Straitline stem problems. Just keeps on moving.

[Red.]

Well i have a Straitline Split Steerer Clamp Stem.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25132
And every time i have a little crash or evan doing a drift today. My bars slip on the streerer and i have the bar done up as tight as i can do it up.
And i did a big old flat land the other day and my bars also moved down.
so what i was thinking of buying so really good lock tight and lock tighting my bars and steerer to my stem. So would this work and do you guys and girls have any ideas that would work?

 

[Nick53]

Pretty sure you would have already tried this but did you tighten the bolts up a little bit at a time. Like do 1/2 turn on one then half a turn on another etc. If the gap between the 2 parts of the stem are the same all around I'm not quite sure what you could do, just sounds like a bad piece of engineering. I don't think the lock tight will work at all but I suppose it can't hurt trying...

 

[macca21]

So is it the bars rolling forwards or the whole stem rotating on the steerer?

 

[Loneryda]

So what you actually mean is that your bars ROTATE within the FACEPLATE on your stem and not you steerer tube? Either you have faulty bolts or you bars/face plate have contamination on them. I've got the same stem and the torque values for all bolts is 12.3 NM's also Straitline stipulates that you do the top bolts up first so that there is no gap on the face plate at the top then the bottom ones. Of course do them 1/2 to 1/4 turn each bolt alternating, if this dont work check you bars for deforming and you cradle/faceplate on the stem for deformation. Even try another set of bars just to see if it is your bars and not your stem. Good Luck!

 

[heppy]

ok, for the handle bar slip if there is any, make sure the top bolts are done up all the way first so the faceplate is touching the stem, then crank the bottom ones and you shouldn't have a problem. As for the steerer tube slip, put a little bit of grease on the bolts only and they will tighten up a lot harder.

 

[AngoXC]

Well i have a Straitline Split Steerer Clamp Stem.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25132
And every time i have a little crash or evan doing a drift today. My bars slip on the streerer and i have the bar done up as tight as i can do it up.
And i did a big old flat land the other day and my bars also moved down.
so what i was thinking of buying so really good lock tight and lock tighting my bars and steerer to my stem. So would this work and do you guys and girls have any ideas that would work?

Locktight isn't glue mate. You put it on threads to prevent things becoming loose on their own accord. Unless the bolts are becoming loose, it's not going to help you.

I also wouldn't be going too overboard on the tightening as you might pinch your bars/steerer, or else, cause cracks in the stem.

 

[Zyphryss]

They have the same design as an Avid lever clamp. Do the top bolts up tight, and then torque the lower bolts.

 

[Nick53]

They have the same design as an Avid lever clamp. Do the top bolts up tight, and then torque the lower bolts.

Sort of irrelevant to the thread but how does this method clamp the bar better compared to just tightening them all up equally?

 

[Calvin M]

Sort of irrelevant to the thread but how does this method clamp the bar better compared to just tightening them all up equally?

Stratline design there stems like this and it gives instuction to install the plate like this. I think is just to give a cleaner look to there stems. I have a couple stratline stems and they have been sweet.

But I think his problem is the stem moving on the steer as the one he has doent have a lot of furface area on the steer tube because of the split design.

Maybe it was never tight enought to start with and now that it has been moving it has worn down the steer tube. Or the tube is crushed from over tight stems.

Pull it off and have a look or put some pics up of it apart.

 

[Red.]

So is it the bars rolling forwards or the whole stem rotating on the steerer?

It was both

ok, for the handle bar slip if there is any, make sure the top bolts are done up all the way first so the faceplate is touching the stem, then crank the bottom ones and you shouldn't have a problem. As for the steerer tube slip, put a little bit of grease on the bolts only and they will tighten up a lot harder.

I did that. I think its ok now, i had a bigger fella tightit up for me and now its ok but if it moves again im going to try the grease.

 

[straitline]

Hold the horses my little Aussies...

It was both



I did that. I think its ok now, i had a bigger fella tightit up for me and now its ok but if it moves again im going to try the grease.

Long Reply Alert!!

Hey guys Greg here from Straitline, I am savvy enough to have Google send me links when our name is mentioned and I saw this the other day and had to intervene.

Red and everyone reading halt on Grease! All that does is invite over torquing and can throw a torque setting off. Your bolts are 6mm high tensile steel and the stem body is 6061 T6 Aluminum, the steel will win. Our threads are roll formed not tapped meaning we press the threads in over tapping/cutting the material so they are stronger than normal and can take a lot of abuse but something is up.

We do the Moto method of clamping -yes just like avid too- because it guarantees uniformed and equal clamping on your bars, it is nothing new, Answer and Hope are implementing it and others should follow. You tighten a stem up 1/2/3/4 then the phone rings you go get it and come back and start 3/1/2/4/1/2/4 until tight... the bar is not clamped 100% yet it may appear so.

You tighten the top two bolts equally 1/2/1/2/1/2 until tight then proceed to the lower bolts and repeat. Failure to do so just strains the lower side of your face plate (our face plate/ stem) and I guarantee stress fractures have started or are soon to appear because the bolts are pulling the material the wrong way. Not to stress we can help if this is happening but bars just do not slip, there is a easy explanation, we just need to sort it out.

When installed as spec'd you should be left with a gap and if no gap is present your bars have an issue. There is no reason for a stem to slip on a handle bar or the fork steerer unless they are undersized from the factories abroad. Each stem we place into the market is a identical clone of the next and we can verify this http://straitline.blogspot.com/2010/07/micro-machining-up-close-shots-by-rob.html

Unfortunately we are unable to control the handlebar industry and they never spec any tolerances plus stems are generically designed to eat up any variance anyways, hence gaps and ours is no different we just recess the stem body's underside.

So... if the initial install was not done as spec'ed your bars just do not have equal clamp. If your stems face plate were honestly and truly installed with common sense it is the bar and or you may have stretched the threads by being to burly with them or the all mighty... one fall was enough to cause them to stretch. I am unsure of the background just saw Grease and had to jump in.

You bought it from CRC so unfortunately I cannot just send you to a local shop or have my crew Groupe Sportiff assist, thats the flip side of a online deal but we'll sort this out but for now stop riding the stem and email me please.

Email me direct gp.spi@shaw.ca, I will help you out and you can post our chats in here okay Red.


Thanks for everyones help in the forum though.
Good night from BC Canada eh!
G

 

[simplesimon76]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ yeah, what he said!

 

[ezrider]

Long Reply Alert!!

Hey guys Greg here from Straitline, I am savvy enough to have Google send me links when our name is mentioned and I saw this the other day and had to intervene.

Red and everyone reading halt on Grease! All that does is invite over torquing and can throw a torque setting off. Your bolts are 6mm high tensile steel and the stem body is 6061 T6 Aluminum, the steel will win. Our threads are roll formed not tapped meaning we press the threads in over tapping/cutting the material so they are stronger than normal and can take a lot of abuse but something is up.

We do the Moto method of clamping -yes just like avid too- because it guarantees uniformed and equal clamping on your bars, it is nothing new, Answer and Hope are implementing it and others should follow. You tighten a stem up 1/2/3/4 then the phone rings you go get it and come back and start 3/1/2/4/1/2/4 until tight... the bar is not clamped 100% yet it may appear so.

You tighten the top two bolts equally 1/2/1/2/1/2 until tight then proceed to the lower bolts and repeat. Failure to do so just strains the lower side of your face plate (our face plate/ stem) and I guarantee stress fractures have started or are soon to appear because the bolts are pulling the material the wrong way. Not to stress we can help if this is happening but bars just do not slip, there is a easy explanation, we just need to sort it out.

When installed as spec'd you should be left with a gap and if no gap is present your bars have an issue. There is no reason for a stem to slip on a handle bar or the fork steerer unless they are undersized from the factories abroad. Each stem we place into the market is a identical clone of the next and we can verify this http://straitline.blogspot.com/2010/07/micro-machining-up-close-shots-by-rob.html

Unfortunately we are unable to control the handlebar industry and they never spec any tolerances plus stems are generically designed to eat up any variance anyways, hence gaps and ours is no different we just recess the stem body's underside.

So... if the initial install was not done as spec'ed your bars just do not have equal clamp. If your stems face plate were honestly and truly installed with common sense it is the bar and or you may have stretched the threads by being to burly with them or the all mighty... one fall was enough to cause them to stretch. I am unsure of the background just saw Grease and had to jump in.

You bought it from CRC so unfortunately I cannot just send you to a local shop or have my crew Groupe Sportiff assist, thats the flip side of a online deal but we'll sort this out but for now stop riding the stem and email me please.

Email me direct gp.spi@shaw.ca, I will help you out and you can post our chats in here okay Red.


Thanks for everyones help in the forum though.
Good night from BC Canada eh!
G

thanks for clearing that up greg
i have two split clamp stems ,read the intructions as leaving a gap on one side sounded weird, but did it anyway. Stems tight as, looks awesome and feels great .
I changed from legeaters to straitline pedles with 510s most grip i have had almost like i am clipped in. They can also take a good hard knock without ripping the pins out .
Have you guys thought of a intergrated stem /top clamp for 40's or boxers?????

 

[Tomas]

Between straitline and the hive, customer service in 2010 is out of control.