When looking for old stuff, it's worth just going into shops and asking. Any shop that's been around for a time has an area containing 'stuff' and you can't tell from the shop front. I have a lovely track frame from a shop that out front shows no interest in such stuff ( had a choice of two). I've picked up Shimano 600 bits and some lovely vintage bars from another shop that's been around so long that old stock has slowly been shifted to the loft. I picked up some bars, quill and aero brake levers from a relatively new shop ... which had an old racer that'd just been run over by a car.

No harm in being cheeky, just go in ask, the worst that can happen is they'll say 'no' - if you can't handle strange looks, you shouldn't be riding fixed gear in the first place;)

+1

Quill stems look really nice. That's about it.

Thanks for the advice , ill look around and see what some shops have , i know one has only top shelf old racing bikes , but the other is owned by an old couple who pretty much hord everything.

BFSSFG - ask a question about a frameset, get an answer about a quill stem.

Well yeah, what would you expect? :rolleyes:

I can understand wanting to keep the aesthetic of a quill stem though, and not everyone is concerned with the ultimate stiffness of their setup. Believe it or not, some people are entitled to like what they like.

To say quill stems are "obsolete" is a little ridiculous. Yes, newer things have been developed. Are clips and straps "obsolete" since the introduction of clipless pedals? From a transportation standpoint, some could say bicycles are obsolete.

Quill stems are obsolete, as are clips and straps, as are sailboats. That doesn't mean you can't use obsolete technologies. Sail boats are fun and fundamentally different from motorized boats. The same could be said of fixed gears. A quill stem, on the other hand, just holds the bars to the stem...it really doesn't alter the nature of how the bike works or looks. To me it seems absurd to severely limit your choice for bikes just so you can have a quill stem. Thats my opinion...but you are all free to do what you want of course...just don't get insulted if someone disagrees and attempts to offer you perfectly reasonable advice. Just because you disagree with the advice, doesn't mean its not good advice.

Key words.

Most people think it's absurd that I haven't brushed or cut my hair in seven years. Some have even tried giving me "perfectly reasonable advice". :lol:

Any birds nesting in there yet?

No, but I did find a dead bee last year.

Don't down play it homie, you know damn well it was an entire nest.

My personal opinion is that any hairstyle that requires zero maintenance is the most reasonable. My method is to cut it all off before a comb becomes necessary. Obviously you win since you don't even have to bother with that. Skinheads are apparently obsolete.

I'm aware of the definition. Just because these things are popular in the tiny little fixie-hipster-geek subgroup of cyclists does not mean they are obsolete to the cycling community at large.

Now that is just elitist bull****. Sure, if talking bike racing, quills and clips are obsolete. Having struggled to set up a 'modern' bike, the most frustrating aspect was trying to get the bar height right without spending money on new necks - big improvement for what was a general purpose bike. Similarly, these clipless systems. My bike usage involves a lot of riding and walking. Road clipless are obviously useless but after six months, the inherent problems with spd shoes meant that going back to clips was a pleasure, especially with the right pair of shoes.
For the tasks my bikes have to perform, carbon fibre frames and wheels, saddles that force you to wear padded pants ( yes, I do ride centuries), rigid shoes and head down bum up riding positions are just stupid. ... or monumental fashion statements.
Technology is only 'state of the art' when it is appropriate to the job in hand.

As for your comment about sailboats - you really do not know what you're talking about do you.

As for my comment about sailboats...i think you missed the point.

Here's a nice thread about quill stem obsolesence.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...on-quill-stems

Blow boats suck.

I will not be at the mercy of Mother Nature.

u mad bro, so mad people dont agree with your opinions or choose the things you like. you mad because people arent following the same line as you.

Who cares?

Bravo. You read something on the internet and interpreted it to suit your needs. I don't think anyone has ever done that before.

My right-wing tea party uncle uses that same baseless childish argument whenever I point out facts that contradict his political philosophy. However, caring or not caring doesn't change facts. Go to a bike shop and count how many bikes have quill stems. Threadless stems are not limited to racing bikes and they certainly aren't only for elitists, as europa is accusing me of being.
And if you haven't noticed...you are wrong. People do care, apparently. Limiting oneself (the OP) to a tiny subset of available frames to only those that work with a quill is caring....its caring too much. Ride whatever you want...just don't get all pissy if you don't really care.

I didn't interpret it for you. I just provided the link. Do you need me to interpret it for you?

Dude! Are you really this daft?

The whole "everyone is doing it this way so it must be the best way" argument - when it comes to anything - is ridiculous.

I don't care about "how many bikes at the bike shop have bla bla bla". Most bikes at bike shops have derailleurs too and I honestly don't give half a rat's ass. As I said before, most people comb and cut their hair. Guess who doesn't care? According to television ratings, most people watch "The Real Housewives of (insert major city here) and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo too. Don't care.

FWIW, nobody in that thread is really saying anything bad about quill stems besides carleton, who is always grumpy when it comes to anything he wouldn't use anyway. You need to get over it, man. Some people like classic cars, vintage guitars and being vegan even though there may be more "practical" ways to go about things. It's ok.

Are you the type of clown who would go into a classic muscle car forum and spout off about how '57 Chevys are bad on gas and difficult to find a parking spot for in today's modern world? If somebody wants a quill stem, it's not your duty as an all-knowing bike god to tell them why threadless is "better". Besides, I'm sure we could all find **** about your bikes (or anything else in your life) that we think is stupid.

Dude, would some emoticons make you feel better? I was ****ing with you about the hair. Nobody's mad at you for your hair, except maybe the insects who get trapped in there.
All I'm suggesting is that the OP might be better off broadening his search for a bike. You agreed with me before you stared getting all pissy. There are many more bikes available with threadless...many of them better and cheaper than whats out there for quill stems. Choose the stem that works with your bike. Don't choose a bike that works with your stem.

Nobody said you were mad about my hair and it's clear that we were joking around, I'm just using it as a picture-perfect example of how not everyone needs to care about what "everyone else" is doing.

That bee deserved it.

I would never base any argument for one thing or another based on popularity. But avoiding things because they are popular is still fashion slavery. To me, the idea of confining yourself to bikes that work with quill stems is asinine. Bikes are tools first before they are works of art (my opinion). Most quill stems these days are found on wal-mart bikes...why is that?