# Colnago - ITM stem issues



## Maverick (Apr 29, 2004)

purchased a NOS Colnago - ITM stem (comes with 4 bolt stem face) in 100mm. 
item is supposedly compatible with 1in steerer as well as 1 1/8in steerer as well (minus the spacer).

i tried mounting it on the C50 1 1/8in steerer unfortunately i can't get it to mount even after fully tightening the steerer bolts.
does the stem need any spacer  
the stem steerer diameter seems larger by 1-2mm even when it is fully tighten, hence it can't get a grip at the steerer tube at all - which is abnormal.

anyone here having similar issues with the Colnago - ITM stem previously?
please feel free to chime in and give some suggestions or comments.

cheers!

note: i'm currently using the ITM Millenium carbon stem in 110mm. it's a 25.4 and compatible with 1 1/8in steerer. fits perfectly on the C50.


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

If you are talking about the COLNAGO stem they are not 1 1/8" , they are 1" only and they come with special adapters so you can set them to 0°, 6° and 17° configurations, but always only 1".










other ITM stems ( not COLNAGO branded ) are either 1" or 1 1/8"


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## FrenchNago (Jan 1, 2011)

Keep the stem that fits and drop those spacer systems.......they fit but they put extra strain on your carbon steerer tube at the cut-outs, Ritchey makes some really nice stems (IMHO some of the best) so does Deda


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## Maverick (Apr 29, 2004)

@ Salsa,

thanks for the reply and information.
looks like i was misleaded on this one :cryin: 
yes, that's the *exact *stem that i bought.
the seller state that it's for 1 1/8 steerer, hence my impression is that it fits the C50 steerer exactly like my current Millenium Carbon 110mm.

couple of sellers (in eBay) also mentioned that the ITM - Colnago stem fits 1 1/8 as well as 1in steerer. looks like the sellers are all wrong  hmm..

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=colnago+stem&_sacat=See-All-Categories

FrenchNago,
thanks for the advice. will keep the ITM millenium 110mm for now and slowly hunt for an ITM in 100mm. 

cheers!


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## ctam (Apr 21, 2003)

Some of the Colnago ITM stems are in fact made for 1 1/8 (or 1" with a normal shim) - so not all of the sellers are wrong! Often times the seller does not know which version they are selling. About a year ago I was looking for the style of stem you got - with the eccentric shim that allows you to adjust the stem angle.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

I use a spacer.


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## Maverick (Apr 29, 2004)

@il sogno,

are you using the same stem (with 4 bolt stem face) as shown in the picture above, with a 1 1/8in steerer?
do you mind telling me where and how did you find the spacer?

the measured diameter of the stem Colnago-ITM stem is 1.18inch, i need a spacer to reduce it to 1.125 inch (1 1/8) in order to fit on the C50's steerer. 

I don't think such odd size spacer is available unfortunately..


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## Visparc (Apr 29, 2012)

I had the same problem with my 1 1/8 steerer tube.
Eventually after several attempts, I found that 3 or 4 wraps of duct tape cut to fit worked a treat.
Crude I know, but once tightened the stem is stiff as they come.
Only downside is that if you want to remove anything below the stem (e.g. spacers) you have to remove the tape and redo it


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## jaydg (Nov 14, 2007)

those stems need a thicker shim to work with the 1 inch steerer . i figured this out by taking out my itm stem from my 1inch steerer bike and trying to put in a new generic stem . It did not want to go in coz the itm shim on the 1 inch steerer was too thick , it fit properly when I used a generic shim from another stem brand . I guess the ITM colnago stem has a slightly bigger steerer diameter to accomodate the bigger itm shim .


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## joeyb1000 (Feb 15, 2011)

The diameter of the stem is 30mm. I bought a 27.2 - 28.6 USE seatpost shim and cut it.


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## PJKLyon (Aug 20, 2012)

Maverick:

Did you find a ship to reduce it from 1.18 to 1.12? I have the same problem with an ITM Colnago stem. I don't understand how the seatpost shim fix works. I am in contact with ITM in Italy about this issue.


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## PJKLyon (Aug 20, 2012)

Joeyb1000:

Did you use the 27.2 - 28.6 USE seatpost shim to solve this same problem? I guess this shim expands enough to tighten the 29.4 - 30 mm ITM Colnago stem??

Thank you..


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## Maverick (Apr 29, 2004)

@PJKLyon,

I returned the Colnago stem, opt for a ITM Millennium instead. 
Unless you can find the correct shim for the stem, I don't think it is worth taking a risk with a badly installed stem/steerer. 

The Colnago stem was originally designed for a 1inch steerer, hence the adapters that came with the stem works perfectly with a 1inch steerer frameset/fork. (C40, Master and other older models)

cheers!


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## PJKLyon (Aug 20, 2012)

*Fix*

The USE shim did the trick! Used a BBB extender with another adaptor to take it from 1" to 1 1/8 and then cut the USE seatpost shim to fit the ITM stem. Solid ride. Thank you.


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