Question about shim when swapping Albatross for Billie

[Roberta]

I'm going to swap the Albatross bar for the Billie bar on my Platypus tonight (hopefully).  I have a  Nitto XL Technomic 100mm stem and there is a shim under my Albatross.  Do I reuse the shim for the Billie Bar?  I think so.  Will having the shim make it harder for me to do this by myself?  If so, I could take this to LBS.

I got this information from Riv's website:

Nitto Albatross, 55cm x 25.4

Nitto Billie Bar 580 x 25.4 (RBW-31)

This is the biggest job I'll have done myself and don't want to goof.

Well, I'm off to tilt the saddle.  That I know how to do!

Thanks,

Roberta

[Jon Dukeman]

Roberta

Cal van makes retaining ring tool #268 that works great to spread the stem to make it slide the handlebar and shims in place.The shims should be fine if not dinged up.

It works great to spread a seat tube when installing a seat post.

You may or may not need the tool. 

Jon

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/59724bf5-f467-4c3a-8d14-6d08e12ac7c5n%40googlegroups.com.

[Jon Dukeman]

Roberta

Spreading the stem slightly helps keep shims aligned while sliding handle bar in place .

Your stem might not need the tool.

Jon

On Mon, Jun 7, 2021, 5:25 PM Roberta <rcha...@gmail.com> wrote:

--

[Joe Bernard]

You'll need the shims (should be 2) and honestly I hate them suckers. They're maddening to keep in place while you slide your bar in, plus they like to scratch it up. It can be done with lots of patience but I think it's a pain in the patooty best solved with a new 25.4 stem. Is what I think! 

Joe Bernard

[David Person]

the 25.4 number on both bars is the diameter (in mm) of the bar where it clamps in the stem.  So, you will need the shim for the Billie if it was needed for the Albatross.  The stem likely has a 26mm opening where the bar attaches, rather than 25.4mm.

[Joe Bernard]

Wait, false alarm. I've seen that bar and stem on your bike, there's a shim there that comes with the bar and doesn't separate..that section is the 25.4 measurement. I don't think you have a separate loose shim, your Billie should slide right in there no problem. 

On Monday, June 7, 2021 at 4:24:59 PM UTC-7 Roberta wrote:

[Roberta]

Joe,

Are you sure?  Your original response got me dialing my LBS.

Now I'm nervous again.  With Candice and James @analog we tried so many stem/ handlebar combinations and settled on the nice high stem that I purchased while I was there.  I wanted to try the Albas first, so I left with them on the stem.  But, they don't come back far enough.  It looks like metal shims stem with Albatross.  I think the Billies will be perfect, but I don't want to mess up.

Roberta

[Joe Bernard]

Email sent to you. I'ma need a close-up pic where the bar goes into the stem to be sure what we're dealing with here. 

[REC]

Thank you all.
I have two metal shims, so will probably take it to lbs.

On Jun 7, 2021, at 9:06 PM, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:

Email sent to you. I'ma need a close-up pic where the bar goes into the stem to be sure what we're dealing with here. 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/KpeHcS49hrA/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/10dd9c13-31a0-4fe2-8262-b4bb8e7e1808n%40googlegroups.com.

[Jon Dukeman]

If it's a NITTO stem tell LBS to torque the clamp bolt to 14- 16 Nm or 120 -140 inch pounds.. Important!!! They should know that.

That will ensure it won't creak when pulling on bars or when standing while pedaling.

I always clean shims and bar at contact points with isopropyl alcohol before assembly.

Nothing more annoying than having a squeaky handlebar.

Jon

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/7B47611E-A6BC-42CC-B3EE-3A7F741426C5%40gmail.com.

[Roberta]

It is and I will. Thanks!  

[lconley]

I avoid shims unless there is no other option. I will buy another handlebar or stem before using shims. I had no choice on my Riv Custom - Rene Herse Randonneur Bars are only available in 25.4 and Nitto lugged stems are available only in 26.0. I have a Craftsman spreader tool for the stem and it still took me hours to trim the shims and get them in place. The shims were wider than the stem, and in addition, the stem clamp curves - lots of trimming and fitting required. Trimmed shims want to scratch the handlebars. Just rotating the bars in the stem is a major operation, because the shims are trimmed to the stem, but want to rotate with the bars. For my Frank Jones, Sr. I wanted to use my other lugged stem because I wanted to match the lugged Nitto seatpost, so I researched and found 26.0 Nitto Maes bend type bars so I didn't have to use shims.

Laing

Delray Beach FL

On Monday, June 7, 2021 at 10:52:31 PM UTC-4 row.n.2...@gmail.com wrote:

[Adam]

A somewhat related shim question.

On the Analog Cycles site on shims, they mention not using them with Boscos. I'm assuming this is a leverage thing?

I'm currently using shims on a threadless non-Riv to get from 31.8 to 25.4 using Boscos. I've recently been riding that setup more off-road and been wondering if I should swap out the stem to avoid the shims. Has anyone had experience with shims and boscos off-road?

Adam

[Doug H.]

Shim horror stories! I've used shims once and will again on my Clem build as the stem I could find is 26 and the bars 25.4. My recollection is they were a pain in the arse buy I slid those suckers in and tightened the clamp without too much pain and suffering. But, without shims is always better if possible.

Doug

On Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 8:17:29 AM UTC-4 lconley wrote: