do pretty much whatever you want assuming you can find the parts.