Handlebar Quill - HELP!

[Gary2Seven]

I am building a bike using an old 1950/60 Claude Butler original frame that I have had sand basted and enameled.

I need to buy a new handle bar quill and drop bars, but I am struggling to work out sizes, the internal measurement of the head tube appears to be 29.9mm, would that be right? or do I need some other measurement? I have seen mention of "threaded" and "un-threaded", how would I know which I need?

Any advise on what to get and where greatly appreciated.

Gary.

[fatboy]

You will need a stem for a threaded headset (threadless is a lot later than your bike and wouldn't be a quill). Sizes (1", 1 1/4" etc) are based on the outer diameter of the forks. Most common is 1" which should measure 22.2 internally. Other sizes available (see http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/stems-dept91_pg1/) are 1 1/8" measures 25.4mm internally and 1 1/4" measures 28.6mm internally.

Now none of these sizes matches what you have measured, so what are you measuring? Perhaps a photo of your measurement might help. I'm afraid I don't go back far enough to know whether there were some unusual sizes around in the 50s and 60s

[Gary2Seven]

>>Now none of these sizes matches what you have measured, so what are you measuring? Perhaps a photo of your measurement might help.

Will carefully remeasure and post photo this evening, thanks for the advice.

Gary.

[Malaconotus]

Do you have a matching fork, or just the frame?

[Gary2Seven]

>>Do you have a matching fork, or just the frame?

Have matching forks, the original quill was completely jammed and snapped taking it out, stupidly I did not keep it.

Gary.

[Edwards]

If this is the 30 year old Claud Butler it is most probably going to be a 1 inch Quill stem, this is the measurement inside the steerer tube.

[hubgearfreak]

it's the steerer that the stem goes into (the threaded bit at the top of the forks) this i imagine will be 22.2mm internally, for a standard 22.2" stem

you say that you've measured the headtube?. you make no mention of a headset, presumably you'll need one of these? also, if the steerer is 22.2mm internally, it'll take a 1" headset

i'd recommend ignoring the above post and reading sheldon brown

[fatboy]

I didn't stop to note that you'd measured the head tube. It's the inside diameter of the fork that matters for the stem (as that's where it fits). Sounds like you've need a bog-standard 1" quill stem and a 1" threaded headset.

[531colin]

I remember them...its all one inch (threaded) for a quill stem ....google "sheldon Brown"..its the outside of the steerer tube that measures one inch, 25.4mm...the tube is one sixteenth of an inch thick, so the hole in the middle is seven eighths of an inch.....now 22.2mm

Does it have "pencil seat stays" ?
The post war stuff had very slim seatstays, down by the dropouts they were as slim as a pencil.
Talking of dropouts, how wide apart are they? I hope you thought this bit through before you had it painted!

EDIT...if its pre-war, and has an "H" shaped slot cut in the steerer, it needs a "head clip" type headset.........

[enigmatic]

>>Do you have a matching fork, or just the frame?

Have matching forks, the original quill was completely jammed and snapped taking it out, stupidly I did not keep it.

Gary.

Have you got the remainder of the old stem out of the fork column? You'll need to do so - either lots of PlusGas, patience, a hammer and luck, or else a gentle heating with a blow-torch (and more luck!)

[Gary2Seven]

Thanks for all the feedback;

Yes remainder of quill was "removed" before painting (Hammer, heat and lots of bad language), I will remeasure on forks and check tonight.

Have checked seat stem and seems to be a standard 27.2mm.

Gary.

[rjb]

Be aware that 1" headset's also come in different flavours. The current ISO standard is head tube cups are 30.2mm and the fork crown is 26.4mm. Older bikes may use the JIS standard whereby the fork crown is 27.0mm and the headtube is 30.0mm.

[531colin]

Sheldon Brown's "cribsheet" on headset sizes. http://sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-headsets.html

Pretty sure JIS hadn't reached these shores when Claud Butler was still a real make, in the 50's/early 60's...?

[rjb]

Pretty sure JIS hadn't reached these shores when Claud Butler was still a real make, in the 50's/early 60's...?

Both my dawes galaxies of late 80's and early 90's vintage were jis headset size and i can remember both being around in the late 60's