I recently bought what I believe to be a late seventies Colnago with a Cinelli stem. The bars were up to high for my tastes so I tried lowering the stem. I can fully remove the stem, but cant get it into the steerer more that 2 inches or so. I checked the inside of the steerer for rust and debris and found none. The stem is not bottoming out on the brake bolt. One more thing to point out, the locknut on the headset seems to rubbing against the front of the stem quill. Even with the locknut removed however the quill cannot be inserted into the steerer more that 2 inches or so. Is it possible that the stem or (hope not) steerer is slightly bent?
I recently bought what I believe to be a late seventies Colnago with a Cinelli stem. The bars were up to high for my tastes so I tried lowering the stem. I can fully remove the stem, but cant get it into the steerer more that 2 inches or so. I checked the inside of the steerer for rust and debris and found none. The stem is not bottoming out on the brake bolt. One more thing to point out, the locknut on the headset seems to rubbing against the front of the stem quill. Even with the locknut removed however the quill cannot be inserted into the steerer more that 2 inches or so. Is it possible that the stem or (hope not) steerer is slightly bent?
thanks
Could be that the inside of fork steerer could be 'butted' and thicker toward the end.
I recently bought what I believe to be a late seventies Colnago with a Cinelli stem. The bars were up to high for my tastes so I tried lowering the stem. I can fully remove the stem, but cant get it into the steerer more that 2 inches or so. I checked the inside of the steerer for rust and debris and found none. The stem is not bottoming out on the brake bolt. One more thing to point out, the locknut on the headset seems to rubbing against the front of the stem quill. Even with the locknut removed however the quill cannot be inserted into the steerer more that 2 inches or so. Is it possible that the stem or (hope not) steerer is slightly bent?
I'd take it apart (today is a good day to clean and relubricate your headset) and lay a straightedge on the fork column, front and back.
While it's apart inspect for lumps or cracks from stem installation errors. -- Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971
I recently bought what I believe to be a late seventies Colnago with a Cinelli stem. The bars were up to high for my tastes so I tried lowering the stem. I can fully remove the stem, but cant get it into the steerer more that 2 inches or so. I checked the inside of the steerer for rust and debris and found none. The stem is not bottoming out on the brake bolt. One more thing to point out, the locknut on the headset seems to rubbing against the front of the stem quill. Even with the locknut removed however the quill cannot be inserted into the steerer more that 2 inches or so. Is it possible that the stem or (hope not) steerer is slightly bent?
thanks
I agree with Andy Muzi to use the straight edge, but look at the stem's shaft as well as the fork. I had a few Cinelli stems back in the day that had a curve (not really bent, they were made new that way) that stopped the stem inserting all the way in.
After examining everything it appears that the steerer was straight and that the stem was a bit curved and bulged in some spots. After sanding down the high parts it finally fit in.
Quoted message said:
I agree with Andy Muzi to use the straight edge, but look at the stem's shaft as well as the fork. I had a few Cinelli stems back in the day that had a curve (not really bent, they were made new that way) that stopped the stem inserting all the way in.
I recently bought what I believe to be a late seventies Colnago with a Cinelli stem. The bars were up to high for my tastes so I tried lowering the stem. I can fully remove the stem, but cant get it into the steerer more that 2 inches or so. I checked the inside of the steerer for rust and debris and found none. The stem is not bottoming out on the brake bolt. One more thing to point out, the locknut on the headset seems to rubbing against the front of the stem quill. Even with the locknut removed however the quill cannot be inserted into the steerer more that 2 inches or so. Is it possible that the stem or (hope not) steerer is slightly bent?
How big is the frame? On small frames the stem can bottom out on the steer tube butt unless the builder trimmed some material off that end when the fork was built.
I recently bought what I believe to be a late seventies Colnago with a Cinelli stem. The bars were up to high for my tastes so I tried lowering the stem. I can fully remove the stem, but cant get it into the steerer more that 2 inches or so. I checked the inside of the steerer for rust and debris and found none. The stem is not bottoming out on the brake bolt. One more thing to point out, the locknut on the headset seems to rubbing against the front of the stem quill. Even with the locknut removed however the quill cannot be inserted into the steerer more that 2 inches or so. Is it possible that the stem or (hope not) steerer is slightly bent?
How big is the frame? On small frames the stem can bottom out on the steer tube butt unless the builder trimmed some material off that end when the fork was built.
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John ([email hidden])
the frame is a 58cm and the stem was much shorter than the steerer so i'm positive that it wasn't bottoming out.
