26mm compact bars: which quill stem ?

Hi there,

My problem is quite simple: I have a set of 26mm compact bars (Deda Piegga), and most classic quill stem won't go through the top curve because it's too, well, curved. So far I know about these options:

• 3ttt record 84. These stems have a small screw allowing to expand the clamp just enough to go round the curve (but there will be some scratching, I tried)
  
• quill stem with open face-plate. The Deda Murex is just plain ugly and the other seem to be hard to come by
  
• (and of course the adaptor+ahead stem solution, but I'm after a quill stem)
  
  

At the moment I have a 3ttt but it's a tad too long. Even if the obvious solution would be to get a shorter one I was wondering if anyone had any experience fitting another classic, non-openable quill stem to these bars. And preferably an easy to find and not too expensive one :)

Thanks!

I'm no expert but I just did this with a 3 ttt status from planet x. It's got some stretch built in when you put a 2p in the gap and tighten the bolt. It widens the clamp and let's you get it round the bends. Hope that helps.

Same situation here , status stem can "stretch" a fair bit and is a nice , good looking stem (apart from the plastic cover which is very fragile)

As a matter of fact I was looking at these stems from P-X, wondering if one of them would fit the bill. So that helps a lot. Thanks !

That being said I don't see how the 2p trick would work with the Status, as the bolt hole is blind and thus I could not screw the bolt from the back of the clamp (if that makes sense).

You can prise it open a bit more and then keep it open with a wedge made up of screwdrivers and other stuff found in most garages. Worked a treat for me.

Cinelli 1a is also possible? stick a cone spanner and other utensils in there to widen the hole and it should slip round the bend with minor scratches to the bars

As everyone else has said, a little prising apart can go a long way. I've got a 3T Pro Chrome and a Mavic 365 onto Piegas and Spotter bars without much trouble. Worth saying that removing the bolt entirely then using your tool of choice worked best for me.

Alright, thanks for the info :)

I went down the adapter route. My reason was simple: I needed a 135mm-stem, which is like a wet noodle in the 1bolt clamp-quill style. With the piegas and a long 4bolt stem, I actually ended up lighter than with a quill stem, and due to the 26mm diametre, they are quite compliant at rough roads, and lighter with a few grams than basic 31.8 bars (46cm oo piega measured exactly at 300gr)

NB: I first bought the bars and wanted to use them with my former quill stem, but realised that with the short reach, I'd need a longer stem. And it was easier to get a long enough stem with the 4 bolt type.

I'd never go back to quill stems, too much flex for me :(