Mixing the "wrong" headset/fork and stem

Richard Thrippleton wrote:
Does anybody here have personal experience of using a quill stem with
a threadless steerer? I'm aware of a trick that Sheldon Brown used in
which the pressure on the top bearings is maintained by some kind of
pinch collar (seatpost clamp?), eliminating the cap at the top and the
spacers on the steerer. I'd assume that this leaves you with a steerer
in which you're free to insert a quill stem, rather than clamping a
new-style stem to the steerer. Can one get steerers in the appropriate
diameter?

You can with 1" steel ones. But who knows what's going to be available in
future. 1 1/8" and alloy and carbon steerers seem to be taking over.

Are there any non-obvious pitfalls? Am I being dumb in some
other way?

It just seems unnecessary to me.

I don't currently have any threadless forks to test this with. The
reason I ask is that I see a time in the future when it gets
increasingly hard to buy bicycles with threaded forks, and want to
continue using the (clearly superior) quill stem technology.

It's not that clear. Both have their pros and cons.

If one of the bike world's greatest old farts - Jobst Brandt - can prefer
the threadless system, maybe you could too.

~PB

Does anybody here have personal experience of using a quill stem with a
threadless steerer? I'm aware of a trick that Sheldon Brown used in
which the pressure on the top bearings is maintained by some kind of
pinch collar (seatpost clamp?), eliminating the cap at the top and the
spacers on the steerer. I'd assume that this leaves you with a steerer
in which you're free to insert a quill stem, rather than clamping a
new-style stem to the steerer. Can one get steerers in the appropriate
diameter? Are there any non-obvious pitfalls? Am I being dumb in some
other way?

I don't currently have any threadless forks to test this with. The
reason I ask is that I see a time in the future when it gets
increasingly hard to buy bicycles with threaded forks, and want to
continue using the (clearly superior) quill stem technology.

Cheers,
Richard

"Richard Thrippleton" wrote in message
...

I don't currently have any threadless forks to test this with. The reason
I ask is that I see a time in the future when it gets increasingly hard to
buy bicycles with threaded forks, and want to continue using the (clearly
superior) quill stem technology.

FSVO "clearly superior" - I much prefer threadless ones.

cheers,
clive

Richard Thrippleton wrote:

The main issue is adjustability; I don't want to have to buy spacers
and a new set of forks each time I feel like having higher or lower
handlebars.

You don't need to do that. Although it is slower to do so than with a quill
stem, you can adjust the height at any time by moving the spacers. Spacers
can be placed above as well as below the stem. Just make sure the steerer
is long enough to start with.

~PB

On Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:52:47 +0100, Richard Thrippleton wrote:

Does anybody here have personal experience of using a quill stem with a
threadless steerer? I'm aware of a trick that Sheldon Brown used in
which the pressure on the top bearings is maintained by some kind of
pinch collar (seatpost clamp?), eliminating the cap at the top and the
spacers on the steerer. I'd assume that this leaves you with a steerer
in which you're free to insert a quill stem, rather than clamping a
new-style stem to the steerer. Can one get steerers in the appropriate
diameter? Are there any non-obvious pitfalls? Am I being dumb in some
other way?

I don't currently have any threadless forks to test this with. The
reason I ask is that I see a time in the future when it gets
increasingly hard to buy bicycles with threaded forks, and want to
continue using the (clearly superior) quill stem technology.


a) threaded forks are unlikely to be anything but easily available; and

b) it's all just metal - pinch clamps are easily made, forks are easily
threaded.

Don't worry.

In the referenced article, Richard Thrippleton writes:

....

I don't currently have any threadless forks to test this with. The
reason I ask is that I see a time in the future when it gets
increasingly hard to buy bicycles with threaded forks, and want to
continue using the (clearly superior) quill stem technology.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Alternative opinions are available. See:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/t...s-headset.html

I too prefer quill stem technology. Mainly because I think modern
stems fitted to threadless forks are ugly when compared to quill
stems. Especially on a lightweight road bike. But then I'm an old
fart. What do I know?
--
Dennis Davis, BUCS, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK

(Dennis Davis) writes:

I too prefer quill stem technology. Mainly because I think modern
stems fitted to threadless forks are ugly when compared to quill
stems. Especially on a lightweight road bike.

Exactly. Frankenstein's neck in the middle of your handlebars.

Brendan
--
Brendan Halpin, Department of Sociology, University of Limerick, Ireland
Tel: w +353-61-213147 f +353-61-202569 h +353-61-338562; Room F2-025 x 3147
http://www.ul.ie/sociology/brendan.halpin.html

On Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:52:47 +0100
Richard Thrippleton wrote:

I don't currently have any threadless forks to test this with. The
reason I ask is that I see a time in the future when it gets
increasingly hard to buy bicycles with threaded forks,

I expect you'll still be able to find a machinist to cut a thread on a
threadless fork. Or maybe all the imperial screwcutters will be gone
too.

and want to
continue using the (clearly superior) quill stem technology.

Why do you think quill stems are superior? Threadless headsets are easy
to work on with only an allen key, the stems are stiff and light and
don't seize in place, you never have problems with the thread on the
forks ...

_ wrote:
On Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:52:47 +0100, Richard Thrippleton wrote:

Does anybody here have personal experience of using a quill stem with a
threadless steerer? I'm aware of a trick that Sheldon Brown used in
which the pressure on the top bearings is maintained by some kind of
pinch collar (seatpost clamp?), eliminating the cap at the top and the
spacers on the steerer. I'd assume that this leaves you with a steerer
in which you're free to insert a quill stem, rather than clamping a
new-style stem to the steerer. Can one get steerers in the appropriate
diameter? Are there any non-obvious pitfalls? Am I being dumb in some
other way?

I don't currently have any threadless forks to test this with. The
reason I ask is that I see a time in the future when it gets
increasingly hard to buy bicycles with threaded forks, and want to
continue using the (clearly superior) quill stem technology.


a) threaded forks are unlikely to be anything but easily available; and
That's good to know, thanks :-). Maybe I got scaremongered by shop
mechanics.

Cheers,
Richard

Rob Morley wrote:
On Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:52:47 +0100
Richard Thrippleton wrote:

I don't currently have any threadless forks to test this with. The
reason I ask is that I see a time in the future when it gets
increasingly hard to buy bicycles with threaded forks,

I expect you'll still be able to find a machinist to cut a thread on a
threadless fork. Or maybe all the imperial screwcutters will be gone
too.

and want to
continue using the (clearly superior) quill stem technology.

Why do you think quill stems are superior? Threadless headsets are easy
to work on with only an allen key, the stems are stiff and light and
don't seize in place, you never have problems with the thread on the
forks ...
Well, I already own the right kind of spanners, and though cumbersome, I
tend not to need to take apart or tighten my headset that much. I've not
had the other problems you describe, and I'm not a professional racer so
don't care about tiny weight differences.

The main issue is adjustability; I don't want to have to buy spacers and
a new set of forks each time I feel like having higher or lower
handlebars. I recently started having ergonomic problems that had me
needing to have a much more upright riding posture. Solving this would
have been very costly had I not had a quill stem.

Richard