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Carbon Fiber Stems PSA

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Carbon Fiber Stems PSA

Old 04-16-19, 08:42 AM
  #26  
AlmostTrick
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
Stems that are merely wrapped in carbon are not true carbon stems. Ergo, I don't see the point of this thread.
The thread started with some value as a PSA, considering several posters stated they were not aware of this and thanked the OP for bringing it up. But OP threw it all out the window with a later post. Fail

Originally Posted by 86az135i
Look towards any value stem, as I stated. Ebay, Amazon, etc, take your pick. Look not everyone is intellectually superior such as yourself. I mean I myself am sitting here in awe of it.

If you don't like what I have to say, or what I do. I don't give a crap.
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Old 04-16-19, 08:43 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by Hiro11
Carbon stems are a waste of money. They're not any lighter than aluminum stems, aesthetically indistinguishable and far more fragile.
worng, wrong, wrong, and wrong
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Old 04-16-19, 08:53 AM
  #28  
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Actually, his post was, "correct, debatable, largely correct, and totally correct."
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Old 04-16-19, 09:58 AM
  #29  
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Meanwhile, this stem costs $25 and is lighter https://www.ebay.com/itm/KALLOY-UNO-...p7A7D3A804PvJQ

nail polish remover and 15 seconds of rubbing removes the decals since a plain stem is always better looking than any stem with a bunch of graphics.
Lighter and cheaper than the Ritchey WCS and most any other aluminum or carbon stem ive come across.


The Ritchey WCS stems do have that unique holding shape that apparently reduces stress on the bars. So thats cool.
I have bikes with Ritchey cockpits...minus stem since, you know, $25 and 113g is better than $160 and 126g.

Last edited by mstateglfr; 04-16-19 at 03:00 PM.
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Old 04-16-19, 11:02 AM
  #30  
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Here we can get carbon wrapped stems delivered for ten quid. That's three pints of beer. I have one but i don't use it, as it doesn't rake up at enough of an angle to me - like yeah, spend 200 quid saving 10g only to have 50g in a needlessly long steerer tube and spacers...
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Old 04-16-19, 12:30 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by Hiro11
Carbon stems are a waste of money. They're not any lighter than aluminum stems, aesthetically indistinguishable and far more fragile.
My much abused, four-year-old, carbon MTB stem would disagree with a few of those claims.
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Old 04-16-19, 02:36 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
Meanwhile, this stem costs $25 and is lighter https://www.ebay.com/itm/KALLOY-UNO-...p7A7D3A804PvJQ

nail polish and 15 seconds of rubbing removes the decals since a plain stem is always better looking than any stem with a bunch of graphics.
Lighter and cheaper than the Ritchey WCS and most any other aluminum or carbon stem ive come across.


The Ritchey WCS stems do have that unique holding shape that apparently reduces stress on the bars. So thats cool.
I have bikes with Ritchey cockpits...minus stem since, you know, $25 and 113g is better than $160 and 126g.
What's your favorite color nail polish for the job?
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Old 04-16-19, 02:59 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Paul Barnard
What's your favorite color nail polish for the job?
haha, well i suppose I should say red since its the fastest.
I edited the original post, nice catch. Key word missing.
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Old 04-16-19, 03:52 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by enveous
My much abused, four-year-old, carbon MTB stem would disagree with a few of those claims.
Full carbon MTB stems are extremely rare for a reason. I'm not saying they can't work, just that they don't work any better than a far cheaper aluminum stem. I stand by what I said. If you're looking to shave weight off of a bike, pretty much anything else is a better idea.
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Old 04-16-19, 03:56 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Hiro11
I'm not saying they can't work, just that they don't work any better than a far cheaper aluminum stem
No, what you're saying is that carbon stems are "far more fragile."
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Old 04-16-19, 06:50 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
haha, well i suppose I should say red since its the fastest.
I edited the original post, nice catch. Key word missing.
I love it when you can do a little good-natured ribbing on someone and they don't get butthurt!
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Old 04-16-19, 07:46 PM
  #37  
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Nice thread. I'm not sure I'd trust a full-carbon stem anyway. I mean, I'm sure they could be engineered strong enough, but I'd be worried about a lightweight carbon stem being engineered for light weight not for strength.

As I write this, my avatar bike has a full carbon tiller and handlebar. But it has a kevlar layer, and I'm not putting my weight on it. So, completely different situation.
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Old 04-16-19, 09:12 PM
  #38  
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I don't know why people won't trust a carbon stem when they trust carbon handlebars, hubs, steerers and wheels and frames.

Guys jump off cliffs with carbon mountain bikes. It can be engineered strong enough.


-Tim-
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Old 04-17-19, 12:34 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by enveous
No, what you're saying is that carbon stems are "far more fragile."
“You can have Light, Strong, or Cheap. Pick two. “
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Old 09-24-21, 10:33 AM
  #40  
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Some of the carbon is peeling on my carbon wrapped stem. To me it looks like an aesthetic issue only and not a structural/safety issue.

Looking closely at the aluminum I can't see anything more than some chipped paint, it appears to be structurally sound. Additionally, the carbon that's peeling is very very thin its peeling straight back on a horizontal line making me think it was just a single piece of carbon laid on a normally spec'd aluminum stem.

Anyone familiar with carbon-wrapped stems able to weigh-in? aesthetic or structural?
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Old 09-24-21, 11:12 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by colleran
Some of the carbon is peeling on my carbon wrapped stem. To me it looks like an aesthetic issue only and not a structural/safety issue.

Looking closely at the aluminum I can't see anything more than some chipped paint, it appears to be structurally sound. Additionally, the carbon that's peeling is very very thin its peeling straight back on a horizontal line making me think it was just a single piece of carbon laid on a normally spec'd aluminum stem.

Anyone familiar with carbon-wrapped stems able to weigh-in? aesthetic or structural?

When you get to 10 posts, post some pics of your stem. It's hard to diagnose some issues without actually seeing what it looks like.
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Old 09-24-21, 11:56 AM
  #42  
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Carbon wrapped stems exist because of the aesthetic value, not the improved durability or even lighter weight. I have used them on three bikes only because of how they complete a particular look.

"It is not how you feel, but how you look. And you look marvelous."

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