mstateglfr 

I have an old 531 tube Peugeot(unsure of model) that has a 22.2 stem in the steerer. It is a 25.4mm bar clamp, and too short, so I want to swap it for a stem that has a 26.0 clamp and longer reach.

The black stem in the Peugeot is 22.2mm in diameter.
I have 5 22.2mm stems on hand that don't fit into the steerer, including 2 that would work for this project.


What?!

Below are pics. The black stem is in the steerer and you can see its stamped 22.2mm.
There are 2 pics of stems that don't fit into the steerer.
And a pic of the full bike. Anyone know the model? The serial number is poorly stamped.

Also, this isn't an issue of me wanting to use some long stem that can't fit. The stems I want are the same length as the stem that fits.

mstateglfr 

*** I considered the steerer could be 22.0 which was, at one point, a French size. The black stem is marked 22.2 though and it fits. I have caliper measured stems and the steerer tube, nothing seems wildly out of place(all within a small margin). ***

I could sand or file out the steerer tube?
I could sand down the stem?
I could throw this project away in frustration because I wont actually ride it nearly enough to justify the time spent?

52telecaster

As minor as the match must be I'd say sand the stem. A reamer chasing the steerer tube might not hurt either. I always feel better messing with the stem though.

Headpost

If you know the position the stem will be in once inserted you can tape above that "insertion" line while sanding to avoid scratching up the visible parts

dddd

I find that it can take a surprising amount of time/effort to sand down a stem even one tenth of a millimeter or less, that's just .004"!

French stems can be found as small as 21.8mm diameter, and normal stems can be as small as 22mm though stamped 22.2mm.

This represents the normal range of clearance being between .1 and .2mm, with the steerer ID being more accurate (and much harder to change without a reamer).

I probably wouldn't sand a black stem, unless it were of little value and if I had already firmly established exactly what height I would be setting it at.

My Origin8 stems say 22.2 but fit every one of my old French frames, Urago, Peugeot, etc.

billytwosheds 

As others have said, 22mm isn't 22mm on every stem.

Are you sure the steerer is where it's binding? Sheldon talks about the headset locknut being the limiting factor, which would require different work to make it fit.

I'd loosen the locknut and see if those 2 non-fitting stems are being held up there before sanding down the stem.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/french.html#stems

bikemig 

Is this a PX 10? I've never seen one quite like this. That's a good looking bike.

52telecaster

Sometimes the locknut hole and the steerer tube hole are not concentric as well. When it's a close fit that can be an issue.

C9H13N 

Get the coarsest grade of emery cloth you can find, then sit down and spin it around the stem under the min insert line until it fits in the steerer. Last one I did was an Origin 8 for Pug UO-8 and it took about an hour of mindless spinning while I watched a movie to get it to fit.

mstateglfr 

Yeah, I'll probably sand down a stem.

mstateglfr 

Good Q. I have 0 idea. I know almost nothing about Peugeot, the serial number is poorly done, and I really know almost nothing about Peugeot bikes.
Unless it's the classic white px10, I can't tell one from another.
I do like it, for what it's worth. Planned to make it a single speed for simple quick use a couple times a week this summer and fall.


Oh- I suck and owe you an email too!

mstateglfr 

It's for sure not stuck on the headset. I had the fork removed and the other stems wont fit. I filed the inside of the steerer a bit to see if that helped, but it wasn't close to enough.

I'll take some emery cloth then sandpaper to the stem and call it a day.

bikemig 

The other posts I think answered your underlying question about the stem. There is enough variation in terms of sizing that sometimes a 22.2 drops in. People have had good luck with Origin 8 and Nitto stems dropping in. Sometimes the problem is the headset nut but not with your bike.

I think the lettering is wrong on this bike since that looks more modern than the bike. The bike--given the lack of top tube cable braze ons--should be from the 70s or earlier and the lettering doesn't look right.

That looks to be a full Reynolds 531 sticker. If this were a PX 10, the sticker could be right. The next model down was a PR 10 and that had 531 main frame.

Is there any chrome underneath the paint? That might help you figure out what this is as well.

The model doesn't matter for your purposes. This will make a fine riding bike. I'm a big fan of Peugeots. I worked in a shop in New Orleans in the mid to late 80s that sold a lot of them. I have a 1982 PXN 10 that I ride and it is a fine bike. I also have a 1970s PR 10 that I've been meaning to turn into a single speed.

miamijim

FWIW it may not be a Peugeot.

Wrap sandpaper around something round and sand the inside of the steerer versus the stem.

mstateglfr 

Ok, now I am curious about the frame's 'authenticity'. It sure seems like a Peugeot, mostly because its just a simple gray and professional paint, and the decal is under clear. Basically, it isnt a quick/poor garage paint job. And it just seems odd to choose to mislabel with Peugeot(vs many other brands/models).

Anyways, Miami- I did try sanding/filing the steerer, but didnt get it large enough after a lot of work. I thought about buying a halfround bastard file instead of using the files that I have(which are half round or round and the coarseness varies). Something like that would get the job done a lot faster, and I could then just clean it up with the finer files.
Filing the steerer would mean I dont 'ruin' a stem, in case I want to use it on another bike someday.

bikemig 

Those are simplex drop outs and a 22.0 stem which points to this being French. What about the BB? Seatpost size? Looks French to me in which case likely a Peugeot. By the way, that Stronglight A9 headset is one of the best vintage headsets ever made.

Pcampeau

It’s looks to be a refinished PX10 from 1973 or earlier. I doubt we’ll be able to determine the exact year without any remaining original decals. I think the Reynolds 531 decal with the thick gold border is too recent for a Nervex lugged PX10. I believe that would be from 74 or later but it is a full Reynolds DB tubing frame and fork. The use of this decal was probably just a guess by the refinisher, it’s close enough.

mstateglfr 

The bb shell looks to have 280365 stamped into it.
And bikemig - yes the headset is really nice.

Classtime 

I'm surprised that pictured Origin 8 doesn't fit. Sanding a stem is so much work that I never finished and used an Origin 8 on my Motobecane. Before I started sanding the stem, I tried reaming the steerer and got nowhere.

If those bottle bosses are braised, I wonder why they didn't also braze on DT shifter bosses, and TT cable guides. Maybe the PO used it as a fixie?

dddd

I've re-sized many stems, even the ID of the bar clamp (using a dowel wrapped with coarse beltsander paper).

For reducing the OD of the quill, I remove the headset locknut first, then force in the stem a bit with some back and forth rotation, which leaves evidence exactly where some "cutting" of the surface is needed.
For this step, I use a file, then re-insert the stem and repeat this whole iterative process perhaps 20 times until the stem slides in with a minimum of stock removal.
I really find this to be the fastest way that also removes only the interfering metal instead of removing metal uniformly from a quill that often is not quite as round as it looks.
Also, the angle-cut style of quills don't really lend themselves to wrapping sandpaper around them at the bottom end (a location where the first few go's with the file immediately address).

Technique using a sharp flat file should develop readily to achieve accurate twist/swipes across the high spots/scrapes along the periphery of the quill.

Stems so modified may not quite fit a different French bike, since steerer's aren't all quite exactly the same size or roundness. More tune-up with the file might be needed as well as perhaps adding some insertion depth.

oneclick 

Don't remove ANY material from the steerer.
(It's ok to remove a burr from the end.)
You don't have very much to start with, and part of that is probably weakened already by having threads and/or a slot cut.
The wall of the stem is much thicker; reduce that instead as the percentage of material removed is vastly less, and so is the reduction in strength.

mstateglfr 

wouldn't taking 0.1mm of material away from the inside of the steerer tube just make the steerer thickness the same as all the steerer tubes that are 22.2mm internal?

bertinjim 

mstateglfd-

It's a re-sprayed Peugeot PX 10 from the late 60s or early 70s. The decals are wrong, they are early 1980s in vintage. You can infer that it's a PX 10 as the chrome faces still exist on the dropouts and the crown is a Nervex. Lesser Peugeots like the PR and PA 10 had the pressed Peugeot fork crown. The black stem may fit due to the wedge binder design rather than a cone. The sanding advice is the best or buy a Nitto stem as they are typically slightly under the 22.2 mm sizing and often fit French spec steerer tubes.

mstateglfr 

Interesting, thanks.
I tjiught it might be a px10 because of the lugs, but dismissed that since I figured it was an early 80s frame due to the logo. The lack of brake housing guides seemed odd for it to be an 80s frame, but I just figured this was an early 80s frame since that was a time when frames sometimes had features and sometimes didn't.

The large weld seam on the bb shell was surprising- I figured that wouldn't be on a higher level frame. Maybe that was more common on frames from the 60s?...assuming the serial number is just the 6 digits I can see, then it's from 1962.
My geek has largely been Japanese frames and the 80s so this is for sure different.

Hondo6

Don't think so.

The late Sheldon Brown gave the dimensions of a French metric steerer tube as having a nominal OD of 25mm (slightly less than 1") and a nominal ID of 22mm. That means the tube's wall thickness would be 1.5mm - part of which is threaded and thus already weaker than the unthreaded portion. Increasing the ID to 22.2mm would further reduce the wall thickness to 1.4mm.

In contrast, a standard ISO 1" threaded steerer tube has an nominal OD of 25.4mm and a nominal ID of 22.2mm. This means the normal wall thickness of an ISO 1" threaded steerer tube is 1.6mm.

A French steerer as designed (25mm OD/22mm ID) has a wall thickness 6.25% less than a 1" ISO steerer. Increase the inside diameter to 22.2mm and it's now 12.5% thinner.

I'd sand the stem.