![]() It was originally designed by Funn Components in the late 1990s for a bar called the Fatboy Slim. During this time period, there were also intermediate sizes introduced, such as 25.8mm, to try and achieve compatibility with either the ISO or Italian standards.Īs legend has it, the 31.8mm (1.25”) stem-to-handlebar interface was a happy accident. Road bikes, for instance, saw a shift towards larger clamp diameters, such as 26mm (1 1⁄32”), which became the Italian standard and eventually the road standard for many years. These larger diameters offer increased stiffness and strength, making them suitable for riding on rough surfaces or increasing power dynamics for sprinting and racing. 26.0 mm (1 1⁄ 32”)Īs technology evolved and bicycle disciplines diversified, so did stem clamp diameters. And if you peruse the alt-bar options at websites such as Rivendell Bicycle Works or Velo Orange, you’ll find plenty of 25.4 options. As shown above, Lucas runs a 25.4mm MAP + Ahearne bar on his commuter. The prevailing size became the 25.4mm (1”) clamp diameter which was set as an ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standard for road and city bikes and later became the standard for mountain bikes.Ģ5.4mm bars and stems remain a popular option among bike restorers, vintage tinkerers, folks who breathe new life into 90s mountain bikes, and those who appreciate retro vibes. However, it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that the industry settled on a few key sizes. In the early 20th century, efforts were made to establish some degree of standardization for handlebar clamp area diameter. That being said, a number of smaller builders using straight 7/8” tubing for mountain bike handlebars, such as the Doom Bars shown above. Even so, they’re commonly used on BMX-style handlebars today, integrating a cross-bar to increase stiffness. ![]() Of course, 22.2mm bars aren’t as stiff as tapered bars. ![]() Tapered handlebar designs are more complex and have to undergo a shaping process prior to bending that typically involves butting and swaging: butting alters the tube’s wall thickness, and swaging modifies its diameter. Bar tubing is simply cut and bent to achieve rise and sweep. Since the clamp diameter and the grip area are both 22.2mm, bars are made from straight-gauge tubing, which is much easier to fabricate. ![]() The 22.2mm (or 7/8″) clamp area is by far the simplest of the five. Find details on each of the five main diameters below. Nowadays, we have handlebars made with clamp areas ranging from 22.2mm to 35mm. This innovation modularized the stem, simplified installation, enhanced adjustability, could reduce bike weight, and spawned a variety of different stems and stem clamp diameters. Rader’s design eliminated the threaded steerer tube, replacing it with a clamp-on stem system that employed stackable spacers and a top cap for bearing preload. At the time, it was a significant departure from the traditional threaded systems. One of the most significant advancements in modern bicycle technology came in the early 1990s when American engineer John Rader created the threadless stem and headset most of us use today. Five Stem Clamp Diameters: How we got here Read on to learn about the five most common stem clamp diameters and find the survey results indicating the most popular sizes from nearly 1,300 submissions. How many people are using newer 35mm handlebars? And how does that compare to the number of riders using the more prevalent 31.8mm diameter, or other sizes such as 22.2 or 25.4? We recently published a survey to find out. It’s becoming increasingly more common to hear readers expressing the need for (and absence of) 35mm diameter handlebar attachments and clamps for bike bags and accessories.
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