SkinGriz

I know it’s not the end of the world. I understand if your riding 100 miles every ounce probably counts.

That said, I get annoyed when I see that one pinch bolt and know the bars have to slide all the way through to separate the bars from the headset.

Iride01 

So you don't like vintage bikes. Or does that anger transfer to the riders too?

SkinGriz

Do new road bikes have top and bottom pinch bolts?
I think vintage bikes are cool.
I think the C&V thing is cool.
Breathing new life and your own touch into something to make it go better than new is cool.

70sSanO

You can get a quill stem with a removable faceplate for an older bike.

I admit is is a pain if you are trying out different bars. But it is kind of a moot point once you have dialed in your setup since it might stay that way for decades.

And some people just prefer the elegance of a single bolt stem.

John

SkinGriz

^ This.
I did think about it from the other side. “For the guy who puts thousands of miles on his bike- The PITA factor to miles traveled is probably a good ratio.”

Rolla

Everything's a trade-off: Quill stems allow for greater and easier height adjustability, but they also flex more. Threaded headsets are a PITA to adjust, but quill stems look cooler.
If you swap out handlebars a lot, you learn not to tape them until you're sure.

CliffordK

I really don't take my bars on and off of the bike very frequently. Put them on once, and ride and ride and ride.

The issue I have with the old pinch bolts is that they don't work with all styles of bars, especially the flat top bars which I tend to prefer.

philbob57

IDK ... I disassembled my C&V bike last year, and all I did for the bars and stem was take the levers, tape, cables, bars, stem, brakes off as a single assembly. Reassembly was a breeze.

But I think I understand the problem. I'm contemplating new 'bars this year, and the biggest impediment is that I don't want to go through the hassle of threading new 'bars through the stem ... modern stems make switching bars so easy! OTOH, I think I last threaded bars through the stem in 1984, so it's not that big a deal.

CliffordK

If you are switching bars, you generally also have to switch the brakes, so not so much time saved avoiding taking everything apart.

And there is only one bolt to worry about, rather than four, and no faceplate to get lost.

cxwrench

You're.
Stem.

Iride01 

I've been wondering when someone was going to pick up on that. It was killing me not to point it out in my reply.

genejockey 

Pedants R Us.

Iride01 

Yeah, maybe the forum should give out badges, like Garmin and Strava do. <grin>

79pmooney

I'm a quill stem guy. I love the ease of raising and lowering. I used to do it in my racing days. As the season progressed, the bars went down. Got slammed for criteriums. (They all had dents in their throats.) My first ti custom got a threadless 1" steerer and steel fork. The next (my logo) got similar fork and steerer BUT threaded. While it was being built, I picked up a wide set of pista bars. Set them up as climbing bars with huge hooded levers (that I later learned were V-brake) and dual pivot calipers.

That setup didn't have the best on-the-hoods position, so I made up another cockpit and brake with regular road bars and levers mated to Superbe side-pulls. This made for a really good flat ground setup.

The real joy (and where quill stems absolutely rule!) is swapping the two. I take off the front brake; still cabled up. Disconnect the rear cable. Loosen the stem and lift off everything. Reverse process with the other cockpit. Swap the rear caliper and connect. Done. 10 minutes or less. With a piece of tape (or existing scratch) on the stem; nothing to measure, adjust or fuss with. Rear brake cable adjust is so non-critical and the little wheel adjust is right there. (Plus both the Shimano DP and the Superbe have cam lever releases that can be use 1/2 open; allowing for fine tuning as you ride and keeping that swap to 10 minutes even on a bad day.) With a long quill, getting the bars straight is easier than with those fatter threadless stems. Stem bolt torque? On those quills, almost every torque you can imagine works. No one ever used to use a torque wrench with them. Failures were/are rare and most happened with really cheap stems or stems several decades old.

In 10 minutes, I can completely change the complexion of the bike. And I can do it immediately before I leave for my ride. Never a headset I didn't quite dial in or second thoughts about stem bolt torques.

Oh, that first ti bike? When its headset dies, it's getting a threaded headset and Nitto Pearl stem; going back to the builder to have the stem cut and tapped. (A little sad. When George W sent us all that check, I spent mine on a custom and gorgeous ti threadless stem. The Pearl will be heavier and more flexible, but a lot more graceful.)

terrymorse 

Plus there's a fatal flaw in the design: quill stems sometimes get badly stuck in the steering tube.

I'll stay with the modern design.

Rolla

I don't run quill stems these days either, but the "flaw" is
(a) not fatal
(b) easily prevented
(c) the same as a seatpost, yet somehow we've survived

terrymorse 

If your desire is to remove the quill stem at some future date, it is fatal.

It is not easily prevented. Let some sweat fall from your brow onto your stem, rock the wobbly and creaking stem back and forth so the sweat can penetrate, deliver that sweat to the snug AF tightener bolt at the bottom of the quill.

It is not the same as a seatpost, which doesn't get sweat deposited upon it regularly, doesn't pump sweat into the depths, doesn't have a tightener at the bottom of the post.

SkinGriz

*** on. My englisch isnt gud enuff 4 u?

SkinGriz

Stem not headset.

It could be easier to replace the stem and leave the bars in it. That makes sense.

Thank you all for the different ways of looking at it.

SkinGriz

Been 20+ years, but I’ve had the quill stem loosen up on BMX bikes couple times as a teenager. Just remember realizing handlebars and forks losing track of each other. Little pucker factor. Stop bike ASAP.

I don’t remember it ever happening on a BMX track, but that would’ve been interesting.

Koyote

In a thread that is motivated by irritation over one of life's small details, this seems pretty reasonable to me.

cxwrench

No. If you can't manage 4th grade grammar I have no respect for you. Simple.

SkinGriz

Fair enough.

SkinGriz

Is that universal? Or like a sliding scale where college profs are worshipped and housing framers are executed?

veganbikes

A seized stem is not fatal, it is a pain in the arse but will not kill you.

It is easily prevent by our good friend grease and regular maintenance like onewould do on their bike normally.

You don't sweat from your buns or fleshy fun bridge? Certainly have had triathlete piss (yes some do pee while riding and drop their bikes off for service before cleaning and sanitizing) on them so I can't imagine you wouldn't get sweat as well, would be tough not too. But again like the quill stem you can grease it and pull it out once and a while to check it not hard and not a long process and will save you from seizing.

They also did have quill seatposts, not very common now but they did exist not that it matters. The important thing is grease and some occasional but regular checking. If you are saying this stuff is so bad imagine what is going on with the rest of your bike that you don't maintain.