The Ouzo Posted October 12, 2012 Share Its my first piece of carbon. I didnt get it buy choice though. I went to the LBS for a basic bike setup and they found my stem was to long, they swapped it for the only stem of the correct length they had in the shop which happened to be a carbon stem. So is their any advantage to a carbon stem vs standard steel ? (besides the few milligrams in weight) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W3RN3R Posted October 12, 2012 Share Carbon has better damping properties than steel or the alloy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cippo Posted October 12, 2012 Share Looks nice. Some aluminium stems are lighter. Which one did they fit? Some are aluminium with a carbon wrap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ouzo Posted October 12, 2012 Share Looks nice. Some aluminium stems are lighter. Which one did they fit? Some are aluminium with a carbon wrap.Pazzaz, like so. not sure if its the same model, but it looks the same.I see now its actually ally + carbon.http://www.pazzaz.com/image/product/bike/stem/ras23fcb.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Dale Posted October 12, 2012 Share Carbon has better damping properties than steel or the alloy Yip, and aesthethic value.Are you bars also carbon? Edited October 12, 2012 by ' Dale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted October 12, 2012 Share Carbon stems are a waste of money. They're marginally lighter than aluminium (sometimes heavier). They're far more expensive and the vibration damping effect is a myth. In my opinion aluminium is the best cost to weight to performance material for stems, bars and seat posts. Carbon's only purpose is to make a bike blinger. Nothing wrong with that - blings rocks! RacerX, Wannabe, EZRider and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ouzo Posted October 12, 2012 Share Yip, and aesthethic value.Are you bars also carbon?its my only piece of "carbon" and on the dampening, I think Eldron is right, I did not notice a difference, actually it may have been slightly worse with the new stem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wannabe Posted October 12, 2012 Share Carbon stems are a waste of money. They're marginally lighter than aluminium (sometimes heavier). They're far more expensive and the vibration damping effect is a myth. In my opinion aluminium is the best cost to weight to performance material for stems, bars and seat posts. Carbon's only purpose is to make a bike blinger. Nothing wrong with that - blings rocks! Agree with Eldron.I had Pazzaz Carbon Stem, Bar and Seatpost on my previous bike. Looks good, lasts well and is good value for money. Stem is unfortunately alu with carbon wrap. Quite heavy.On my current bike I have KCNC Stem and Bar. A lot ligther and also cheaper than carbon / carbon wrapped items. Edited October 12, 2012 by Wannabe wapad 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted October 12, 2012 Share steel Steel hasn't been used for stems in the last 10 years or so! It's all aluminium, carbon or (rarely) ti. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azonic Posted October 12, 2012 Share 152g is pretty heavy though... Ritchey WCS allot stems are around 125g, with ones like KCNC even less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTB_Roadie Posted October 12, 2012 Share Never ever will I use a carbon bar or stem....I seen before where those things snapped and it is not good....Imagine now while racing deciding to sprint "poof" there your stem snaps or your handlebar snaps taking a nice dip in the tar at 50km/h+....no thank you! Even sometimes if the roadbike just falls over the carbon bar can crack, I seen it happen at an event, the guy fell over and the bar broke off.... Carbon frame does the job, I run a Ritchey WCS Logic stem and Handlebar, it is light, minimal flex and atleast I don't have to worry about it breaking off.... So besides the cool looks of a carbon stem....that is about it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ouzo Posted October 12, 2012 Share 152g is pretty heavy though... Ritchey WCS allot stems are around 125g, with ones like KCNC even less.I weigh 85kg, an empty bladder will make up the weight difference, doesnt bother me. I wonder what the standard Scott stem weighed in at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gummibear Posted October 12, 2012 Share Have a look at the Ritchey WCS 260 stems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted October 12, 2012 Share A possibly superfluous bit of info but there still seems to be some confusion about the word "alloy". Alloy just means a combination of two or more elements - it has nothing to do with actual aluminium. Titanium is an alloy - so is steel and aluminium. In cycling terms the most common "alloy" is aluminium. Aluminium is mixed with a few otyher elements to make it stronger and more heat treatable. That said - aluminium (the element) still accounts for ~97%+ of the aluminium alloy. Here endeth the metallurgy lesson ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted October 12, 2012 Share Have a look at the Ritchey WCS 260 stems. My favourite stem/bar/seat pillar manufacturers are Pro's PLT series (road), Pro's Karyak series (mtb) and Ritchey's WCS aluminium series (mtb and road). Both provide superb balance of cash, weight, performance and looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Bornman Posted October 15, 2012 Share A possibly superfluous bit of info but there still seems to be some confusion about the word "alloy". Alloy just means a combination of two or more elements - it has nothing to do with actual aluminium. Titanium is an alloy - so is steel and aluminium. In cycling terms the most common "alloy" is aluminium. Aluminium is mixed with a few otyher elements to make it stronger and more heat treatable. That said - aluminium (the element) still accounts for ~97%+ of the aluminium alloy. Here endeth the metallurgy lesson ;-)Now you've gone and spoilt my fun. Lots of people ask me for alloy nipples and I give them brass with a straight face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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