steerer tube problem

"AMuzi" wrote in message
...
Jean wrote:
"Chalo" wrote in message
...
Jean wrote:
I have an older bike with a steel fork that has a threaded steerer
column.
The stem is currently at the "minimum insertion" mark and I wanted to
lower
it a bit, but I found that the stem could not be lowered at all. The
bottom
of the stem is not contacting anything, and I couldn't feel any
irregularities or protrusions inside the head tube that might explain
the
problem. I tried using a different stem, but it too wasn't able to be
lowed
beyond a certain point. Is it possible that the steerer has become
"ovalized" from the stem being over-tightened and that's what is
preventing
the stem from being lowered?
If you have a short-person bike with a dinky little head tube, the
stem is probably bottoming out on the steer tube's internal taper.
This can happen even with normal length steer tubes if the stem quill
is long (like a Nitto Technomic).

Chalo


Just for reference, it is a "short-person" bike

So it is normal for the steerer to be tapered on the inside? I sure
didn't know that, but it would explain my problem. Thanks for the info.

Try this:
http://www.equusbicycle.com/bike/tan...ngecat1997.pdf

Set 'view' to 100% and go to the bottom right images.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

The diagram was interesting. I'm surprised that my bike has the tapered
steerer - I would have thought it had the least expensive (i.e., untapered)
kind.

Jean