The frame I ahve is a litttle too small for me. I ahve the saddle all the way back, and still need to stretch out a few more inches. I went to buy a quill stem today, and afer bringing it home it didnt fit! The one that does fit says "8.33" on the quill. Im assuming that is the diameter in inches? which works out to about 21.15 mm. This is slightly smaller than the standard (22 mm?). Where the heck can I find one of these in a decent length (like 120mm)?

.833"
that's a BMX size

stems here: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/opc.html#stem

?? does that mean the headset I have is a BMX headset? or is it something with the fork? Could I possibly fit a different headset on and make a standard quill work?

is your frame and old POS American bike with Ashtabula (one-piece) cranks? or a really really really old MTB?
BMX headset cups have a larger diameter than "regular" 1" threaded headsets. Thus you'll need to keep your BMX headset. however, you might be able to swap the for out for a road fork since the fork steerer diameter and threading is the same. This would also require modification to the headset locknut. or a new locknut.

I wouldn't sand off 1mm off a regular 22.2mm quill.
just get a frame that fits.

the fork is some random fork.. not the one from my nishiki. SO basically I need to get a different fork? the threading and outside diameter is the same on my fork and a (standard)road fork? DOes this just mean the steerer tube on the one I have is .5 mm thicker?

It looks like the only stems I can get are bmx-style "block" stems... I would think since I do have a road-style quill in that size there should be more/different lengths out there.

yup you need a new fork.

sounds like someone did the swap that I described, but backwards.

On a side note, you might not want to adjust your bar reach by pushing the saddle back on the post. That adjusts where you sit in relation to the BB. But if it's a small frame you probably should shove it back or get a setback post.

BLAST! I was actually the one who put this thing together. It was at a co-op, and I was just puttin together cheap parts. I am going to call a shop tomorrow that has lots of older/rarer stuff and see what they can do. Otherwise, it looks like Ill be needing a new fork. This sucks cause I stripped it and gave it a finish similar to the frame, putting some time into it.

Thanks for the help guys!

p.s. do they make seatposts with significant offsets? like 100 mm or more?

no, because that would be dumb


get a new frame that fits.

umm... new seatpost/stem - 20-30$
new fork - 65 or less
new frame - 300-500+

I think ill explore my other options

Lots of old American bikes (a lot of schwinns, for example) used the .833 diameter; you should have no problem finding a longer stem in that size if you've got good co-ops and used bike shops around. But the previous posters are right - if you need 10cm of setback in your seatpost, you'll never get that frame to fit properly.

As others have stated, that's a BMX standard dimension -- it's also the standard I.D. for a lot of French steerers. I had a beautiful chrome Peugeot fork with that dimension.

You can actually sand down a 22.2 stem to fit with 60 grit sand paper in only a few minutes.

is not!
French is 22.0

always good to know new things

Ack! Too many damn numbers. To pinch a popular UNIX quote - "The wonderful thing about standards is, there's so many to choose from".

When I asked about my Peugeot stem, several folks said that the I.D. was the same for some French and BMX steerers.

YMMV, IANAL, OMGWTFBBQ, etc.. etc.. etc...

well.. I figure I either need 10 cm in the stem, or the seatpost. Via bikes has a great selection of older stuff, ill try them tomorrow. I got my current stem at our co-op, but it was like one of 2 that fit... and the other one wasnt much longer.

My fixie is a old alley rat Motobecane witha 22.0mm fork. I replaced the aluminum stem (which was structurally questionable and not quite tall enough) that was on it with a cheap stamped steel Wald unit. Works fine. There are some very long Pyramid-branded steel stems available in 21.1mm. These are nicer than the Wald stems IMO, and are similarly priced.

https://www.totalbike.com/products/se...mid%20Pro/and/

22.2mm is the common old American diameter, and also found on some old Japanese road bikes. It's possible to find some old MTB stems in this diameter salvaged from very old MTBs.

You could probably just sand down a alloy 22.2mm with some emery cloth and lots of elbow grease. If you must have a alloy stem.

ummm... in your original post you said your frame is "a little too small". 10cm is the difference between a 6' rider and a 5' rider.

Thanks for the link, but I was looking for a more classic-looking road stem with some drop. I actually found one this afternoon at Via here in philly, and IT FITS!!!

P.S... I had a 30 mm stem, and was looking for about a 120mm, hence why I said a guess of 10 cm.