# The Official A-TAC Stem Thread



## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

They made my pulse race twenty years ago, and all this time later, I'm still a sucker for this classic design.

A few I have now:





































Never did get the neon yellow, and neon pink ones I wanted so bad BITD...

Let's see what you guys have in your stash.

Steve


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

awesome thread. VRC geeks only and count me in! lol.
atacs were ultra sweet but heavy as well....
i am still looking for my Ibis ti stem and handlebar... sniff.


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## H_Tuttle (Feb 27, 2007)

I rock the Hammerhead

http://www.purplelizard.com/GI hammerheads.htm


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Only ATAC stem I have is the one on Cullinan's Iron Horse. Noodle shaved off is the only mod to it.


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## Mashimaro9 (Oct 15, 2010)

Hey guys! New member here and thought i'd share my 'old' Syncros Hinged stem too! 





































I used to want one of those ATAC stems so bad....then i started eyeing the Thomsom stuff a while later!


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Come on guys, lets see some pics...there must be a ton of A-TACs out there.




a small bit of history from an e-mail from Frank:



"I was the co-designer of the ATAC along with Brian Skinner and Rich Truchinski at Answer. A guy name Houi Hoi welded it at Answer. I may have done the mods." FTW




Steve




.


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## chinamanconnor (Aug 14, 2010)




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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)




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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

there one in there somewhere...









have another one that was replaced by this one that is being used on my mates cannondale kiddie carrier bike...


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## Schmitty (Sep 7, 2008)

Kind off amazing such a good selling product didn't continue on in some form to present day. Seems like it would be easy enough for Answer to continue selling threadless ATAC's.. the stem market is still viable albeit with different big players... Thomson for one.

Maybe the legal dept' put an end to it for liability reasons? Maybe it was money loser for them?


-Schmitty-


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## 805MTB (Jul 4, 2010)

I'd like one of these - prefer this design to Ringle Zooka face plate..prone to crack


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## gm1230126 (Nov 4, 2005)

Always wondered why, in a sea filled with welded aluminum stems, so many people find A-Tacs to be so alluring? Was it the colors they were offered in? beefiness? massive welds? FTW design?


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

gm1230126 said:


> Always wondered why, in a sea filled with welded aluminum stems, so many people find A-Tacs to be so alluring? Was it the colors they were offered in? beefiness? massive welds? FTW design?


Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes 

They just really capture that late 80's~early 90's vibe for me...back when I rode every day, read every mag, and Mountain Bike racing was on TV. Oh, the good old days. 

Steve


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## gm1230126 (Nov 4, 2005)

And here I thought after about 89-90 that all of us were about being a "minimalist" in our bike builds. P-23 had set the 23# bench mark and that's what I remember everybody trying to achieve at the time with their bike build-ups. More Ti bits, 140g or less bars, Ultegra front hubs, along comes threadless (which was really only lighter on the top of the line stuff). Were the A-Tacs all US built or did they do some OE stuff in Taiwan too.


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## Galvatron1 (Feb 8, 2013)

1. I think I have a bootleg A-TAC, or is it the real thing? 
2. The steering feels a bit wonky. Would I have to buy a new headset or stem or just have it lubed or something?
3. Should I upgrade my stem, or is this just fine?


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## ameybrook (Sep 9, 2006)

Galvatron1 said:


> 1. I think I have a bootleg A-TAC, or is it the real thing?


Looks like a Kona with the house brand Velocity stem and P2 fork. 94-ish as I think the top cap was slanted them.

I like ATAC stems but I'm not sure we need a whole thread . The FTW originals are so sweet



















Team cut


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

ameybrook said:


> Looks like a Kona with the house brand Velocity stem and P2 fork. 94-ish as I think the top cap was slanted them.
> 
> I like ATAC stems but I'm not sure we need a whole thread . The FTW originals are so sweet


Sure looks like a control tech...


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

The threadless version was wrong; and then Kore comes out w/ something lighter, as stiff and a better design on the steerer grabbing rear bolts.


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## Max Hc (Aug 13, 2005)

Here´s my latest A-Tac:


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## Shogun700 (Jun 15, 2009)

This one was a little different, if memory serves correctly it came from a 1996 Intense Uzzi.


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## deoreo (Aug 26, 2005)

Anyone have the actual directions or a torque spec for this stem?

I've got a 1" quill (22.2) Answer A-Tac from 1990 or so. I don't just want to crank it tight.
I have the handlebar clamp at 50 in-lb. and the quill at 120 in-lb. but would like to know what the mfg. spec. actually was.


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## the_undecider (Jan 18, 2020)

Bringing this thread back from the dead! I scored a 1991 Paramount (not sure what it is, but I've been e-mailing back and forth with Richard Schwinn at Waterford to get some more info) and it had this lovely pink A-TAC stem. Other than the Rolf wheels and the Brooks I put on the bike (looking for something else to put on here), this thing is a time capsule straight from the early 90s. This is by far the nicest, rarest, and most expensive vintage mountain bike I have purchased. It's getting a spot on the wall in my home office.


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