Cinelli quill stem

[steveparry]

I guess I'd be over the limit locking off this stem here? Or is that arrow the top of two with a lower one below?

[Mick F]

Cinelli 1R.
I've used one for 30odd years on the same bike, but I never had it above the Max mark.

Not recommended at all.

[Mick F]

PS:
If the fancy takes me tomorrow, I'll pull mine out and show you where it normally sits and show where the wear marks from the brake cables are.

From what I remember of them, they come with different reaches, but they are all the same length insertion.

[Mike Sales]

Minimum insertion is to where the words "minimum insertion" are engraved. Get all the markings, including that, out of sight.
Italian designers would gag at the sight of all those markings on show. The stem would look so much more elegante, all smooth, polished curves, with them hidden.

[steveparry]

If that's the case it looks like I'll be seeking a new stem. Which is a shame as its beautiful... Any recommendations? It would need to have a higher reach.

The frame is a late 90s 531C Harry Hall audax modded (pump peg/front light screw on fork and cable guides moved to under top tube) and fitted with Campag 8 speed though only Veloce.

[colin54]

If that's the case it looks like I'll be seeking a new stem. Which is a shame as its beautiful... Any recommendations? It would need to have a higher reach.

Have a look at the Nitto ones at the foot of this page, 150mm, 225mm, 280mm heights, lovely quality.

https://www.planetx.co.uk/brand/q/Nitto

[Brucey]

note that there are two clamp diameters for cinelli bars; 26.4mm was used for years and later on they used a smaller size (26.0mm?). You need to get the stem to match your bars if you want to keep the bars.

Nitto make tall stems; there are others but most of them are not as well made or as good looking.

There's something weird looking about your headset; I'd get that resolved before worrying unduly about your bars and stem.

If you want something functional, versatile, and not necessarily pretty, get a quill to ahead converter and use an A-head stem on it.

cheers

[gaz]

IIRC Zenith is a little taller than Cinelli, available in 26.0 only one extension choice which is probably shorter than your current stem. https://www.velovitality.co.uk/collecti ... m-polished

[steveparry]

I should mention the weird look to the headset is in fact a reusable cable tie. Once I discovered these I mounted three around the bike as useful for luggage when touring etc.

[Brucey]

some more stems here

http://velosolo.co.uk/shopbar.html

The zip tie is not what worries me per se, it is what lies beneath it; the height of the assembly suggests that the fork may be foreign to the frame. If the fork steerer is threaded to an unusually long length, then you will also be well advised to use an unusually long stem; IME the chances of the steerer breaking in the threaded part are greatly increased if the quill stem doesn't extend well below the last threads on the steerer.

cheers

[slowster]

The 26.4mm bar clamp diameter was specific to Cinelli, and I don't think Cinelli ever made extra tall stems. However, If the bar clamp diameter is 26mm and assuming they are in OK condition, then you could reuse them. As already advised the obvious choice of stem would be one of the extra tall Nitto models, but note that these come in 25.4mm size as well as 26mm (it looks like Planet X are selling 25.4mm models, whereas Velo Solo are selling the 26mm version as standard), so you need to be careful to order the right size.

Spa sell the 25.4mm tall models in three different heights here.

SJS sells the same models here, but also sells this 26mm 225mm tall model.

Having said all the above, it looks like your current handlebars lack cable grooves, which might indicate that they are older than late 90s and/or are likely to be 26.4mm diameter. You might therefore want to take this opportunity to replace the bars anyway with some which include cable grooves. I think that your curent bars are Cinelli model 64 (aka 'Giro D'Italia'), and the Nitto M185 is a very similar shaped shallow curve bar with a single cable groove at the front, which Planet X curently sells for £29.99, but there are other Nitto bar shapes which you might prefer, and I think some of their models have double grooves which you might also prefer. If you choose a Nitto bar and stem, then obviously you should make sure that they are the same clamp diameter, i.e. both 26mm or both 25.4mm (although you can buy a shim to fit 25.4mm bars in a 26mm stem).

NB I think Cinelli and Nitto measure the length of their quill stems differently, so that a Nitto 90mm stem will be shorter than a Cinelli 90mm stem, and the 100mm Nitto stem will be nearer in size to the 90mm Cinelli. I think both Cinelli and Nitto measure their handlebars centre to centre, so the 42cm M185 in the link above will be 2cm wider than your current 40cm Cinelli bars.