Stem-makers advice please.
Wife Laurie just bought an e-bike, a Marin Lombard drop-bar gravel bike that needs adapting to her, at 74 y.o. and with neck problems, needs the bars higher and closer to her.
I’ve determined that zero reach will work, i.e. bars centered right over the top of the steerer, tall enough to put the bars higher than the saddle. Don’t judge, you will get old too someday (if you’re lucky!)
I assume I will make a clamp to hold the headset preload, adjust the headset with the stem off, tighten the clamp, then mount the stem.
Anyone try this? Do you see a flaw in my reasoning? I haven’t made a stem in ~30 years.
I will probably “just do it” tomorrow unless I hear from you guys some reason I shouldn’t. I think I have the sizes of CrMo tube I need, pinch bolts etc., in my current stock.
Oh wait, 1-1/4” handlebar so stupid. 26 mm was always strong enough for me, a 250 lb sprinter and one-time Norba pro, so why does a 130 lb old lady need 1-1/4”? Oh well I can’t “sweep back the tide”, bikes are stupid now, just deal with it… So I may have to order some 1-3/8” x .065” for making the handlebar clamp, probably not a size I have in stock.
Unless you guys have a better idea for a handlebar clamp in steel? PMW stem clamps seem to be out of stock. I’m not qualified to make an aluminum stem, gotta be CrMo. I suppose I could make it for 26 mm bars, but then I have to untape the existing bars, move the brake levers over etc. Actually now that I type that, it isn’t that much work, and we have handlebars, so maybe 26 mm is the answer. Am I correct that the only reason for 1-1/4” is cabron bars?
Or any other ideas, like does someone make a stem that’ll do this, without making me dig out my brazing equipment? I am fairly lazy.
Thanks for any advice.
So I’ll shut up about it now.
