Alternative to spacers

[silly_yak]

Now that I scored my supercheap fork, I am thinking about installation. I read somewhere that instead of using spacers, you could use a seat collar, apply the correct tension and clamp it. This would allow you to move the stem around without worry of loosening the fork. Anyone heard/done this?

Gregg

[mjbrox]

Now that I scored my supercheap fork, I am thinking about installation. I read somewhere that instead of using spacers, you could use a seat collar, apply the correct tension and clamp it. This would allow you to move the stem around without worry of loosening the fork. Anyone heard/done this?

Gregg


what would be the point of this?

[jabberwocky]

what would be the point of this?I think the idea is that you can leave a bunch of steerer sticking out, clamp the seat collar right at the headset (which will keep the headset tight) and then slide the stem up and down the steerer without having to shuffle spacers around.

I've never tried it. I don't usually have trouble getting the stem where I want it just moving spacers once or twice, but its an interesting idea.

EDIT: but once you get the stem where you want it, put some real spacers in there. :)

[allencb]

While not planned on my part, I'm doing something similar with the canti cable hanger on my road bike. It has a clamping mechanism and that has maintained the headset preload while I mess around with the spacers and stem. I wouldn't go out of my way to set something like that up, but it was a "feature" of the cable hanger I bought.

Chris

[silly_yak]

Problem Solvers thought it was a good idea too...

http://www.problemsolversbike.com/images/PS_locking_spacer.pdf

:P

[kenholmes]

on my now long gone jumping bike I had something that worked very well in order to raise and lower the stem. Rocket power parts made a stem that was designed to clam to 1.250". they also suppled a piece of aluminum tubing with perfectly square ends and split down the axis, and with this a larger top cap (necessity dictates 1.250"- no more!). The tubing is placed over the steerer and with the top cap tightened down so that the headset is properly secured and everything is contacting properly. then the stem can be slid down the 1.250 steerer/shim to any location and bolted tight. The stem itself had two 6mm hex bolts so there was a whole lot of clamping force. This thing was absoultly bomber!!

just go find yourself an old one and a quarter stem that you like and get some 4130 aircraft tubing and go to town. the top cap on your bike now has to be larger than 1.125 in order to secure the stem so it just may work for this too! if not just order some plate steel and cut and file to size. should cost less than ten bucks and maybe you can trade beer for the unusable old stem.

ken