# Ritchey WCS C260 Stems



## DavidR1 (Jul 7, 2008)

Looks like the new Ritchey stems are available. Has anybody gotten one of these on the scale yet to confirm the weight?

I'm thinking of getting one of these for my new build. They look solid. I also wonder if I can fit my Superlogic 10D bars through this stem?? Does anybody have an email for somebody that works for Ritchey so I could find out? They have no contact information on their site:madmax:

Looks like they are planning to make an entire stem out of carbon with this design. That would be awesome and really lower the weight and price of high end stems.


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## DavidR1 (Jul 7, 2008)

Alright, found a contact on the Ritchey site. 

Now I just need to figure out the real weight of these stems.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

I've weighed 2 100mm, they were both 109 g. A little disappointing.

Call Ritchey 650-368-4018. You can find anything on the internet


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## DavidR1 (Jul 7, 2008)

Are the bolts steel or titanium? If they are steel, you could drop another 6-10 grams by switching them making this a pretty good bang for the buck.

Will be nice when the solid carbon version comes out.


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

they are steel.
the are also M4 sized.


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## sfer1 (Feb 22, 2009)

I'd get a Syntace F109 instead.


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## DavidR1 (Jul 7, 2008)

sfer1 said:


> I'd get a Syntace F109 instead.


While the Syntace has nothing to do with this topic, it is both heavier and more expensive then the Ritchey once you add ti bolts.


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## sfer1 (Feb 22, 2009)

The Syntace F109 is also the best combination of light weight and strength you'll ever come across. And it's certainly compatible with your bar.

It seems to me that Ritchey is trying to reinvent the wheel with this C260 stem. The smaller (and weaker) M4 bolts, the 260° stem clamp. All nonsense. Syntace's 200° head works perfectly and doesn't make installing the bar more difficult.

Maximum torque: 4Nm


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

The syntace F109 comes standard with titanium bolts. 

For the C260 stem, I'm not sure if fitting titanium bolts to it is a wise idea... They are M4 sized, and this is a safety critical part of your bike. If a bolt goes snap while you are doing a fast decent or fast section of single track you may eat dirt hard. I might try the 3 steerer bolts in Ti, but I'm not sure if I would try Ti for the face plate bolts.


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## COLINx86 (Apr 8, 2009)

I believe the Extralite stems use 3mm ti bolts, and I've never heard of any of those failing.


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## DavidR1 (Jul 7, 2008)

Just to update the thread, heard back from Ritchey about the compatibility of this stem and Superlogic bars. I was told this bar will work with all Ritchey bars so the Superlogic 10D will be no problem.


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## bholwell (Oct 17, 2007)

DavidR1 said:


> Looks like they are planning to make an entire stem out of carbon with this design. That would be awesome and really lower the weight and price of high end stems.


According to QBP the carbon C260 stems are Al alloy wrapped in carbon, and they weigh a little more than the full alloy versions.

Have you found an article where they claim to be working on a full carbon version?


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## egebhardt (Nov 16, 2004)

I use Ti bolts on the steerer clamp and Al bolts on the faceplate. 2 rides and I'm still alive!
This Al plan may not last, however. When tightening them down, you can really feel them stretch.


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## xc71 (Dec 24, 2008)

egebhardt said:


> I use Ti bolts on the steerer clamp and Al bolts on the faceplate. 2 rides and I'm still alive!
> This Al plan may not last, however. When tightening them down, you can really feel them stretch.


I take it you wear a full face helmet when you ride and/or have a very good dental plan


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## aosty (Jan 7, 2004)

egebhardt said:


> I use Ti bolts on the steerer clamp and Al bolts on the faceplate. 2 rides and I'm still alive!
> This Al plan may not last, however. When tightening them down, you can really feel them stretch.


wow

 :skep: 

:nonod:


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## DavidR1 (Jul 7, 2008)

bholwell said:


> According to QBP the carbon C260 stems are Al alloy wrapped in carbon, and they weigh a little more than the full alloy versions.
> 
> Have you found an article where they claim to be working on a full carbon version?


Quote taken from BikeRumor: "We'll have to wait a while to see it, but Ritchey also told us that the new over-center bar clamp has finally allowed for a "legitimate" one-piece molded carbon fiber stem that's being tested by the Omega Pharma-Lotto team."

Full article: Ritchey's New 100g C260 Stem ? Sneak Peek - BikeRadar


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## iamrobot (Jul 30, 2007)

90 mm stem came in at 103 grams. BB black.

My impression of it is that it is pretty beefcake. I dropped 60 grams off the stock stem that came with my bike, and it seems that steering is more precise. I haven't had any appreciable time on other stems besides easton, salsa, thomson and specialized, but my impression is that rigidity versus weight is quite high. Definitely not a noodle. 

For my use, they've hit the price, performance and weight on the head.

If I could get a shop discount on extralite stuff I'd probably give that a go, but there's a delta of 15 to 20 grams (which could partially be negated by use of ti bolts), but the difference in price is high enough that (for basically anyone) the money would be better put somewhere else.

Also: The bolts thread into the faceplate versus the stem. This would make me more inclined to use ti bolts in the faceplate (easier to replace) Also, if the bolts were to snap (or faceplate were to fail), the bar would not eject. If I tune it, I'll post a weight for it.


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## kroe (Mar 30, 2009)

70mm weight is 95g actual. 

The graphics and logos (all except the one on the faceplate) can be removed easily with goof-off if you like the plain look.


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## VantuzZz (Sep 9, 2009)

my 110mm has actual weight 113g


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## WaitWienie (Jun 10, 2009)

Just got one 80mm Carbon Matrix is 103g... 

Chris


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