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25.4-26.4 handlebar shim?

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25.4-26.4 handlebar shim?

Old 01-04-20, 04:10 PM
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ceelint
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25.4-26.4 handlebar shim?

Bought a new bar for the Bianchi but having trouble with slippage. 25.4 VeloOrange bar with Cinelli 1E stem which im guessing is a 26.4. Is there a shim out there that'll work? I've tried an aluminum can but it slips still. I have a SR Custom stem that'll work but it's not nearly as good looking as the Cinelli.
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Old 01-04-20, 05:42 PM
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merziac
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Originally Posted by ceelint
Bought a new bar for the Bianchi but having trouble with slippage. 25.4 VeloOrange bar with Cinelli 1E stem which im guessing is a 26.4. Is there a shim out there that'll work? I've tried an aluminum can but it slips still. I have a SR Custom stem that'll work but it's not nearly as good looking as the Cinelli.
A whole mm is too much for the pop can shim, usually.

They make dedicated ones but you can go to the "real" hardware store or hobby shop and get some brass or SS sheet in that thickness.

It needs to be only one piece for no slip, clean all parts with acetone, alcohol or brake clean, any residue can undo the process.
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Old 01-04-20, 05:43 PM
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Aluminum cans are usually only about a tenth of a millimeter or so in thickness. You need a full millimeter up but with the can you are only getting about a fifth or a quarter of a millimeter.

I don't see any 25.4>26.4 shims available for handlebars, but it is a common shim for seatposts. You could buy one of these and saw it down to size. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bicycle-Sea...4383.l4275.c10

The best solution is to use a 25.4mm stem.
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Old 01-04-20, 05:56 PM
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I use brass. Works well.
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Old 01-04-20, 06:02 PM
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Brass works well. Automotive spark plug feeler gauges give you the exact thickness.
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Old 01-04-20, 06:42 PM
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Nitto makes a shim specifically for this purpose. I'm sure it is available from a variety of sources, but here's a link to Rivendell's site:
https://www.rivbike.com/products/nit...-to-26-0-16095

Steve in Peoria
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Old 01-04-20, 07:16 PM
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Originally Posted by steelbikeguy
Nitto makes a shim specifically for this purpose. I'm sure it is available from a variety of sources, but here's a link to Rivendell's site:
https://www.rivbike.com/products/nit...-to-26-0-16095

Steve in Peoria
That one shims to 26.0, not 26.4 like the OP needs.
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Old 01-04-20, 07:25 PM
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Originally Posted by TenGrainBread
That one shims to 26.0, not 26.4 like the OP needs.
oops! My bad...
That does make it a bit more of a challenge!

Steve in Peoria
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Old 01-04-20, 07:44 PM
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I said screw it and just used the Custom stem.. I'll keep the Cinelli stem paired with the Cinelli bar
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Old 01-04-20, 08:52 PM
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The no cost method of making this bar and stem combination work is find a standard Coca Cola can and cut 5 shims 33 mm wide X 78 mm long, stack them and inset them between the bar and stem clamp.

Math...
33 mm is the width of my Cinelli 1A clamp
The circumference of 25.4 mm is 79.8 mm (we subtract 1.8 mm so the shims dont butt when compressed = 78 mm).
The gap your trying to fill is 1 mm total = 0.5 mm for 1/2 diameter, = 5 layers of 0.1 mm shim.

Technique...
Use a wedge to slightly spread the Cinelli clamp co you can easily install the shim pack and get everything positioned correctly.

Materials...
The thickness of a Coca Cola can is 0.1 mm

Tools.
Scissors.
Small smooth prying tool.

Cost: $ 0.00

: Mike
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Old 01-04-20, 10:51 PM
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I dunno the exact sizes, but I just bought a shim like this last month, at a bike shop in Peoria, AZ. I don’t remember the exact cost either, but I want to say $5. Well worth it, to get a nice tight fit. 👍
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Old 01-06-20, 05:55 PM
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This should be pretty close.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/M-D-Buil...6072/205058572

I would disregard the thickness specified on the website. 28 gauge should be right around 1/64", 0.0156", 0.4mm. If necessary, add a layer of pop can.
For that matter, if you have any furnace or dryer duct remnants lying around, the thickness might be in the ballpark as well.
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Old 01-06-20, 07:32 PM
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https://www.lowes.com/pd/Amerimax-Al...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

this might work to cut a shim from, and it's aluminum, like the bars and stem. and cheap. if you have a micrometer, are cheap like me, and have the time, take your micrometer to the local hardware/home improvement/local gutter installers and take measurements till you find something that works. (aluminum shim = not having to worry about dissimilar metal corrosion).

Last edited by uncle uncle; 01-06-20 at 07:35 PM.
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Old 01-06-20, 07:54 PM
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Agreed. I just wanted to shine a light down the path of cheap solutions.
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Old 01-06-20, 09:32 PM
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Slippage at the clamp is dangerous and was not uncommon during the ~26mm bar clamp days.

Pop cans (most cans, actually) are poly-coated on both sides, and this greatly affects the surface coefficient of friction. The coating can be sanded off easily.

Larger-diameter beer cans like Fosters are necessarily made of thicker aluminum, so if you have a caliper you can determine how many fewer layers/wraps are needed.

I have a screw-top can of nitro-brewed coffee here that is made of some thick aluminum, no way you could crush this can easily!
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Old 01-06-20, 10:56 PM
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Originally Posted by dddd
Slippage at the clamp is dangerous and was not uncommon during the ~26mm bar clamp days.

Pop cans (most cans, actually) are poly-coated on both sides, and this greatly affects the surface coefficient of friction. The coating can be sanded off easily.

Larger-diameter beer cans like Fosters are necessarily made of thicker aluminum, so if you have a caliper you can determine how many fewer layers/wraps are needed.

I have a screw-top can of nitro-brewed coffee here that is made of some thick aluminum, no way you could crush this can easily!
DDDD has some good points here... I don't have any knowledge of the finishes applied to various aluminum containers created for food stuffs, but his idea of them being coated sounds plausible. That's why having an aluminum shim material (so there is no issue of dissimilar metal corrosion) and being able to sand off any possible nefarious finish is a bonus (in my thinking). I've noticed that various thicknesses of food containers are out there, as various companies use different suppliers for their containers. You can always take a magnet into the store with you (to weed out the steel cans). Anything non-magnetic is almost assuredly aluminum.
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Old 01-07-20, 01:48 AM
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Add some Park SAC-2 grip compound. Essential for carbon fiber and useful for aluminum too. I use it on carbon fiber, aluminum and even bits that use plastic shims that still slip without excessive bolt torquing or the grip paste.
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