Raleigh Nitro upgrading/restoration project

[nitropeddler]

Hello,

Just picked up a 90's Raleigh Nitro last night and have decided to give her some TLC and get out on her. Having inspected her the frame seems to be in perfect condition, and the overall condition of the bike is unloved. With the purchase of some new parts I should have a great weekend bike.

The first conundrum I came across is the stem/thin fork setup. The stem for the handlebars is integrated into the top of the fork coming out of the head tube. It is very thin. My query is how I may be able to attach a modern stem to the fork?

The top of the fork seems far too thin to attach a modern stem to.

If anyone has an insight as to how I may be able to do this it would be great. I really don't fancy using the old 45 degree headset for the rest of its use, also it probably weighs a lot!

TIA

pic of bike included

 

[Old Ned]

Might be better posting this in the MTB section of the forum TBH - but -

The stem is not part of the fork, the fork has a 1" steerer tube (the top of it will be inside the headset) and the stem is fixed into it by the expander bolt inside it. The nut for releasing this should be visible on top of the stem. Undo it a bit, give it a tap with a hammer to release the expander wedge inside, and it SHOULD loosen. If it doesn't, the stem may be rusted into the steerer tube - which can be overcome in several ways.

I wouldn't worry to much about the weight. The bike as a whole is not a lightweight. If you can loosen the stem as above then why not just lower it to achieve a more suitable riding position?

To attach a 'modern' stem you can buy an 'adapter' which will fit into the 1" steerer the same way as the stem you have but the top section is a bigger diameter to fit a modern stem onto.