Carbon stems

I just ordered my new TT bike and am thinking of putting a carbon stem on it. Has anyone ridden a carbon stem yet?

if so how did you like it?

Anyone heard of carbon stem failures (crashing ain’t fun)

feedback either way is appreciated

thanks

ahhhh, yes desert man, they have had problems. the problem is that not all bars are exactly the diameter they claim, nor are they perfectly round. a metal clamp will bend around this, but a carbon one will crack as the stress is displaced to one small area. they cost a ton, and aren’t all that light and even if when they are we are talking the weight of a swallow of water. not me, not yet.

I’m going to sound like a broken record if I keep this up: Ritchey WCS. Its wicked light, tough and dependable. No dramas. You’re not getting anything except cache’ with a carbon stem. Likewise with carbon bars. Most won’t let you mount aero bars.

If you REALLY want carbon on a TT setup, try the Profile Carbon X’s but you really aren’t getting much performance over other setups except a lighter wallet, unless their adjustability is the only way to set you up just right.

135 gms, $109

http://www.excelsports.com/image/Easton%20EC70%20Road%20Stem.jpg
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there’s a lot of non-carbon parts on this carbon stem. I can’t remember if it was the deda or the ITM, but one of those looked to be truly all carbon (except the faceplate, I think). seems like a much better way to go. I figure if you’re going to make something out of carbon, you should take advantage of the properties of the material. pieces like this are making the new-era materials conform to old world manufacturing techniques.

Dr. Dre, you forgot four bolt WCS vs 2 bolt Easton face. Lots stiffer, less stress per bolt. One doesn’t get anything by using the Easton except drools on group rides. If thats important, well, then buy the Easton, ITM or others…

I think the bike biz learned how to deal with the carbon/alum corrosion issue years ago so I wouldn’t necessarily be concerned with that.

…Has anyone ridden a carbon stem yet?

if so how did you like it?

Anyone heard of carbon stem failures (crashing ain’t fun)

Another question - is their any advantage in vibration dampening?

Dr. Dre, you forgot four bolt WCS vs 2 bolt Easton face. Lots stiffer, less stress per bolt.

That’s a misconception, four-bolts are not per definition stiffer nor do they necessarily last longer due to lower stress levels. Aside from that, the Easton two-bolt system (I have no opinion on the carbon stem but they use the same on the Alu stem) is actually really clever. You can’t strip the stem as the bolts thread into loose steel inserts, the bolts clamping the steerer are separate as well and can even be flipped around if you flip your stem (not that important for mere mortals, but great for bike team mechanics).

Leave it to the engineers to take all the fun out of my retrogrouching ways! Seriously though, guys, thanks for setting the less enlightened of us straight.

thanks for all the info, opinions, views. I’m going with a 2 bolt AL stem from my LBS. Just not 100% sure on the carbon and hate being the crash test dummy.