Stem with brake cable hanger built in
05-10-21, 04:18 PM
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Stem with brake cable hanger built in
Tried searching all forums but no luck. I’m converting a vintage small Cannondale mtb into an adult bmx. Swapping the handlebars and stem to bmx style. Would anyone know a source for a new or used chrome stem that has a built in brake cable hanger that routes through the stem? Hear it was common back in the day but can’t find one anywhere online. Here’s a not so helpful pic of what I mean.
05-11-21, 09:59 AM
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Do you want an actual vintage stem or do you want a cheaper re-pop? There's a couple of options here.
If you want to find a authentic vintage stem: www.bmxmuseum.com It might help putting "Freestyle" as a key word as that was a freestyle modification for rotors.
Your in the US? You can buy modern re-make versions here.
Stems: Quill - BMXGuru.com
Porkchop BMX Quill Stems Old School BMX Bicycle Products
Shafted BMX Stems Archives - Americancycle.com Order BMX Bikes and BMX Parts
I'm not sure how handy you are but BITD it wasn't un common for people to drill and tap the hole themselves, and add the adjuster bolt from some old brakes. So you can spend $16 on a new one and try drilling it yourself. Or expect to spend over $100 on a vintage Suntour in good shape.
Btw the one in your picture is a combination of two different suntour stems.
See the stem on the left? The hole is there for the allen key to adjust the stem bolt. They took the cap off that and added it to the stem on the right.
If you want to find a authentic vintage stem: www.bmxmuseum.com It might help putting "Freestyle" as a key word as that was a freestyle modification for rotors.
Your in the US? You can buy modern re-make versions here.
Stems: Quill - BMXGuru.com
Porkchop BMX Quill Stems Old School BMX Bicycle Products
Shafted BMX Stems Archives - Americancycle.com Order BMX Bikes and BMX Parts
I'm not sure how handy you are but BITD it wasn't un common for people to drill and tap the hole themselves, and add the adjuster bolt from some old brakes. So you can spend $16 on a new one and try drilling it yourself. Or expect to spend over $100 on a vintage Suntour in good shape.
Btw the one in your picture is a combination of two different suntour stems.
See the stem on the left? The hole is there for the allen key to adjust the stem bolt. They took the cap off that and added it to the stem on the right.
Last edited by cbrstar; 05-11-21 at 10:09 AM.
05-11-21, 12:50 PM
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Do you want an actual vintage stem or do you want a cheaper re-pop? There's a couple of options here.
If you want to find a authentic vintage stem: www.bmxmuseum.com It might help putting "Freestyle" as a key word as that was a freestyle modification for rotors.
Your in the US? You can buy modern re-make versions here.
Stems: Quill - BMXGuru.com
Porkchop BMX Quill Stems Old School BMX Bicycle Products
Shafted BMX Stems Archives - Americancycle.com Order BMX Bikes and BMX Parts
I'm not sure how handy you are but BITD it wasn't un common for people to drill and tap the hole themselves, and add the adjuster bolt from some old brakes. So you can spend $16 on a new one and try drilling it yourself. Or expect to spend over $100 on a vintage Suntour in good shape.
Btw the one in your picture is a combination of two different suntour stems.
See the stem on the left? The hole is there for the allen key to adjust the stem bolt. They took the cap off that and added it to the stem on the right.
If you want to find a authentic vintage stem: www.bmxmuseum.com It might help putting "Freestyle" as a key word as that was a freestyle modification for rotors.
Your in the US? You can buy modern re-make versions here.
Stems: Quill - BMXGuru.com
Porkchop BMX Quill Stems Old School BMX Bicycle Products
Shafted BMX Stems Archives - Americancycle.com Order BMX Bikes and BMX Parts
I'm not sure how handy you are but BITD it wasn't un common for people to drill and tap the hole themselves, and add the adjuster bolt from some old brakes. So you can spend $16 on a new one and try drilling it yourself. Or expect to spend over $100 on a vintage Suntour in good shape.
Btw the one in your picture is a combination of two different suntour stems.
See the stem on the left? The hole is there for the allen key to adjust the stem bolt. They took the cap off that and added it to the stem on the right.
05-11-21, 01:41 PM
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Would this gyro part be what I should install to keep my front canti brakes or is this strictly a freestyle bmx part? This 20” mongoose is going for $20 on FB marketplace so I could get it just for that stem.
05-11-21, 03:49 PM
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This was known as the "Potts Mod" back in the day, thanks to Steve Potts. You can find a hollow bolt for quill stems on Ebay if you want to try to use your existing stem.
05-12-21, 06:09 AM
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Wilbur76 - don't bother with the gyro, it wouldn't work with canti brakes anyway.
This stem from BMX Guru is exactly what you're looking for, I think.
https://www.bmxguru.com/collections/...le-w-potts-mod
This stem from BMX Guru is exactly what you're looking for, I think.
https://www.bmxguru.com/collections/...le-w-potts-mod
Likes For Viich:
05-12-21, 01:18 PM
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Or this one if you like the style better enough to spend the extra $$$$
https://www.americancycle.com/produc...mx-stem-retro/
https://www.americancycle.com/produc...mx-stem-retro/
05-12-21, 01:50 PM
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I'll give you a bit of history on the Rotor.
As you can see from the set up tech sheet they originally came with a hanger for the cable. But then someone realized that they could remove the hanger by drilling a hole in the stem and companies started producing them like that. Now what the Mongoose has is called a Gyro and not a rotor. Rotors were finicky to set up as you had to have a long a enough stem and have it at max height for it to work. Gyro's came along which was a much easier system and rotors started to become less popular.
Speculation but I think some MTB's must have remembered the stems that were set up for rotors and realized that you could use it to remove the brake hanger from the headset.
05-12-21, 05:38 PM
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Just like Vilch says it won't work with canti brakes.
I'll give you a bit of history on the Rotor.
As you can see from the set up tech sheet they originally came with a hanger for the cable. But then someone realized that they could remove the hanger by drilling a hole in the stem and companies started producing them like that. Now what the Mongoose has is called a Gyro and not a rotor. Rotors were finicky to set up as you had to have a long a enough stem and have it at max height for it to work. Gyro's came along which was a much easier system and rotors started to become less popular.
Speculation but I think some MTB's must have remembered the stems that were set up for rotors and realized that you could use it to remove the brake hanger from the headset.
I'll give you a bit of history on the Rotor.
As you can see from the set up tech sheet they originally came with a hanger for the cable. But then someone realized that they could remove the hanger by drilling a hole in the stem and companies started producing them like that. Now what the Mongoose has is called a Gyro and not a rotor. Rotors were finicky to set up as you had to have a long a enough stem and have it at max height for it to work. Gyro's came along which was a much easier system and rotors started to become less popular.
Speculation but I think some MTB's must have remembered the stems that were set up for rotors and realized that you could use it to remove the brake hanger from the headset.
