In the past I have smugly ignored posts about this , thinking I would never do that. Well, I have. The top clamp bolt barely overlaps the steerer top even using a much shallower cap than original. So. can anything be done? If not what about a particularly low stack stem?
Your advice appreciated.

what sort of headset is it?

A Giant Overdrive, the tapered one, not the weird 11/4 by 11/5 type. It had a really tall top cap which made things worse but I found one half the size in my spares box

What forks and what have you cut the steerer to?

What’s the current stem stack? Seem to remember on-one having something pretty low. Any room to machine down the top of the headtube?

Not sure if you’ll get a lower stack version of the headset but even grinding some of that shorter cap off might help?

Pics?

You can weld the cutoff back on.

On my drop-offs I cut the steel steerer fine for 1 bike, then that bike got munched (hit by a car). On the new frame the steerer was too short so I ran it with only 1 pinch bolt for ~4years. When I got a MIG welder I re-attached the cut-off for reassurance.

no room to machine the head tube but I can certainly grind the top cap further and I might even have a still flatter one somewhere. Forks are Rebas and I haven’t mastered the photo on forum thing!
Current stem is a KCNC which looks quite high.38-40mmish steerer now145ish

If the top stem bolt (assuming it has 2) overlaps the top of the steerer, you should be fine. It does not need to extend past the top of the stem.

I’ll never do this 😀

Dmr defy and sect stem have a pretty low stack height.

Never cut my tube, can’t see why I need too?

As above the steerer should be ~3mm below the top of the stem anyway.

On one super light stem lists at 35mm stack
Their El Gupo Corto stem is 35.4mm
Might help

Pawsy Bear, you must either be very tall or have never fitted a new fork?

I remove spacers to fit and put them on top simple really. Certainly not cut my pikes steerer.

Double post

Pawsy_Bear – Member
I remove spacers to fit and put them on top simple really

Always a good look:

pawsy lets see a picture then

Aye, get a pic posted pawsy!

Funnduro stem comes in at 31 mm

Ha ha yeah. But suspension forks don’t have that long a steerer it’s only one spacer high uncut. I’m not a roadie or fat tyre bike just normal MTB 🙂 Those steelers do need cutting

How do you post picture?

Upload to Imgur and use the BB code.

http://imgur.com

I did exactly this on a carbon steerer. I had a stepped alu plug glued which added the extra length i needed. What forks are they? You can get a lower stacking headset or get away with a low headset cap..

If we are going to flash our steerers,

Before:

After:

Cutting the steerer so shoddily (resting on my foot) was serendipitous, it created a nice key for the offcut to line up to.

It’s been fine since I did it over 3 yrs ago.

I got a steerer extender off ebay a few years back. Ugly heavy thing, but I have an abnormally long head tube on one frame and the forks I mail ordered were miss described. It’s worked fine for a few years now.

As winch says a DMR Defy stem, 31mm stack height…. I say this speaking from experience of having too short a steerer tube…

Edited to add I think they/DMR do an even lower stack height stem maybe about 28mm can’t remember its name, I dint need to go that low though.

As already mentioned, if the top stem bolt is below the cut, you are fine. If not, a Ritchey three bolt stem would give you two bolt clamping. Only carbon steerers need a spacer above, and even that is moot. You don’t even need a top cap once you have preloaded the bearings.

pawsy – they need cutting – we need a picture or you are a fat bike roadie

Ragley Stubbing stem is also very low stack height.

Bet Pawsy had an OE fork already cut for a certain bike? Or he rides a XXXXL frame 🙂

90% of steerers need cutting. That’s a well known internet fact backed up by this here post 😉

Would anyone let Johnnouk anywhere near anything they own…? Shoddy is just nowhere near…

Hi

If you do decide to swap stems I might be interested in your kcnc stem

Email is in profile

Oof. Yu COULD; face the steerer top, and the bit you’ve cut off, then install star fangled nuts(carefully0 in both use a long bold to go through both, which would lock them together. Ends would neet to be exactly square on though. Wn’t work on a tapered steerer.

Truvativ XR stems have an effectively very low stack height as they only have 1 centrally placed clamp bolt.

Stoffel , this was the route I eventually opted for. I just hope I managed to get the ends of steerer and extra bit as square as possible. So far it seems to work but I haven’t done anything very demanding yet!