+1 for the Ritchey Force stems; IME they clamp bars more immovably than
single-bolt Nitto stems possibly because of their wider clamps.
And +1 for using 25.4 mm steel stems with 26.0 bars. I used to regularly
install 26.4 ("point 4") mm Cinelli Giro d'Italias into Salsa and Tioga
mountain bike stems with 25.4 clamps in order to get them high enough on
low-stack mountain bikes and XO-1. I never had problems getting the bar's
curves around the wide, square clamps, or afterward while riding the
combination. I do think that, as I did later, Nitto Dirt Drop stems or
customs -- I had a couple made by Salsa -- are better.
And +1 for not prying wider a forged aluminum stem.
On Tue, Mar 12, 2024 at 10:11 PM iamkeith <keithhar...@gmail.com> wrote:
> FWIW, from many years of doing so, I'll second the suggestion (not a
> promise or recommendation - disclaimer and all that) that 25.4 stems CAN
> work ok with 26.0 bars. But the only ones Ive had scuccess with are
> high-end steel stems with a single bolt clamp. They tend to have thinner
> steel that can bend and conform to the larger diameter bars. Especially
> the Salsa ones, but also the Ritchey Force ones being discussed here. I
> don't want to discourage you from trying - and it's a relatively cheap
> experiment - but I'm less certain it'll work with a removable faceplate
> construction. Less of the material around the clamp circumference is
> un-restrained and free to flex. It might work BETTER - I just don’t know.
> Tighten slowly and methodically, and watch to make sure that it's the steel
> stem that gets deformed, and not the aluminum handlebar. I know it's not
> your current plan, but don't pry open a forged aluminum stem to fit a
> bigger bar. Lastly, the safe option is still a 31.8 faceplater stem with
> a 26.0 shim. I get it if you want to try a 26.0 stem first though. Just
> please let us know how it works out.
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