Opinions on Zoom adjustable quill stems

I've looking for taller stems with a reach shorter than the current
quill S/R on my ancient road bike, but I'm not exactly sure what the
right measurements should be. An adjustable one like this:

http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.c...=49&SKU=SM2874

appears to foot the bill.

Before opening the wallet, and going through handlebar extraction hell
with my existing set-up, I'm curious as to whether anyone has used one
of these on a road bike. I'll be using it for commuting (24 mi round
trip, mostly bike paths + streets of variable roughness), errands etc.
around the neighborhood, and occasional longer rides. How does it
hold up? Are the adjustments as simple as they appear to be? Is it
overly flex-y? Are there any alternatives worth looking at? Any
other issues?

TIA,
John

On 25 Aug 2004 11:43:46 -0700, (JBAfromNY) wrote:

I've looking for taller stems with a reach shorter than the current
quill S/R on my ancient road bike, but I'm not exactly sure what the
right measurements should be. An adjustable one like this:

http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.c...=49&SKU=SM2874

appears to foot the bill.

Before opening the wallet, and going through handlebar extraction hell
with my existing set-up, I'm curious as to whether anyone has used one
of these on a road bike.

I haven't used the Zoom on a road bike, but I've got one on a mountain
bike. I haven't been using it very long, but it seems OK for the
fairly sedate riding I do; no jumps, no drops, no mad-dash downhill.
It's got a couple of plastic load-bearing structural pieces, which
makes me a bit nervous about its resistance to large impulse loads,
but so far it doesn't seem to be given to problems. I'd have no real
qualms about using it on a road bike if I needed that much rise or
extension, though some road bars will be the wrong size for it. It's
designed for 25.4mm bars. Many road bars are 26.0mm.
--
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I just took an adjustable (though not a quill) stem off of my new bike.
It is amazingly heavy. (I'll weigh it tomorrow, if you like. It
seems to be around a third of a pound heavier than the standard
replacement.)

Before I purchased this bike, I had never really thought about the
effect of a very heavy stem on a bike. On my racing bike, adding a cm
or two to a normal stem never affected the ride very much. Removing the
adjustable stem on this new bike has made a big and positive difference
- converting an unsteady and somewhat wobbly bike into a normal
handling road bike.

I would get fitted or ride until you get a good guess about the proper
size. Then, go with a "normal" stem.

vB


JBAfromNY wrote:

I've looking for taller stems with a reach shorter than the current
quill S/R on my ancient road bike, but I'm not exactly sure what the
right measurements should be. An adjustable one like this:

http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.c...=49&SKU=SM2874

appears to foot the bill.

Before opening the wallet, and going through handlebar extraction hell
with my existing set-up, I'm curious as to whether anyone has used one
of these on a road bike. I'll be using it for commuting (24 mi round
trip, mostly bike paths + streets of variable roughness), errands etc.
around the neighborhood, and occasional longer rides. How does it
hold up? Are the adjustments as simple as they appear to be? Is it
overly flex-y? Are there any alternatives worth looking at? Any
other issues?

TIA,
John

I just took an adjustable (though not a quill) stem off of my new bike.
It is amazingly heavy. (I'll weigh it tomorrow, if you like. It
seems to be around a third of a pound heavier than the standard
replacement.)

Before I purchased this bike, I had never really thought about the
effect of a very heavy stem on a bike. On my racing bike, adding a cm
or two to a normal stem never affected the ride very much. Removing the
adjustable stem on this new bike has made a big and positive difference
- converting an unsteady and somewhat wobbly bike into a normal
handling road bike.

I would get fitted or ride until you get a good guess about the proper
size. Then, go with a "normal" stem.

vB


JBAfromNY wrote:

I've looking for taller stems with a reach shorter than the current
quill S/R on my ancient road bike, but I'm not exactly sure what the
right measurements should be. An adjustable one like this:

http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.c...=49&SKU=SM2874

appears to foot the bill.

Before opening the wallet, and going through handlebar extraction hell
with my existing set-up, I'm curious as to whether anyone has used one
of these on a road bike. I'll be using it for commuting (24 mi round
trip, mostly bike paths + streets of variable roughness), errands etc.
around the neighborhood, and occasional longer rides. How does it
hold up? Are the adjustments as simple as they appear to be? Is it
overly flex-y? Are there any alternatives worth looking at? Any
other issues?

TIA,
John

On 25 Aug 2004 11:43:46 -0700, (JBAfromNY) wrote:

I've looking for taller stems with a reach shorter than the current
quill S/R on my ancient road bike, but I'm not exactly sure what the
right measurements should be. An adjustable one like this:

http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.c...=49&SKU=SM2874

appears to foot the bill.

Before opening the wallet, and going through handlebar extraction hell
with my existing set-up, I'm curious as to whether anyone has used one
of these on a road bike. I'll be using it for commuting (24 mi round
trip, mostly bike paths + streets of variable roughness), errands etc.
around the neighborhood, and occasional longer rides. How does it
hold up? Are the adjustments as simple as they appear to be? Is it
overly flex-y? Are there any alternatives worth looking at? Any
other issues?

Turns out I own two of these, one of which I actually use. It came on
a Fuji Touring Series I bought used. I don't know if it was original
equipment or something the previous owner added. I adjusted it to fit
me when I got the bike (almost two years ago) and haven't touched it
since. Adjustment was simple and it's held the adjustment just fine.

Alternatives; the Look Ergo Stem is more adjustable, but costs four or
five times as much.

BTW, my second Zoom adjustable stem was on a Trek 520 a friend of mine
wanted to sell. She thought it would sell better if she returned it to
factory specs, so she had me reinstall the original stem. In payment
she gave me the Zoom (and some other parts I retrograded). I've
thought about using it on my TT bike, but then I haven't ridden that
bike in a few years. :-(

Another BTW, I liked the 520 so much I recommended my girlfriend buy
it. She's been happily riding it for about three years now.


jeverett3ATearthlinkDOTnet http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

On 25 Aug 2004 11:43:46 -0700, (JBAfromNY) wrote:

I've looking for taller stems with a reach shorter than the current
quill S/R on my ancient road bike, but I'm not exactly sure what the
right measurements should be. An adjustable one like this:

http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.c...=49&SKU=SM2874

appears to foot the bill.

Before opening the wallet, and going through handlebar extraction hell
with my existing set-up, I'm curious as to whether anyone has used one
of these on a road bike. I'll be using it for commuting (24 mi round
trip, mostly bike paths + streets of variable roughness), errands etc.
around the neighborhood, and occasional longer rides. How does it
hold up? Are the adjustments as simple as they appear to be? Is it
overly flex-y? Are there any alternatives worth looking at? Any
other issues?

Turns out I own two of these, one of which I actually use. It came on
a Fuji Touring Series I bought used. I don't know if it was original
equipment or something the previous owner added. I adjusted it to fit
me when I got the bike (almost two years ago) and haven't touched it
since. Adjustment was simple and it's held the adjustment just fine.

Alternatives; the Look Ergo Stem is more adjustable, but costs four or
five times as much.

BTW, my second Zoom adjustable stem was on a Trek 520 a friend of mine
wanted to sell. She thought it would sell better if she returned it to
factory specs, so she had me reinstall the original stem. In payment
she gave me the Zoom (and some other parts I retrograded). I've
thought about using it on my TT bike, but then I haven't ridden that
bike in a few years. :-(

Another BTW, I liked the 520 so much I recommended my girlfriend buy
it. She's been happily riding it for about three years now.


jeverett3ATearthlinkDOTnet http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

Varanasi Benares wrote in message thlink.net...
I just took an adjustable (though not a quill) stem off of my new bike.
It is amazingly heavy. (I'll weigh it tomorrow, if you like. It
seems to be around a third of a pound heavier than the standard
replacement.)

Before I purchased this bike, I had never really thought about the
effect of a very heavy stem on a bike. On my racing bike, adding a cm
or two to a normal stem never affected the ride very much. Removing the
adjustable stem on this new bike has made a big and positive difference
- converting an unsteady and somewhat wobbly bike into a normal
handling road bike.

I would get fitted or ride until you get a good guess about the proper
size. Then, go with a "normal" stem.

vB

Getting properly fit is probably good advice, but I'm not too
confident in any of the shops near me to do this. In any event, I I
wound up buying the thing from a LBS before seeing your post. I was
itching to install some cross-brakes and re-tape my bars anyway, so
with this much dis-assembly going on anyway, two birds with one stone
and all that. I'm not too concerned about the weight issue. Though I
haven't weighed the Zoom versus my current stem, I don't think there's
going to be much of a penalty, if any. The horizontal part of the
stem is alloy , and overall it seems pretty light. I think what I
have right now (an old S/R cromo quill) is relatively heavy to begin
with. Also, the main reason for this purchase (my gradual evolution
into something older, slower, heavier, and less flexible than what I
was when I bought the bike) probably lessens the significance of stem
weight. Many additional pounds of torso leaning on the same old hands
probably means more than a few dozen grams of stem in the grand scheme
of things.

Varanasi Benares wrote in message thlink.net...
I just took an adjustable (though not a quill) stem off of my new bike.
It is amazingly heavy. (I'll weigh it tomorrow, if you like. It
seems to be around a third of a pound heavier than the standard
replacement.)

Before I purchased this bike, I had never really thought about the
effect of a very heavy stem on a bike. On my racing bike, adding a cm
or two to a normal stem never affected the ride very much. Removing the
adjustable stem on this new bike has made a big and positive difference
- converting an unsteady and somewhat wobbly bike into a normal
handling road bike.

I would get fitted or ride until you get a good guess about the proper
size. Then, go with a "normal" stem.

vB

Getting properly fit is probably good advice, but I'm not too
confident in any of the shops near me to do this. In any event, I I
wound up buying the thing from a LBS before seeing your post. I was
itching to install some cross-brakes and re-tape my bars anyway, so
with this much dis-assembly going on anyway, two birds with one stone
and all that. I'm not too concerned about the weight issue. Though I
haven't weighed the Zoom versus my current stem, I don't think there's
going to be much of a penalty, if any. The horizontal part of the
stem is alloy , and overall it seems pretty light. I think what I
have right now (an old S/R cromo quill) is relatively heavy to begin
with. Also, the main reason for this purchase (my gradual evolution
into something older, slower, heavier, and less flexible than what I
was when I bought the bike) probably lessens the significance of stem
weight. Many additional pounds of torso leaning on the same old hands
probably means more than a few dozen grams of stem in the grand scheme
of things.

Varanasi Benares wrote in message ...
I just took an adjustable (though not a quill) stem off of my new bike.
It is amazingly heavy. (I'll weigh it tomorrow, if you like. It
seems to be around a third of a pound heavier than the standard
replacement.)

Before I purchased this bike, I had never really thought about the
effect of a very heavy stem on a bike. On my racing bike, adding a cm
or two to a normal stem never affected the ride very much. Removing the
adjustable stem on this new bike has made a big and positive difference
- converting an unsteady and somewhat wobbly bike into a normal
handling road bike.

I would get fitted or ride until you get a good guess about the proper
size. Then, go with a "normal" stem.

A balance of components.

Trevor

Varanasi Benares wrote in message ...
I just took an adjustable (though not a quill) stem off of my new bike.
It is amazingly heavy. (I'll weigh it tomorrow, if you like. It
seems to be around a third of a pound heavier than the standard
replacement.)

Before I purchased this bike, I had never really thought about the
effect of a very heavy stem on a bike. On my racing bike, adding a cm
or two to a normal stem never affected the ride very much. Removing the
adjustable stem on this new bike has made a big and positive difference
- converting an unsteady and somewhat wobbly bike into a normal
handling road bike.

I would get fitted or ride until you get a good guess about the proper
size. Then, go with a "normal" stem.

A balance of components.

Trevor