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Yeah, as Ed says, there are 1.1/8th quills around - I've got an old Raleigh all-terrain frame from maybe 1979 and that's got what you're after. But it's a super chunky heavy steel affair - fitting that would definitely be a downgrade.
Plus, how do you solve the problem of keeping the fork in place? If it's a threadless fork, the headset also does the job of keeping it in place. You can fit an old 1.1/8th quill stem easily enough... But then what stops the fork falling out the bottom of the steerer tube as soon as you lift the nose of the bike? You'd need some kind of clamp down the neck of the fork a bit to keep it in place. In my head, that's looking ugly-fugly.
Besides, it's a Charge - they're hardly elegant beasts (and I speak an an owner). You aren't going to make it look graceful by adding a quill stem.
I'm with Ed. Just use components with the right look that use the right fittings. There's plenty of stuff on the market with the right sort of look.
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Sooooo
Been upgrading my Grinder and I'm looking for more classic looking parts than what's on the frame now, one upgrade I'd like to make is a quill stem.Only problem is that the Charge Plug has a 1 1/8" headset apparently.
Is a shim to make a 1" quill stem fit possible/advisable?
As with all of my questions on here, may be stupid so I apologize in advance!
Cheers.
OMG, the Charge has fairly oversized tubing, with a graceful quill stem it would make eyes bleed :(
Not mentioning the mess around, yes 1" 1/8 quill stems DO exists, but VERY rare with a negative rise!
Unless you're ok with a +10° (or more), you still have to change the forks and the headset to threaded ones. With threadless there will be nothing holding the bearings at the top (where the spacers are, and the threadless stem that keeps everything in place). You will have this fairly big headset, spacers that run free.... and a tiny stem that will be SO wrong with the proportions of the frame....Even more, the forks are steel, that means that inside is unlikely they will be perfectly 25.4mm, but maybe a little more = the stem won't stay tight.
As you can see, so many troubles....
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Leave it as is, or get a better stem (the standard Charge ones are ugly, that is true) -
Can we knock this one on the head? You can fit an 1" quill to an 1'1/8th threadless steerer if you really want to.
It's not an adapter job, but that Diatech thing in Crank's post may work if still available, and it could save a load of work.You will be doing this against the advice of many good men and women, your dentist will rub his hands and book his holidays.
You will ruin your bike and turn it into a noodle. Nobody will fancy you ever. You will be shunned. Some people say you will die.
But your bike won't have an Ahead stem and all their advantages.You need a fork with a steel steerer. You need a threaded headset or a CK 2nut conversion.
You need a die and guide of the right size and a shim to suit, a vice that is properly mounted, cutting fluid (ahem),
a steerer cutting guide (ditto), a hacksaw, measuring kit, spacers, about two hours away from your customary loom-wrecking, and breakfast.
Cut the thread onto the steerer tube, until the threaded part sits below the top bearing, like so;
If only that sounded like it is. An hour of sweat, oil, swarf, mess and pain. No wonder no-one wants to do it.
If you have a cutting guide, a load of this work can be saved by cutting the steerer a bit nearer its likely height.
I haven't got one, and wanted the thread to start true, so did the whole length.Mount the fork with the first nut, add some spacers, and future-proof the thing by allowing a frame change to the next size up, in case your frame is too small.
Whole weekends have been ruined by people cutting steerers too short. Don't do it, and leave lots of spare thread. You can always cut more off later.
Measure and cut allowing for the depth of the top nut. Bolt it all together with silly-big spanners, insert shim and stem. Don't forget to grease it or it will seize.
There. That's my bike ruined, and it looks like a startled praying mantis. I need a longer shim or a shorter stem. Hey ho.
Shims;
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Hey,
How is the bike holding up? Is the shim staying in place? Thinking about doing something similar to my bike except I already have a 1 1/8 threaded fork.
Let me know
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Do you really need the quill stem that high? Why don't you cut a bit more off the fork, it will probably look better.
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I just found this thread via google because I wanted to do the exact same thing, since I too think that A-Heads look fatter and shitter than I do. Trouble is that 36x18's effort looks even worse.
Is there a half-way house maybe, of measuring your setup then getting a one-off spacer machined to suit, perhaps in a nice hourglass shape so it looks cool, baby?
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I just found this thread via google because I wanted to do the exact same thing, since I too think that A-Heads look fatter and shitter than I do. Trouble is that 36x18's effort looks even worse.
Is there a half-way house maybe, of measuring your setup then getting a one-off spacer machined to suit, perhaps in a nice hourglass shape so it looks cool, baby?
Only looks shit coz of all the spacers.
Still, I think a set of these woulda been a much neater solution.
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Ha. If I had cut down the threaded section of the steerer tube to a more normal length, (which limits the size of frame it can be used on), and not insisted on using a Technomic to get the bars level with the saddle, it would look like a normal, quill stemmed bike. I wasn't sure at the time that frame was the right size, hence the reluctance to 'slam the stem'. The other reason for my disaster is the need for the cable stop to clear the headset. Side pulls would lower the stack height required.
Excuses, excuses.
dan
Tea_Bee
deleted
edscoble
36x18
miro_o
bodhitreesikkim
MAMID
M_V
FredyCro-
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A-head to quill stem converter anyone
Posted by
You can have 1 1/8" quill.
but it's not worth it (although my 1 1/8 quill is pretty beefy).
If you want a classic looking stem, look for those fillet brazed Nitto CT-80 stem;