Cinelli Pinocchio stem issue

[FiveAlpha]

I have one of these very shiny stems and it looks great.

But...

I can't get it tight enough to stop the bars twisting. The (red?!) stem bolt seems to be made of cheese, and the 4mm allen fitting doesn't help - I can't get enough torque on it, without risking rounding-out the bolt.

Does anyone know if this is a common problem, and if there is a replacement bolt, or a technique for solving this issue.

Thanks

 

[mdvineng]

Clean the 2 wedge surfaces of any burrs and lubricate , also any significant high spots on the outer diameter of the moving wedge. At the end of the day the strength of grip required is only a little more than the amount of torque needed to turn, which isn't a lot on a road bike but you do need a bit extra for piece of mind and pot holes.

 

[Apple Tree]

What bars are you using ? Their diameter may be too small for the stem to clamp tightly. They should be a close fit when stem clamp is loose and tighten up with a few turns. If they rattle a lot in the clamp then they are probably too small.

 

[rikster]

I thought Cinelli made two versions of the Pinocchio stem, one with a 26.4mm clamp and one with a 26mm clamp? The link to the Campyoldy website shows Pinocchio stems of both clamp sizes.
http://www.campyoldy.co.uk/#cinelli-han ... -and-stems

 

[FiveAlpha]

Thanks for the replies - sorry if I wasn't clear - the red stem bolt is what tightens the stem in the steerer. The problem is the stem/bars twisting sideways, not the bars twisting in the stem.

I will try checking the wedge again, to see if there are any imperfections, and clean the inside of the steerer tube once more.

 

[Old and Creaky]

This really threw me with the Pinocchio stem too.
That red cap is just a ‘dust cover’. Like you I totally trashed it trying to tighten the damn thing up before it came off revealing the real bolt just underneath. As Cinelli don’t seem to sell a replacement cap there must be loads of those stems out there with ruined red caps or worse, (wrongly) discarded completely as a stem that is downright dangerous and unreliable. Such a shame, as, dust cap apart, it is absolutely gorgeous and solid as houses, once you figure it out.

 

[Old and Creaky]

Sorry just revisiting with a photo to illustrate because this was so incredibly annoying. I had two of these stems in the original packaging so I know Cinelli did not think to tell anyone that “although your new stem is made of the finest steel, what appears to be the bolt is in fact a dust cover for that bolt made of the softest anodised aluminium we could find. Although turning it will initially tighten the expander bolt, it will only tighten it so much before it starts to round off.” When I drilled the thing out and found out the truth I used quite a few choice words which may or may not have been Italian or Latin.
Be aware.

 

[FiveAlpha]

I also found this out the hard way. I actually picked up a second Pinocchio stem for 80kr (about £10) without the red dust cap. I asked the seller, but he didn't know - he bought it without, so I am guessing the original owner also mashed his top cap! You would think that they would mention it on the box (especially given how much nonsense they write on said box!).

Hopefully this thread will help some other poor souls, who want the shiniest stem out there!

 

[everettc]

Sorry just revisiting with a photo to illustrate because this was so incredibly annoying. I had two of these stems in the original packaging so I know Cinelli did not think to tell anyone that “although your new stem is made of the finest steel, what appears to be the bolt is in fact a dust cover for that bolt made of the softest anodised aluminium we could find. Although turning it will initially tighten the expander bolt, it will only tighten it so much before it starts to round off.” When I drilled the thing out and found out the truth I used quite a few choice words which may or may not have been Italian or Latin.
Be aware.

how do you remove the cap? mine is stuck on tight

 

[FiveAlpha]

how do you remove the cap? mine is stuck on tight

It just unscrews.