1989 Diamond Back Apex build
- Thread starter Beeewu
- Start date
TreaderSteve
Senior Retro Guru
It looks great! I bet it's a lot of fun. I've been really enjoying my Ascent (looks the same as your Apex) - jumping off kerbs and the like - just really silly good fun.
frkl
Retro Guru
Cool. I like to modify too, why not make the bikes exactly what you want? And as long as you are using the secret click in my favorite thumbies, all is forgiven
It's not a criticism, just a general observation about that annoying tapered transition on ahead adapters. It is possible to make your own with a steel quill stem with the extension removed and filed smooth. This works because the inside diameter of a steerer, and the outside diameter of the quill, is the outside diameter of the next smaller steerer. So a 1 1/4 quill is 28.6, which is a 1 1/8 steerer, and a 1 1/8 quill is 25.4, which is a 1 inch steerer. You can then use an ahead stem for that size steerer.
I did this when i wanted more stem options on a bike with an 1 1/4 inch steerer, and it allowed me to use 1 1/8 inch ahead stems. The cool side benefit is that there is no tapered transition and you can use standard spacers to seamlessly fill the space from headset to stem. You have a 1 1/8, right?, so you would end up with a 25.4mm extension, so if you need a shim for the stem you have on there, it might not make sense though.
Just be sure to use a good, strong steel stem with adequate quill as a starting spot, and be sure it actually has the normed diameter, sometimes they are a bit small. This isn't a solution for weight weenies.
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frkl
Retro Guru
If you have a 1 inch steerer--it looked like 1 1/8 inch in the pic--, then you end up with a 22.2 post, and i don't know if 22.2 to 25,4 or 28,6 adapters exist....
But if its 1 inch then you might be able to find a bmx style quill stem, but watch the handlebar clamp diameter, i guess.
I totally get the quick fix thing. I use the adapters to test out fit b/c i have so manz ahead stems lying around...
