Road Bike Stems
A proper stem is crucial to maintaining a comfortable and safe bicycle. The variety of stem lengths, slope and materials can be a primary factor in achieving the proper fit on your bike. Here is a short resource to help our customers find the stem that best suits their needs.
Carbon Stems
The emergence of carbon fiber as the primary material of high-end bicycles carried over to stems several years ago. There is no shortage of sweet-looking carbon stems and no limit to how much you can spend on them. Carbon allows great leeway for manufacturers to sculpt and mold carbon without compromising performance. No metal can achieve the flowing lines of a well-made carbon stem. Carbon looks great.
Carbon also provides a much smoother road feel. While we may be talking degrees of smoothness if you already ride a carbon frame bike, a carbon stem or seatpost is a great way to smooth out the ride of a stiff aluminum frame ride.
Carbon's greatest drawback is durability. While any stem can be damaged in a crash or by overtightening the bolts, carbon stems are especially susceptible to damage. We advise anybody who has experienced slippage while installing a carbon stem or who has wrecked to have their stem checked out by a certified mechanic. While the carbon may look okay, it may have developed structural cracks that will dramatically weaken your stem.
Aluminum Stems
Most stems today are made from aluminum. Aluminum is something of a magic material in bike construction due to its light weight and impressive stiffness. At BikeTiresDirect we carry a variety of aluminum stems from Ritchey, Easton, Thomson, Ritchey, and Deda. The primary benefit of aluminum stems is their reliability. In the event of a mishap, you will know immediately if your stem has survived or not, and it takes a lot to ruin an aluminum stem. Of course, aluminum stems can be ruined by overtightening, but stripping out the threads is a bigger worry than cracking the bolt holes.
In the weight department, carbon and aluminum are very close. Aluminum actually often runs a bit lighter than carbon, and costs less. The Deda Zero 100 Stem is the lightest I've ever seen, regardless of material. While aluminum generally offers a stiffer ride than carbon, if you are not actively trying to smooth out a particularly rigid bike, aluminum won't make you uncomfortable.
The Ritchey WCS 4-Axis Road Stem is the latest incarnation of Ritchey's very popular WCS line. Very common on race bikes from beginners to pros, it should be near the top of any cyclist's list when shopping for stems.
Easton stems are another staple of the pro, and amateur peloton. Lightweight, reliable components at a grat price make Easton a favorite with many cyclists.
So which should you ride? Well, it comes down to what you're going to do with it. If you bought a new carbon bike that costs more than a small car, sure to be the most eye-catching bike in the group on any ride, stick with sexy carbon. If you got a great deal on a late-90's ultralight aluminum frame but can't get used to that harsh ride, carbon will help smooth some of that out. If you race most weekends and attend fast group rides on the others, choose aluminum; it's what the pros ride and they know reliability. Ride a couple times a week and hit a bike tour or two a year? Just get a stem you like that fits your budget. They all hold your bars and nothing should fail suddenly and dramatically. A great stem won't turn you into Marco Pantani, no matter how much hype it gets.
Geometry
There are a few key measurements to keep in mind while selecting a stem. The perfect stem for you can be found by trial and error, or with a professional bike fit.
Length - The length between the center of each clamp.
Clamp - Older bars are 26.0, but 31.8 is becoming the new standard handlebar diameter. Any decent shop can tell you what you have just by looking at it. Standard diameter road bars can be run with an oversize stem by utilizing the Problem Solvers 26.0 To 31.8 Handlebar Shim.
Angle - Stems have varying degrees of angle and can be installed pointing up or down. 6/84 provides a less dramatic rise/drop. 17/73 provides a much more upright position, or puts you down really low, which may be desirable in time trial or triathlon applications. The Ritchey Adjustable Angle Road Stem offers adjustable angling. This is nice for the recreational rider who may enjoy being able to change position to avoid soreness, or who doesn't want to worry about a stem not fitting after purchase. I wouldn't advise racing on it because the extra clamped areas are not designed to absorb the massive amounts of torque a racer puts into their stem. It's also pretty heavy.
Fell free to contact BikeTiresDirect with any questions regarding stems and any other components at or sales@biketiresdirect.com.
