Can I use a suspension stem on bridgestone xo-3? Bike parts for dummies question.

Amy55407

I have a 1993 Bridgestone XO-3. I removed the moustache bars some time
ago because of bruising on my wrists. I'm getting older that when I
first bought this and front suspension sure looks good. I thought
about selling it but everyone keeps telling me to keep it. I don't
think there's a suspension fork that will work on this bike but I'm
interested in trying suspension stem to see if that will help dampen
some of the potholes and curbs. I see a couple here on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=3670364915

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...&category=22694

This is the dummies part. How do I know what kind of stem will work on
my bike? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

Benjamin Weiner

Amy55407 <bertmail2003@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I have a 1993 Bridgestone XO-3. I removed the moustache bars some time
> ago because of bruising on my wrists. I'm getting older that when I
> first bought this and front suspension sure looks good. I thought
> about selling it but everyone keeps telling me to keep it. I don't
> think there's a suspension fork that will work on this bike but I'm
> interested in trying suspension stem to see if that will help dampen
> some of the potholes and curbs. I see a couple here on ebay.

> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=3670364915

> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...&category=22694

> This is the dummies part. How do I know what kind of stem will work on
> my bike? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

You would need a quill stem for a 1" steerer. The actual quill
is 22.2mm diameter (7/8"). The first item is a 25.4 quill for
1-1/8" steerer and wouldn't work. Softride stems are far superior
to Girvin flexstems anyway because they have a parallelogram link,
so the brake levers don't dive away from you as the stem compresses.
You might also need to add a brake cable hanger if your current stem
is the cable stop.

Other options are to run as big a tire in the front as possible,
and don't pump it up to max. And, if you suffer wrist pain,
looking into a riser stem and/or bars that bring the bars up
or closer, to take weight off your hands. Did you replace the
moustache bars with flat bars or drops? Also, angle of the bars
at the grips can influence wrist pain.

Hugh Fenton

"Benjamin Weiner" <bjw@mambo.ucolick.org> wrote in message
news:407196f3$1@darkstar...
> Amy55407 <bertmail2003@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > I have a 1993 Bridgestone XO-3. I removed the moustache bars some time
> > ago because of bruising on my wrists. I'm getting older that when I
> > first bought this and front suspension sure looks good. I thought
> > about selling it but everyone keeps telling me to keep it. I don't
> > think there's a suspension fork that will work on this bike but I'm
> > interested in trying suspension stem to see if that will help dampen
> > some of the potholes and curbs. I see a couple here on ebay.
>

>
> Other options are to run as big a tire in the front as possible,
> and don't pump it up to max. And, if you suffer wrist pain,
> looking into a riser stem and/or bars that bring the bars up
> or closer, to take weight off your hands. Did you replace the
> moustache bars with flat bars or drops? Also, angle of the bars
> at the grips can influence wrist pain.
>

Yeah its funny how on a non-suspensionmountainbikewith fat Town and Country
tires (on good roads) is actually much more comfortable than any fancy
suspension I've tried with narrow slicks. I guess its to do with the tires
not having any "stiction" compared to the suspension

Hugh Fenton