flat ATB bar in a road stem? 25.4 -> 26.0

jasong said:

I´m going to put a flat bar on a cyclocross bike. I have several road
stems with different lengths/angles, so don't want to invest in ATB
stems if not necessary.

Do people shim the 25.4 mm ATB bar to 26.0 mm? Drawbacks? Coke can
approach good enough? Since rotation isn't as important as with a drop
bar, that's in my favor.

Since road stems are used on cross bikes with drop bars, it seems like
the stem is normally strong enough for this type of riding.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Make or buy shims. Go ride.

http://harriscyclery.net/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=417

Most likely available in a local shop. I've used homemade shim
material with varying luck. Never had a problem with the Nitto shims.
Expensive for what they are, but it's nice to not worry about
handlebars moving.

Hi, thanks for your response.

I think the point I was getting at was more, why do people that have both types of bikes, ATB & road, not just use all road stems? I have about 6 road stems I've bought from 60mm through 130mm, all bought very cheap ($10-20) and with varying angles. Why don't people just always buy the road stems instead of the ATB ones? Why not?

It seems the ATB stems have much more serious angles to bring things more uprighjt, but inverting a road stem often achieves the same result.

Dan Daniel said:

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 14:45:11 +1000, jasong
Most likely available in a local shop. I've used homemade shim
material with varying luck. Never had a problem with the Nitto shims.
Expensive for what they are, but it's nice to not worry about
handlebars moving.

jasong said:

I´m going to put a flat bar on a cyclocross bike. I have several road
stems with different lengths/angles, so don't want to invest in ATB
stems if not necessary.

Do people shim the 25.4 mm ATB bar to 26.0 mm? Drawbacks? Coke can
approach good enough? Since rotation isn't as important as with a drop
bar, that's in my favor.

Since road stems are used on cross bikes with drop bars, it seems like
the stem is normally strong enough for this type of riding.

Some road bike stems fit 25.4 bars to begin with. If yours takes 26.0
and you don't want to shim, a road stem for the other size of bar
should be easy enough to find.
--
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jasong said:

I think the point I was getting at was more, why do people that have
both types of bikes, ATB & road, not just use all road stems? I have
about 6 road stems I've bought from 60mm through 130mm, all bought very
cheap ($10-20) and with varying angles. Why don't people just always
buy the road stems instead of the ATB ones? Why not?

The slight mismatch in diameters might work okay for a while, but the
deformation probably accelerates the fatigue failure of the bar (and
maybe the stem).

I wonder if 31.8mm stems will be just "stems"?

For instance, Bontrager 31.8 stems don't say "ATB" or "road" like
their 25.4 and 26.0 stems do.

http://www.bontrager.com/stems/detail.asp?id=162&pt=11
"Equally suited for mountain or road."

http://www.bontrager.com/stems/detail.asp?id=161&pt=11
"Equally suited for mountain or road."

Even the carbon fiber stem (!) with 31.8 clamp:
http://www.bontrager.com/stems/detail.asp?id=192&pt=11
"For road and mountain use."

jasong said:

Hi, thanks for your response.

I think the point I was getting at was more, why do people that have
both types of bikes, ATB & road, not just use all road stems? I have
about 6 road stems I've bought from 60mm through 130mm, all bought very
cheap ($10-20) and with varying angles. Why don't people just always
buy the road stems instead of the ATB ones? Why not?

It seems the ATB stems have much more serious angles to bring things
more uprighjt, but inverting a road stem often achieves the same
result.

I've found that ignoring the ATB or Road labels and simply paying
attention to the handlebar diameter and desired angle and reach works
for me.

Quoted message said:

Dan Daniel said:

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 14:45:11 +1000, jasong
Most likely available in a local shop. I've used homemade shim
material with varying luck. Never had a problem with the Nitto shims.
Expensive for what they are, but it's nice to not worry about
handlebars moving.