Talbot Path Racer

yikes

but that's not your cost, right?

Well, if I asked you to make me a pair of shorts for which you needed to buy a sewing machine that cost $350, and you were far from certain that anyone else would ask for a pair of said shorts, where do you think you'd want to put that cost?

Not saying that Matt would, but I also imagine that he is not currently sitting on his private island, having his toenails buffed by his manservant.

well if I was s clothes manufacturer, and there was a chance I'd need sewing machine again, then that changes things.

How many people on the forum would like an 853, fillet brazed stem?

I wouldn't say no for the geek.

Something along these lines was what I was thinking:

But with no canti-drilling, and quite possibly the steerer clamp round the front.

i.e. more like this:

whatever you do don't paint it the same colour as the frame!

I would prefer a few spacers and a normal stem... would break up the weirdly long clamp into two parts, more balanced?

whatever you do don't paint it the same colour as the frame!

Stem has to match the seatpost, thems the rules.

The only place I've found willing to list prices is Ahearne Cycles, in the US of A: http://www.ahearnecycles.com/pricing/

$275 "and up" for their stems, which is £168 using todays exchange rate.

Don't want to take work away from Matt as I'm enjoying seeing his stuff on the forum .. But didn't Ted James do some custom 853 stems at one point?

He made this one off:

donhou also has custom stems on his website, £140 up i think

http://shop.donhoubicycles.com/

Smashing, that. ^^

donhou also has custom stems on his website, £140 up i think

http://shop.donhoubicycles.com/

Thanks for that- well spotted.

How many people on the forum would like an 853, fillet brazed stem?

I do.

Thanks for that- well spotted.

Isn't that the clamp design that created a fuss in Bike Porn for not being suitable?

What's the benefit of making a stem from 853? I'm guessing it's an economical way of using tubing off-cuts (in which case they'll probably be the thick end of the butt) - so probably no difference weight-wise vs. standard Cromoly, just $$$.

I've decided that the faux-quill is the way to go, however one of these is needed.

They work out at £213 after conversion, which makes them sound like quite a good investment when you consider that ted james sells his for £85+

I wouldn't think you'd need to cover the cost for it, it's not like the first person to buy a frame from Matt covered all of the costs for jigs etc. they're a tool that can be re-used, it's just up to him whether he wants to invest in one or not

What's the benefit of making a stem from 853? I'm guessing it's an economical way of using tubing off-cuts (in which case they'll probably be the thick end of the butt) - so probably no difference weight-wise vs. standard Cromoly, just $$$.

I would think that you've hit the nail on the head and it's a way of monetising off-cuts.

This is based on a guess that a framebuilder would have to be doing serious volume in stems to justify buying tubing specifically for them.

not sure I'd want a stem made out of the thinnest parts of a butted tube anyway

^this, you're hardly buying a steel stem for it's performance benefit

Something along these lines was what I was thinking:

But with no canti-drilling, and quite possibly the steerer clamp round the front.

I do not really understand the technicalities of this.
Is it what this man does?

It says
Vorbauten (werden nur zusammen mit Rahmen angeboten)
but maybe if you ask nicely.

http://www.vogel-rahmenbau.de/Galerie.htm

Field cycles do fillet-brazed stems with integrated top caps. There are some pics on their blog:
http://www.fieldcycles.com/latest