custom titanium stems from China
01-23-22, 04:23 PM
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custom titanium stems from China
Not sure if any classic and vintage bike rebuilders have considered this or not but I am intrigued at the idea of running a titanium stem on several of my 1990's/early 2000's era aluminum roadbike builds I'm working on. One of them the Klein Quantum has a 1" straight steerer and I have outfitted this with a really nifty ti aheadset type stem that accepts 31.8 bars. This part was less than $100 and really looks great with a matching ti seatpost.
The custom one I just ordered is for a Cannondale Six13 that I am working on. It will have Deda Trentacinque 35.0 bars so I need the titanium builder to do the custom option. They say they are willing to do it for me and the price is $135. If the quality of the finished product is anything like what I got in the 1" aheadset stem, I'm gonna be stoked.
The custom one I just ordered is for a Cannondale Six13 that I am working on. It will have Deda Trentacinque 35.0 bars so I need the titanium builder to do the custom option. They say they are willing to do it for me and the price is $135. If the quality of the finished product is anything like what I got in the 1" aheadset stem, I'm gonna be stoked.
01-23-22, 04:51 PM
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No images of the one in hand?
01-23-22, 05:00 PM
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Not sure if any classic and vintage bike rebuilders have considered this or not but I am intrigued at the idea of running a titanium stem on several of my 1990's/early 2000's era aluminum roadbike builds I'm working on. One of them the Klein Quantum has a 1" straight steerer and I have outfitted this with a really nifty ti aheadset type stem that accepts 31.8 bars. This part was less than $100 and really looks great with a matching ti seatpost.
The custom one I just ordered is for a Cannondale Six13 that I am working on. It will have Deda Trentacinque 35.0 bars so I need the titanium builder to do the custom option. They say they are willing to do it for me and the price is $135. If the quality of the finished product is anything like what I got in the 1" aheadset stem, I'm gonna be stoked.
The custom one I just ordered is for a Cannondale Six13 that I am working on. It will have Deda Trentacinque 35.0 bars so I need the titanium builder to do the custom option. They say they are willing to do it for me and the price is $135. If the quality of the finished product is anything like what I got in the 1" aheadset stem, I'm gonna be stoked.
01-23-22, 05:08 PM
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They are made from old Chengdu J-7 parts
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01-23-22, 05:21 PM
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Don't knock it. There's one manufacturer on AliExpress from Taiwan offering these beauties. I have no doubt they can make one hell of a stem.
-Kurt
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01-23-22, 05:57 PM
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I’m pretty sure Waltly Ti bikes are made in China and people tend to be really happy with them. Right now, due to high demand , wait times for a custom frame are “3-4 months” .
https://www.waltlytitanium.com
https://www.waltlytitanium.com
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01-23-22, 06:16 PM
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I have never been on AliExpress because I thought it was cheap knockoff stuff. Now I’m intrigued and I suspect it could become quite a rabbit hole.
01-23-22, 06:44 PM
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I have zero doubt there are Chinese craftspeople who can weld Ti with the best of them... but Chinese businesses tend to go with the cheapest thing they can get away with... labor, materials, quality control, and overhead... so you just have to be more diligent.
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01-23-22, 07:06 PM
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As I say this, I can't help but think of the gorgeous Velo Orange Gran Cru stem. It's not crap. IIRC, it's either from China or Taiwan.
Granted, there's no guarantee that by cutting out the middleman you're getting a decent product, but only experience from other customers will bear out exactly what you are getting for $135.
-Kurt
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Last edited by cudak888; 01-23-22 at 08:58 PM.
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01-23-22, 07:16 PM
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01-23-22, 07:32 PM
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I found this VERY high-quality, anodized aluminum handlebar there. I couldn't find a pattern like this offered anywhere else from anyone, name brand or otherwise.
AliExpress is also where this 1X MTB Hollowtech II crankset came from. Couldn't find anything quite like it from stateside sellers.
-Kurt
AliExpress is also where this 1X MTB Hollowtech II crankset came from. Couldn't find anything quite like it from stateside sellers.
-Kurt
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01-23-22, 09:01 PM
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Yet, the OP gave us next to no information, so this conversation is half guesswork. They could be ordering a Taiwanese-made, custom TI stem through a Chinese dealer, for all we know.
IMHO, the OP's post has so little to converse upon without a picture that this thread was destined to devolve into something completely ambiguous and not particularly grounded in the first place.
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Last edited by cudak888; 01-23-22 at 09:06 PM.
01-24-22, 12:15 AM
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I'm not the OP, but I can offer this example, from J&L Titanium via eBay. Not quite the level of welding and finish that I'd look for from, say, Moots or Ibis, but it's darn fine.
Similar in design to the Velo-Orange "tall stack" stem. This one is made for a threadless 1" steerer tube and 31.8mm handlebars. Slated for an upcoming build this spring. Or summer...
Similar in design to the Velo-Orange "tall stack" stem. This one is made for a threadless 1" steerer tube and 31.8mm handlebars. Slated for an upcoming build this spring. Or summer...
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01-24-22, 07:27 AM
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mhespenheide - I think this is the same stem I have here. Hopefully the single bolt is sufficient to keep the headset bearings at the correct pre-tension level. The fact that these were made for 1” steerers is nice (I have a second one in reserve for a future project).
I will post photos of the custom one for the 35.0 bars when I get it. Hopefully the 35.0 bar clamp in titanium won’t be so garishly large as to detract….
cudak888 - my apologies for being speculative… I will occasionally sneak in a quick post from work (during a moment of downtime only) to spark my own anticipation of fun things to come. I am an RN working 12 hour shifts and also recovering from COVID. BTW: on the Klein pictured, I realize that I will need to cut the fork down although the temporary protuberance on top of the stem doesn’t look horrible. The knurled spacers top and bottom I think accentuate the quality look of the titanium stem. Velo Orange sold them a few years ago but I can’t find them any more. If anyone knows of a vendor still selling these knurled (faceted) spacers, please share the vendor name…
I will post photos of the custom one for the 35.0 bars when I get it. Hopefully the 35.0 bar clamp in titanium won’t be so garishly large as to detract….
cudak888 - my apologies for being speculative… I will occasionally sneak in a quick post from work (during a moment of downtime only) to spark my own anticipation of fun things to come. I am an RN working 12 hour shifts and also recovering from COVID. BTW: on the Klein pictured, I realize that I will need to cut the fork down although the temporary protuberance on top of the stem doesn’t look horrible. The knurled spacers top and bottom I think accentuate the quality look of the titanium stem. Velo Orange sold them a few years ago but I can’t find them any more. If anyone knows of a vendor still selling these knurled (faceted) spacers, please share the vendor name…
01-24-22, 08:28 AM
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Hmm, a Ti stem on a Six13, I'm having a hard time picturing it. Which Six13 are you working on specifically? (I really miss my Six13 
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01-24-22, 12:03 PM
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As a general statement, I wouldn't have a problem with something coming out of Taiwan, the level of craftsmanship there is quite high. I get all my basic consumable parts from a Taiwan supplier and have not been disappointed yet. I've also racked up thousands of miles on my Bianchi S9, a ti frame apparently welded in Taiwan.
01-24-22, 03:12 PM
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01-24-22, 05:18 PM
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cudak888 - my apologies for being speculative… I will occasionally sneak in a quick post from work (during a moment of downtime only) to spark my own anticipation of fun things to come. I am an RN working 12 hour shifts and also recovering from COVID.
-Kurt
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01-24-22, 05:27 PM
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I found this VERY high-quality, anodized aluminum handlebar there. I couldn't find a pattern like this offered anywhere else from anyone, name brand or otherwise.
AliExpress is also where this 1X MTB Hollowtech II crankset came from. Couldn't find anything quite like it from stateside sellers.
-Kurt
AliExpress is also where this 1X MTB Hollowtech II crankset came from. Couldn't find anything quite like it from stateside sellers.
-Kurt
01-24-22, 05:45 PM
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01-24-22, 10:28 PM
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