In a message dated 11/1/2003 6:46:20 PM Eastern Standard Time, Cino1947@aol.com writes: I have a Cinelli VIP bar-stem with a 1-R stem that I used for about 20 years until the bar started to move a few degrees. Tightening the bolt did not help- I went through about three of these expensive bolts. Finally, I was told that while this stem is cosmetically pretty, it is a poor engineering design- the handlebar gets a little squished out of round eventually, so it will always be loose. The handlebar is a 66-42, OS crest logo- almost impossible to find, and I'd like to rescue it, hoping to use it with a 1-A stem.Undoing the bolt completely barely allows the handlebar to move. Do I go to a machine shop and ask them to cut a wedge in the front of the stem, or is there too much of a risk of ruining the handlebar? Will heating the stem with a torch help? Anybody been through this before? Thanks, Josh Berger Josh My scentedmints exactly. In fact, the 1R needs a little improvement to come up to poor design. Try removing the bolt and tapping the receiver end of that wedge piece that may be pressing on the bar securing choch. It's never a good idea to test the security of your bars on the 1R. If it's at all less than fully tight, you start a viscious cycle of wear of the bar and chock.
The wedge, chock, and bolt need serious grease or slippery substance where
they all meet to play.
Larry Black
Mt Airy, Md.