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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,177
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
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Above where I said that I had a bell with a compass that I eventually chucked, I did not try to figure out what kinds of stainless steel my stem bolts were, I simply could not find a place on my handlebar where the compass gave a good reading after holding the compass in many places trying to find a good spot for it. Took less than a minute to find out that it was not going to work.
Some stainless is more likely to affect a compass than other kinds of stainless. And you have stem bolts, star nut in a steerer tube, steerer tube, brake lever bolts, bearings in a headset, and other hardware that may affect a compass like cables (both inner and outer), etc. A compass in a stem cap is a good idea if it would work, but that does not always work.