handlebars and stem

The Sekai has a threaded fork, but I knew I didn’t want to use a quill stem. So, I bought an inexpensive adaptor and an even less expensive stem. I think the stem was $9 shipped from Sierra Trading Post. The problem is the only one they had that came in the 1-1/8″ and 25.4mm was 130mm long. I think it looks too long, but I won’t know how it is until I put it on the bike. The other part I’m not sure about is the graphics. I want this bike to be simple and I think the Easton logo is pretty lame. If it were a sticker I would have already peeled it off.

I’m relatively happy with the handlebars. They don’t have any overpowering logos. They are pretty straight too. Ideally I would have liked something straight and the same diameter throughout. I’m not sure why I couldn’t find what I was looking for. I think that is a pretty simple request.

I ended up cutting 2″ off of each end of the bars to make them shorter. Again, I won’t know exactly how that will be until they are installed on the bike.

The grips are ok. I thought they might compliment the black leather seat, but they don’t have the same shine to them. Again, I wanted something simple and black, but that wasn’t as easy to find as I thought. I can always swap them out if I decide I don’t like them when the bike is complete.