Quill

Shop our range of Quill Stems online; adjustable quill stems, handlebar quill stems, BMX quill stems, vintage bike quill stems, alloy quill stems & more.

What is a quill stem?

Quill stems are a type of bike stem that was commonly used on older road bikes and some modern city and commuter bikes. They have a long, thin stem that inserts into the fork steerer tube. And is secured with an expander bolt or wedge, and a horizontal bar that extends out from the stem to hold the handlebars. These stems are recognizable by their threaded bolt on the top. Which is used to tighten and adjust the stem height and angle. They were popular on older bikes because they were easy to install and adjust. And were reliable. However, they have largely been replaced by newer threadless stems, which are lighter, stiffer, and offer more adjustability.

These stems were super popular back in the day because of their comfort. In that they have more ‘give’ they provide a little suspension. Meaning they are a great addition to a commuter bike or an older mountain bike.

And of course they look beautiful on an old style bike. We especially like how easy they are to install & require little maintenance. They are the original style for bikes, and that never goes out of fashion! In fact, we would say their increasing rarity is making quill stems more popular. And unfortunately you won’t usually be able to retro-fit these to a bike that wasn’t designed to have them.