zachleft

I've got a vintage Nitto quill stem (70mm) on my bike right now and I'm not really liking the length. It's too short. I have to move my seat all the way back in order to feel like I'm not upright. It's rather annoying.

So now I'm the market for another quill stem and I think I'm gonna try 100mm (or would that be too drastic?). What are some solid brands to look out for on the second hand market?

Outside of Nitto I'm not very knowledgable about stem makers. Are SR, Meada, or Win any good? Any brands I should be avoiding?

Thanks

P!N20

Cinelli
3TTT

SJX426 

@zachleft - If you look at Cinelli, be sure the one you pick has the right diameter bar clamp. they come in two sizes, at least, 26 and 26.4mm. Likely you have a 26 bar. Good idea to measure.
Given they also are found on French make bikes, check the post diameter of the stem too.

Do you know what length you have now? Sometimes the length is stamped in the post below the insertion line.

Since you are really talking about fit, how about a drive side pic of the bike now and your measurements? Just to get the discussion going again.
https://davesbikeblog.blogspot.com/2...me-sizing.html

Salamandrine 

The main thing is you want a stem with the correct diameter for the bar that you have. That must be measured first. Any quality forged stem will do, if it's the right size and length. Avoid cheap cast stems. You may have 25.4, 25.0, or 26.0mm.

BITD the main top quality aftermarket stems were 3TTT and Cinelli. SR Royal and Nitto also made nice stems. SR made a nice weight weenie cut out stem.

All vintage Cinelli stems were 26.4mm. They didn't switch to the more standard 26.0mm till the mid 90s. IIRC there were some very rare exceptions to this from the 60s, but like I say, they were very rare. Always measure.

easyupbug 

I love Modolo stems other than the the '88 or '89 versions which can fail, easy to spot:https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-straight.html

thinktubes 

this.

Sunshine makes some nice stuff.

As far as length, use your prefered method to adjust your seat fore/aft and then choose a stem that is comfortable.

In a nutshell, use the seat adjustment to get your position over the BB and use the stem length to get a comfortable position.

DMC707

Nitto makes good stuff - there is a chance it is a 25.4 diameter as well, so i'd verify before doing too much shopping, -- but i ordered a new Nitto from Soma and it is nice -----

noglider 

There are only a few brands to avoid, and they've been out of production for a long time.

icemilkcoffee 

Other than the aforementioned Modolo and Atax, they are all good. Even the no name generic ones are fine.
I myself prefer the CrMo type which is lighter than the aluminum ones. Keep an eye out for the Ritchey, Profile, Trek System2 and HL crmo stems.

pcons713

I can echo the comments posted above and just also add that the Velo Orange quill stems have worked out really well for me, though a bit on the pricy side. lots of different models to accomodate different lengths, bar clamp sizes, etc

tricky 

Lots of good stems out there.

Salsa also made good stems, but they also had a stem recall but it was for the open faced version https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2011/sa...to-fall-hazard

Specialized stems are pretty nice. Shimano 7400 Dura-Ace stems were pretty cool with their hidden bolts.

Depending on how modern you want to get, Controltech made some cool USA made stuff. If you looking to go with a threadless adapter, Thomson and Paul makes some fancy modern stems. Examine Thomson faceplates on any used used stems. Early versions were known to crack if a torque wrench wasn't used and some people claim even when a torque wrench was used.

The Golden Boy 

I know I've seen 120mm stems... I think 90 is pretty common- so I don't think 100 is too drastic.

No one's asked what bike/kind of bike you've got...

I guess, like everyone else has said, make sure your clamp dimension is correct- and do some searching. Depending on the era of your bike and what it is- You're not going wrong with Nitto; and Cinelli and TTT are great for Italian stuff. SR is pretty ubiquitous (SR Royal and SR Four 'Sir were their premium brands) but always solid.

dddd

Current stems tend to be of uniformly sturdy construction, if a bit heavy for the less expensive ones like Kalloy.

I've used this Kalloy model which is often found re-branded and it is solid.
Available with either 26.0 or 25.4mm clamp and tends to fit both 22.0 and 22.2mm steer tube openings even though it is rated as being 22.2mm.

Strong/stiff and on the heavy side, inexpensive, and available in 8cm and 10cm (under a few different brand names).
FWIW, Kalloy is I believe the largest stem manufacturer in the world.

zachleft

My handlebar is a 25.4mm so Cinelli might be out unless I decide to get some new handlebars as well. The post diameter is 22.2 and the top part (not sure of the technical term) is 70mm

SJX426 

Your could try shims to make up the difference but some say they don't work that well in terms of clamping the bar down. Well the same story goes with Cinelli handlebars too! They are made in a variety of diameters, age makes a difference as I don't think any of the new ones are 26.4.

zachleft

Oh of course - the bike is a 1990 Trek 1420

This is what how it looked when I picked it up. I've swapped a few parts since; new Fabric saddle, vintage Nitto stem as I mentioned, tape, hybrid pedals, etc. When these tires finally go I plan on getting some gum walls. I think the previous owner tried to match the red with the pink on the frame, but it doesn't look great imo

thinktubes 

tricky Specialized = Nitto? I have a Specialized that I love, but I'm pretty sure Nitto is the OEM.

Chombi1 

You cannot go wrong with Cinelli, especially with their venerable 1A model stem, for early 80's and 70's C&V bikes.
the finish and overall quality of Cinelli stems from the 80's matches perfectly with top line Campy C&V gruppos of the same era.

Dfrost 

VO sells a variety of quill stems. I was quite pleased with the quality and finish of the ENE Gran Compe used on the Marinoni for a few years, and the chrome steel “Quill Stem” was quite nice, although it’s clamp was a touch wide for the tight bend bars I was using at the time.

Note from these photos that the ENE Gran Compe “-17° angle” shown first is not quite the same as the nominally same angle on the later Technomic.
ENE Gran Compe stem:

Higher grade Technomic stem:


https://velo-orange.com/collections/stems

Soma has the Sutro line, which I’m pretty sure is identical to the ENE Gran Compe, but has the option of a black finish.

Sutro Quill Stem | SOMA Fabrications

Note that those mentioned above are a nice 40mm taller than the typical quill stem from 3TTT, Cinelli, etc. although not as tall as a Technomic, of which there are two grades and bar height versions. Seems like Rivendell had both, but can’t find components on their website ATM.

Here’s a source for several mentioned and a few more:

https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...?category=1728

I once had both a Nitto Pearl and older Specialized, both in excellent condition. They were identical in every way except the cast name on the side, including their lovely finishes.

tricky 

thinktubes, I think you are right about Nitto being the OEM. Double verification from Dfrost. The velobase article for the Specialized stem mentions Nitto and SR as a possible manufacturer, but it's conjecture. Come to think of it, if someone didn't mention SR yet, it's another good option for the OP.

jdawginsc 

I love the ITM Eclypse and the 3TTT Prochrome myself. 3TTT is Columbus tubing.

The Golden Boy 

I have a Specialized branded riser stem- I'm 99% sure it's Nitto- mostly from the similarity of the pantographed "Specialized" compared to the pantographed "Technomic."

FWIW- the SR logo on the one SR Royal stem I had was stamped on.

79pmooney

Good advice above. Just two comments. You can use an older Cinelli stem with a 26.0 bar with a shim made from a coke can. I've done that for many years. JUst make sure there is a gap still after tightening the bolt. And best stem out there - the Nitto Pearl (and probably the new Nitto that has taken its place but I have not seen it yet).

dddd

Well, a soda can is just under .004" thick after removing the poly coating. That's less than .1mm thick or just under .2mm diameter reduction.

I tend to want to match diameters because of the added tensile stress resulting from the clamp bending to match a smaller bar diameter.

Ideally, the stem clamp is slightly smaller than the bar diameter since the bar diameter compresses slightly.

79pmooney

I didn't do the math and I forget what I've done. Ou're right. 2 shims so I have to slighlty force the clamp apart or a slightly thicker aluminum sheet. There is also the fact that the diameters of both stems and clamps vary from spec. I'm pretty sure I've shimmed bars with single can shims very successfully for decade runs. Maybe a to spec Cinelli stem and a TTT bar drawn through older tired dies?.