Bike Forums - stem flex

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looking for some advice...i'm in the process of building up a new frame. the head tube is much smaller than on my old bike, and i can't get the stem in as far as i would like. when i skid or stop the stem flexes quite a bit. it's an sr stem (sorry for the phone pic). can i take the fork out and cut the tube down a bit with a hacksaw myself? if so, how long does it need to be- that is, how much actually inside the head tube? are there other stems that are shorter? i have a nitto too, but it's even longer. is the flex maybe just due to an old stem? thanks all.

ahhhhhh, cut the stem, i didn't think of that. thanks.

I doubt you can cut it, but I have no experience with that stem. Most of them are either of the sliding wedge (you'll see it cut on bias at the bottom with matching bias cut on the wedge) or cone wedge (little cone guy on bottom of stem bolt tightens up into bottom of stem body thus spreading stem) and it would be a nightmare to attempt to shorten either. Nitto makes a swell 58 degree track stem with very little left inside the steerer tube, but its about $75...it is quite stiff to boot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamjberube

Is your bike a Schwinn? If so, some were made with slightly smaller steerer tube ID's. The OD is still 1". My friend had a problem like this when he tried to use a newer quill stem on his Schwinn. His LBS reamed out the steerer tube and he was good to go. Did you have a problem getting your stem through the locknut as well?? If so this sounds like the same problem (you'll want to replace the locknut with one from your LBS's junk bin as well).

If you ream the steerer tube then you'll have a lot more choices stem-wise....finding those smaller Schwinn stems in the size you want can be difficult. BTW, this won't weaken the tube (unless the LBS overdoes the ream), it'll just make it like all of the others out there.

Jim

not a schwinn-maruishi. it's cool diameter-wise, it's just the length of the quill. any more opinions on cutting the stem down a bit? can it be done with a hacksaw?

I cut mine with a hacksaw. The angle is not perfect but it works pretty well.