New-Old-Stock Cinelli Oyster Black Quill Stem with 26.4 mm Clamp (140 mm)...Last One
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Product Description:

A note on the recent history of selected Cinelli handlebars and quill stems...
We are getting a number of questions regarding some of the Cinelli handlebars and quill stems we stock...specifically concerning the vintage of our inventory. As I understand it, Cinelli recently authorized the production of certain previously discontinued handlebars and quill stems. More specifically, we have noted a recent influx (into the market) of matte silver Giro D' Italia and Criterium handlebars with a 26.0 mm center section and no cable/housing grooves, as well as silver 1/A quill stems spec'd to the same 26.0 mm clamp. I believe these models, with the aforementioned specifications, represent the extent of the reintroduction.

As I review our Cinelli catalogs dated around the turn of the century (and shortly thereafter), I do not see any of the above mentioned handlebars or quill stems as being available.  In addition, I do not see other models...like the Campione Del Mondo handlebars or the X/A, 101 and Oyster quill stems as being available. Now there could have been some production run shortly after the turn of the century, but I still thought it was worth noting our Cinelli catalogs do not list these handlebars and quill stems among their offerings at that time. 

This catalog research is consistent with what we were told at the beginning of this century, when we purchased most of our Cinelli handlebar and stem inventory (the remainder of which is currently listed in our store). We had two suppliers located in Europe that sold us fairly large wholesale lots of Cinelli handlebars and stems shortly after the turn of the century, and both suppliers communicated all such inventory represented discontinued product.  

As a result, the aforementioned Cinelli handlebar and quill stem models in our inventory likely represent Cinelli product that pre-dates the turn of the century. Now I honestly don't know the significance of this point when considering functional quality. I am sure newer Cinelli handlebars and stems are very good quality, but given the questions we have fielded, I wanted to confirm this offering (among others in our store) will pre-date current production runs by more than a decade (and some of our inventory is much older, especially when considering Cinelli handlebars/quill stems spec'd to the proprietary 26.4 mm size were discontinued in the mid 90's).

I should probably also confirm the discontinued 1/A quill stems were previously never manufactured with the 26.0 mm clamp, but were instead limited to the Cinelli proprietary (and larger) 26.4 mm clamp specification. The "sister" X/A quill stem, which has not been reintroduced to-date, was spec'd to both the 26.4 mm and 26.0 mm clamp. On a side note, please be mindful of this larger (26.4 mm) clamp size on vintage X/A and 1/A quill stems, as there are still a fair number of these quill stems in circulation. We've had a few customers approach us over the years questioning their X/A and 1/A stems and their inability to securely clamp onto Cinelli handlebars. In nearly all of these occurrences, we (with the customers' help) have subsequently determined the problem to be a sizing compatibility issue...meaning the customers were unknowingly attempting to clamp one of these stems with a 26.4 mm clamp to Cinelli handlebars with a 26.0 mm center section. I understand the difference is only 0.4 mm, but at this high stress point where a stem clamps down on handlebars, the small sizing difference appears to be enough to cause problems.

Original Listing...
This offering is for a new-old-stock Cinelli Oyster quill stem with the hinged clamp design and anodized black finish. Some of it's more prominent design features and specs include the following...

  • Body length: 140 mm (measured from a profile view of the stem body as a straight line that extends from the center of the quill to the center of the bar clamp)

  • Body angle: 73 degrees (or said another way...a negative 17 degree rise)

  • Quill length: 80 mm (the distance between the limit line and the top of the quill...inclusive of the dust cover, if applicable)

  • Clamp: 26.4 mm (proprietary sizing for Cinelli vintage drop handlebars from the mid 90's and earlier)

  • Quill diameter: 22.2 mm (common size compatible with most 1" threaded forks)

  • Weight: 320 grams (per our digital postal scale and inclusive of all mounting hardware)

As alluded to above, probably the most notable feature of this particular model is the hinged stem clamp, which is an extremely nice (and convenient) feature, as the hinge will open wide enough to allow for a set of bars to mount with levers, bar tape, etc., already installed. As a result, this hinged clamp design maintains the flexibility and convenience of a detachable face-plate design (similar to some of Cinelli's newer threadless stems), while still honoring the vintage look of a old style quill stem. Please do note, however, to take care when removing and installing this plastic/resin cover that conceals the hinge. It's been our experience these Oyster covers fit tight and take care to line-up the cover so that it slides into place between and around the clamp hinge. Additionally, the cover must be removed to achieve the full range of motion of the hinge when swapping out bars.

We should also note this model stem includes the inner ribbed clamp surface for a more secure fit to aluminum alloy drop handlebars that also have a ribbed (surface area) center section. Although, please do not consider clamping this stem to carbon fiber bars, as the ribbed surface may damage the carbon fiber material. Please also note the separate section towards the bottom of the listing that discusses this matching principle as it relates to clamp surfaces in more detail.

It's forged aluminum alloy (AL 6082-T6) construction should ensure a fairly stiff and long lasting stem that compares favorably to many vintage stems in it's class. We've also noted these stems are designed with the conical-style steerer expander, so a very good quality quill system that should allow for a snug fit the threaded steerer tube.

Cosmetically, the stem resembles the 101 stem when viewed from the top...with the same flat triangular shape (for lack of a better description) that stretches the length of the stem (across the top...from the steerer bolt opening to the stem clamp)...a really nice look that is fairly unique in a quill stem offering. We should also note this stem is lighter (on average) relative to the more common Cinelli XA model. The weight, as reported on the Cinelli box, is 260 grams for this stem (probably the smallest size), relative to the 290 grams recorded for the Cinelli X/A model.

As for condition, this stem is new and unused...and will come in it's original retail box. We do, however, want to point out these black Cinelli stems have some cosmetic imperfection. The blemishes consist primarily of scratches/scuffs...probably from the stems shifting around (in their boxes) during years of storage. Having said this, it's apparent these black Cinelli Oyster stems generally show better cosmetically relative to our silver Cinelli Oyster stems. I don't know if it's because the anodized black finish is more resistant to scratches/scuffs relative to the polished silver finish or if there is another explanation...but these black Cinelli Oyster stems are generally in nicer cosmetic condition. Listing Update...We only have one of these stems left in stock in this model/size/finish, so we have updated the pictures to reflect the last of these stems (with these specs). It's certainly not in perfect cosmetic condition, but overall it's not too bad. I do see some shopwear (mostly small scuffs and scratches on the right profile side of the stem...with the worst of these blemishes down around the bottom of the handlebar clamp area. I've tried to take some close-up pictures that show some of these cosmetic blemishes, so please also scan the pictures uploaded above.

Matching the handlebar and stem clamp surface...
We've had a number of discussions with colleagues and customers regarding the importance of matching the inner surface of a stem clamp to the center section surface area of a handlebar. More specifically, there appears to be a consensus that a smooth inner stem clamp surface will cinch down more effectively on a handlebar with a smooth (surface area) center section. Continuing with this logic, the prevailing thought is this matching principle holds true with handlebars and stems that both have ribbed surface areas. In other words, a ribbed inner stem clamp surface will cinch down more effectively on a handlebar with a ribbed (surface area) center section. Now having said all of this, we have not identified a manufacturer's catalog reference to support this claim, but we've had discussions with enough colleagues and customers to believe this claim may have some merit.

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