Toadmeister

I’m looking into some shorter stems, seen some priced $150 (Industry 9) and some priced $20 range (Amazon) that don’t look a lot different in functionality. Bonus points for style though.

So what are the major differences? Cheap Chinese aluminum vs American CNC aircraft grade? Is there more than meets the eye here I don’t know? Is there a solid middle ground anyone would recommend?

does the old saying “you get what you pay for” apply here or not?

thanks in advance.

Oneder

Well, having the stem break is about the worst thing that could happen on a bike and it does happen on cheaper bikes. Probably don't need the 150 buck titanium option but I would not cheap out either. In fact, I would try and keep it stock if possible, and see if you can just change the handlebars instead. Probably possible to kill yourself with a bad handlebar/install but I doubt it's likely.

Troul 

composite or casted materials I'd go with a known reputable brand. CNC shouldn't be an issue, but be aware that a seller/brand might bring about other issues. If they/it hasn't been established & is way underpriced to other ones, it might be too good to be true [scam] .

GlennR

I think i have a aluminum 70mm and carbon 90mm I can part with. PM me if that's what you're looking for,

woodcraft

Basically no difference IME.

$10 stems have been fine, and the only one that cracked was uber fancy.

Toadmeister

Certainly I have a history of being abusive and breaking things. . I place durability and robustness above all.

I’m not concerned with weight, I don’t count grams when I’m a Clydesdale who needs to loose many pounds! LOL.

Toadmeister

thanks but I’m looking for shorter ones.

DrIsotope

IME, the sweet spot for stems seems to be in the $40-50 range. Above that is bling, below that is (often) clunk. I've spent more (driven by the overwhelming desire to matchy-match) but they all work about the same.

I'ev never bought any of the bizarrely named Chinese alloy stems, though-- no reason, when something like a Kalloy is $20 and a ControlTech is $40. Heck, I got a Whisky for $40 recently.

Seems like in the really short stems (that is, MTB stems, 60mm and shorter) pretty much all start in the $40-50 area, including RaceFace, Spank, Truvativ, etc. Answer has a couple of stems ~$25.

cyccommute 

No, Keith Bontrager’s old saying...”Cheap, light, durable. Pick two.”...comes into play. Inexpensive stems work well enough and I wouldn’t worry about their safety. They just aren’t very light. Expensive stems are strong and light but, well, expensive. If you are trying to find a length of stem that you want, it’s best to go with the cheap one. If you want something nice, go expensive.

Litespud

I wanted to confirm that an expensive-ish stem I was contemplating (Ritchey) was the correct fit, so I bought a cheapie (~$17) identically-sized stem on Amazon to ride around for a few weeks. I was surprised how good it was - a good solid piece of kit. The fasteners looked quality, it installed without issue and felt stiff and secure. The only thing that gave it away was that some of the machined edges weren’t as finely finished as my previous Cinelli (replaced because of age and because I wanted to move to 31.8 standard bars). Ended up buying the Ritchey anyway but this no-name stem would’ve been perfectly acceptable. I use it now as a saw guide for cutting steerers, so the flat top is a little scratched up

JohnDThompson 

For any given design and material, a forged stem will be stronger than a CNC'ed stem.

Toadmeister

I know that sold saying well, wasn’t sure if it applied here but I’ll assume it does. Between my bikes and wife’s, I got 3 bikes I want to go with shorter stems on. Probably between 35 to 60mm length.

For $10 I ordered a cheapo from Amazon just to try it out. If I don’t like it it will just get tossed into the spares box. I’ll pay more for something I really like if I figure out exact what I want.

BTW I have an adjustable stem today on my gravel bike and it falls into the cheap category, it does squeak a bit. Been using it a couple years now and it’s ready to be trashed before it fails!

wolfchild

I have some more expensive stems made by Thomson and Race Face and I also have some cheap no name brand stems. TBH I don't notice any difference in performance between them. I never had any stem break on me yet even under hard riding conditions, so I don't know how much difference there is in durability between cheap and expensive stems...The most important thing when it comes to stems is to make sure that your bolts are tightened correctly. Stem bolts is one place where I would consider using a torque wrench. I've installed many stems without torque wrench but using torque wrench gives me that extra peace of mind. Majority of stem failures are the result of user error and incorrect installation. A lot of people have absolutely no attention to detail and fail to realize the importance of installing components correctly. Components which have been installed incorrectly are much more likely to fail.

mstateglfr 

often times yes, but for stems I don't think so.

A Kalloy Uno 7 stem on ebay only costs $25 and is lighter than any other stem ive seen. They are 4 bolt, well finished, light, and inexpensive. Keith Bontrager can pout about it.
The graphics are annoying, but 15 seconds of rubbing with nail polish remover leaves the stem simple and black.

I have Uno 7 stems on road bikes and my gravel bike- can't imagine paying more for a heavier stem unless its because I suddenly have to match the cockpit...but thankfully I've never felt compelled to do that.

Ironfish653

If it's one of those direct-ship cheapo's with the nonsense-names, it'll be a roll of the dice, although an aluminum threadless stem is a pretty simple component, you have to try pretty hard to get it wrong.
I've had good luck with 'house brands' like Oval (Spesh) Bontrager (Trek) and CODA ('Dale) as you can usually find those as 'take-offs' or overstock for really cheap.
I had a shop (not sure if it's there anymore ) that had a $5 bin, of stems that had been swapped during bike fits. I got two Ovals and a Salsa for $20 all-in, in different lengths when i re-did the cockpit on one of my road bikes, so I could keep swapping until i hit the right fit.

veganbikes

Oval is ASI (Fuji, Breezer...) Specialized does Roval for wheels but those are actually pretty nice for those looking for crabon wheels.



I don't waste time with cheap no name stuff. You don't have to buy the most expensive stem but there can be benefits from either stiffness, less weight or maybe more flex (if you want that) or more strength and stability. In some cases you are paying for nice anodizing and the fact it is Made in 'Merica by people who enjoy their jobs and are generally getting paid a little better and I don't mind that.

CAT7RDR

I recently purchased and swapped a Nitto Quill Stem onto my Peloton. Really sharp looking and forged aluminum for $45. Fits perfect and no problems.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Camilo

The old durable, lightweight, cost equation applies.

That said, I recommend you look on EBay and buy "name brand" used stems. There's a million of them because stems are something that a lot of people experiment with and sell. I've bought and sold a gazillion used stems on Ebay. I have absolutely no worries about a name brand stem. It's easy to see if it's been crashed or damaged.

Frankly I don't worry too much about cheap generic stems either. There's several fairly common brands that are cheap (but heavy) that I have no worries about buying either. Also available on eBay.

FWIW - comparing EBay to Amazon. These days, I've found EBay to be totally reliable as far as expected shipping time. The pandemic has not affected an individual or small operator to fulfill through eBay sales. Shipping times have been totally normal. Amazon has been HORRIBLE lately. I believe the fact that they operate out of large warehouses has really degraded their fulfillment. I've had small items that should - at worst - be received in 2-5 days take 3+ weeks to arrive. Haven't seen any of that with eBay sales.

Toadmeister

thats been my experience lately too. Amazon is getting enough business and I’d prefer to buy from a smaller bike shop or individual selling slightly used good components who can drop it in the mail next day.

I’ve bought Lots of specialty bike tools lately this way from LBS within 200 miles. They usually show up in my mailbox 3-5 days.

Maelochs

Absolutely. You want bang for the buck? Or ... you will pay more to get a stronger, lighter piece. In either case get a Kalloy Uno.

2old

Just purchased two Uno stems, one for my bike and one for my wife's. IMO, you don't get what you pay for with Kalloy, you receive a lot more.

Kapusta

I would not cheap out on a CF stem (TBH, they seem silly to me anyway), but i don’t think twice about cheap Al stems. With the amount of tweaking I do with fit, cheap is good, and functionally I have found zero difference between cheap stems (Kalloy Uno and Dimension) vs expensive (Thomson). As long as they are 4-bolt faceplates, I’m happy.

vespasianus

I have ordered these stems from eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224467814348?var=523251044300

Cheap carbon stems and used them on both my MTB and my road bike. Pretty lite and have held up to all sorts of abuse. I use a 60mm version on my 26" "huck" it MTB, a 70mm on my 29er and a 110mm version on my road bike.

Run these for over 5 years without issue. Would never spend big bucks on a stem again.

79pmooney

+1 Sophomore engineering. That forged stem will also tolerate the real world of use (scratches, etc.) and poor machining far better without developing stress risers and cracks. (Paul's brakes are gorgeous but I'd rather trust my life to beat up old MAFACS.)

Question, John - are the Ritchie stems forged? (I bought one for my ti custom; 12mm -17. Had the builder make me an identical ti custom with our $$ gift from China through GW.)

Racing Dan

Yeah. Cheap(ish) doesn't mean garbage. A stem is a basic item that shouldn't cost a lot. Id be more suspicious about super light weight, exotic materials, boutique stuff. If its for a carbon fork id rather not get a stem with most of the clamp cut out. They do tend to dent the carbon.