Originally Posted by
shovelhd
I don't understand why Cannondale says no spacers on top of the top cap. Doesn't make sense.
it has to do with the design of their expander where the top cap itself is the expander. The idea for any expander is that the stem has a portion of the carbon steerer that is 'reinforced' by the expander. That expander , unlike specialized or other brands where there is an expander sleeve and top cap, is about the same length of the stack of a stem. So if there are too many spaces above the stem (imagine 30mm of spacers above, then the bottom bolt (and potentially the top bolt) of a two bolt stem will be clamping a portion of the steerer below the expander
and it looks sweet with no spacers....