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.dll?ViewItem&item=36703649-
15

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=36698430-
21&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 <[email protected]> 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.dll?ViewItem&item=36-
> 70364915

> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=366984-
> 3021&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" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:407196f3$1@darkstar...
> Amy55407 <[email protected]> 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

 

[Amy55407]

Thanks for the info. My local bike shop has an adjustable
trans x suspension stem. I think I'm going to combine this
with a fatter tire on the front.

"Hugh Fenton" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]
berlin.de>...
> "Benjamin Weiner" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:407196f3$1@darkstar...
> > Amy55407 <[email protected]> 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