Just curious to know, is it possible and safe to cut this slotted part of the stem and make a new slot slot on top?
I need a shorter stem for another project.
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Is there something stopping you from inserting the stem further ? Avoids the need to cut it at all.– Criggie ♦Commented Jun 3, 2022 at 22:24
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2 Answers
For such a basic stem, i don’t see a problem with this provided you round the top of the slot just like the old one to limit stress risers and note the new minimum insertion depth. You may have to file the mating surface (internal) to match the old end if it is not simply cut (a taper may have been filed into it to help the wedge sit nicely).
I can see several problems.
Firstly, stems stay attached to the inside of the steerer tube by a wedge or an expander plug. From your image, I can't be 100% certain which it is.
If it's an expander plug, you need to:
- Cut the stem to the desired length
- Cut the slot again higher up in the stem
- Exchange the bolt with a shorter one (may be hard to find as bolts this long aren't common)
If it's a wedge, you need to:
- Cut the stem to the desired length diagonally to make the surface on the stem bottom to match the surface on the wedge
- Exchange the bolt with a shorter one (may be hard to find as bolts this long aren't common)
The slot strongly suggests it could be an expander plug rather than a wedge.
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Pro tip: you can see the expander cone at the bottom of the circled part– ojsCommented Jun 5, 2022 at 8:19