Anyone know a place where I can buy a Nitto 90-degree stem? I have seen them for sale on eBay from time to time, but none have been listed lately. I think the model is called the Dynamic, and they make 73 and 90 degree versions. I've searched all of the online bike shops I can think of, but can't find any 90-degree Nittos. Plenty of places have the Nitto 73-degrees stems with the extra long quills, but I would rather use a 90-degree so my stem won't extend so far and weigh as much.

I'm collecting parts for my retro De Bernardi build and really prefer the look of a classic polished stem, but can't get enough rise to my handlebars with the 73-degree stems. I've got some 90-degree stems that would raise my bars high enough, but they are all black. I've also got a Nitto Technomic with the long quill, but it weighs a ton and the quill is really much longer than I need.

Have you given Rivendell Bicyclye Works http://http://www.rivbike.com/ a try? They stock a grunch of NItto components, and may be able to help....You mentioned you've tried all the standard on-line shops, but Rivendell is one of those sites that is just a wee bit off the beaten path, and often gets overlooked.

Another suggestion: Salsa makes a quill stem that is quite nice, whose syling is reminescient of the forged quill stems of yore. They are painted black from the factory (downer) bur if you are repainting your De Bernardi (or not!) you can have the stem sprayed to match. I've seen a few, and the effect is quite striking!

Don;t forget to post a a pic of the rebuild....

//jtp//

Tried Rivendell, but they don't stock the Nitto 90 stems. I actually have a Salsa stem and thought about repainting it, but would prefer the classic look of a polished aluminum stem. I would have to use a 105 Salsa (which I have) to get enough rise because the quill on their stems is really short. I could paint the Salsa stem silver, but there is no way I could match the paint on my DeBernadi. It is an unusual paint that changes color depending on the light -- it's blue in bright light and green in dim light.

I might just go with a 73 Nitto as the fork on my DeB has enough threads for about 2 cm of spacers, so that would actually give me enough height. I just was trying to avoid the long quill.

I just realized that you had posted a photo of your DeBernardi in another thread. Looks nice a nice ride...classic Italian! I'm a bit confused, however ... Is your steerer 1" threaded? You mentioned having room for 2cm of spacers to bring your stem up to proper height. I don't recall ever seeing that that much spacer on a threaded steerer...usually the fork is cut so the headset locknut mates with the adjustable top cup (with a washer between them). I don't think there is any mechanical reason not to have a 2cm spacer in place of the washer, but I'm not sure it would work esthetically....gotta think about that one......

And you're right about matching the paint....could be a real bear unless there is is a good custom motrocycle or hot rod shop near your house. Some of those paint jockeys are wizards at matching colors. A fellow wrench had an old Porsche 356 whose paint had faded a bit, but was otherwise in great shape except for a few little dings. A local chopper shop mixed up a batch that matched the faded color exactly!

//jtp//

Regarding the spacers, the DeB fork is uncut and has a lot of threads showing. I'm estimating that it would fit about 1.5-2 cm of spacers if I don't cut it. I don't mind the spacers because I run my handlebars high, about even with the seat height. If you look at photos of bikes on the Rivendell web site, you'll see lots of bikes with spacers in threaded headsets.

Here's a photo of my Merckx Corsa. It's got about 1.5 cm of spacers in the headset. The DeBernardi has a headtube that is 1 cm longer, and the steerer tube on the fork is long enough for at least as many spacers as my Merckx. That's one reason why I bought the DeB frame -- because of the long head tube and steerer. You can also see from the Merckx photo why I am looking for a 90-degree stem. It puts my handlebar just at the right height.

Great looking Merckx .... the spacers on the headset are an elegant solution to raising bar height...

//jtp//

I think I got mine from Bens. You could always cut down that Technomic (if it's got a wedge vs. cone).