# lightest, stiffest stem



## lanier1974 (Mar 4, 2007)

Ok, I ride a Santa Cruz Superlight, with a plethora of light components as Im 150lbs and really easy on equipment. At the same time, I hurl this bike at mach 1 down trails like porcupine rim, in moab (running a vanilla up front), as well as alpine trials like Monarch Pass (running my light Z2 X-fly). 

I go stupid light where I know I can get away with it, but I like strong too. I recently (finally!!!!) listened to my LBS fellas, and ditched my 135mm stem for a 90mm; what a difference in handling and speed! But, the only thing they had for the time being was a Salsa Moto Ace 200g++. I really appreciated how stiff this thing was, especially with my On-One Mary bars (Loooooove those, one of my not so light indulgences).

But, I cant have that hunk of weight on my bike. I cant sleep like that. So, I know I could get a Syntace 90mm at near 100g. But I dont need that kind of flex. I do actually ride my light bike fast, and its rough out west. 

What are the recommendations? In order of importance: light....stiff......price.

I realize what the freeriders would say, and I know what pure weight weenies would say (ive been there). Where is the middle, a little skewed to the weenie side?


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## sergio_pt (Jan 29, 2007)

I love the extralite stem. It is a work of art! About the stifness it shouldn't be disapointing as it is a very good company. http://www.extralite.com/Products/UltraStemUL2_anglo.htm


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## blatido (Sep 14, 2005)

*Syntace F99*

Definitely the way to go. Light & Stiff & Good price. For me, it's one of the best price/value stems now on the market (if not the best).


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## Jersey (Sep 14, 2005)

@ 160g (90mm) the Thomson X4 isnt too shabby weight-wise and is VERY stiff. the syntace is about 60g lighter, not as stiff, but still very reliable and served me well for almost a year. i run both and cant tell the difference between them in stiffness and i doubt you will either @150lb.
go with the syntace... hit up http://www.light-bikes.com for one


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## doccoraje (Jan 12, 2004)

Jersey said:


> @ 160g (90mm) the Thomson X4 isnt too shabby weight-wise and is VERY stiff. the syntace is about 60g lighter, not as stiff, but still very reliable and served me well for almost a year. i run both and cant tell the difference between them in stiffness and i doubt you will either @150lb.
> go with the syntace... hit up http://www.light-bikes.com for one


and of course the best after service, second to no one in that area.
90 mm with Ti bolts.


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## SGGuy (Nov 29, 2005)

I second the Syntace F99, wouldnt use anything else..


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## Duckman (Jan 12, 2004)

Syntace F99. Plenty stiff imo. Been racing one for 3 seasons now. No worries.


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## Tracerboy (Oct 13, 2002)

*who sells extralite*

i cant find who sells extralite parts thanks


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## Duckman (Jan 12, 2004)

DirtBoys site Light-bikes.com


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## lanier1974 (Mar 4, 2007)

sounds like many love the syntace. read a review on mtbr that said it was flexy. my mary bars are really wide and have alot of leverage. but sub 100g is mighty tempting. 

Ive been following extralite for some time. nice stuff, just really expensive, and the euro/dollar xchange makes it worse. 

the UL2 only goes down to 100mm. i definitely like 90mm.

cheers


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## Some Guy (Mar 27, 2005)

If you want stiff, get the Thomson. If you want light, use the Syntace. If you want both, get some ti bolts for your Thomson. Still notwhere near as light as the Syntace, but there is no way around it - if you drop 50gr off your stem weight it's going to be less stiff.


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## EuroMack (Jan 15, 2007)

*F99 is flexy*



lanier1974 said:


> sounds like many love the syntace. read a review on mtbr that said it was flexy. my mary bars are really wide and have alot of leverage.
> cheers


I switched from Specialized forged Taiwanese stem to Syntace F99 and I could immediately feel the difference. F99 flexes much more than my other stems, despite the shorter length (F99=105mm, Taiwan-forged = 120mm and 150mm). It was nice to drop 2 ounces, but the flex is a little unnerving on downhills. I run 580mm Easton CT2 bar.


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## Duckman (Jan 12, 2004)

In between and cheap is the Ritchey Pro. I have a 120mm with ti bolts in service on a backup FS race bike. I think its around 140gms. Yes its stiffer, but to me the Syntace is plenty stiff to race(why I build light bikes). I also race a Ritchey WSC on my front line FS rig and the Syntace is stiffer fwiw. A thomson is still heeeeeeeavy even with ti bolts(I have a 110mm Thomson on another HT atm as well). Stiff yes...but heavy. I'd rather run the heavier first gen RF Deus since its lighter and stiffer then the Thomson, proven by some tests a few years ago(mega stiff at around 170gms with ti bolts). 

Its all in what you want for that perticular bike and its use.


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## Englehardt (Sep 29, 2005)

Thomson Elite X2 road stem it is lightweight and super stiff. Also with a 17 degree rise you can use a flat bar instead of a riser bar and save more weight.










Quote from the Thomson web site.

"Q - Can I use X2 on a Mountain Bike?
A - We don't recommend X2 for Downhill or Freeride but X2 is more than strong enough for Cross Country Mountain Biking."


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

*3 suggestions....*

If you want the lighest for the dollar-


Syntace F99 w/ Ti Kit
Ritchey 4-Axis w/ Ti Bolts
Syntace F139 w/ Ti Kits
Money is now object or the LIGHEST and Best looking stem?

Extralite UltraStem UL2
I ahe used ALL the stems now and I cannot tell one friggin differnce on the whether it's MTB or Road. All the same bars were used just to be sure. :thumbsup:

Now Extralite is coming out with a OS stem for road bikes and I think the MTB version will be along as well very soon.

So until the OS RoadStem UL2 is out, I am now using the 4-Axis on the roadie and it's fine and no different than the Extralite RoadStem UL2 now.

Now for the money, the Syntace F99 is probaly the best choice of $$ to weight as the Extralite stems cost more money but are works of art.

Also there are a few generic stem fdrom Taiwan like SETTE from PP that can be ok with ti bolts weight wise.


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## bhsavery (Aug 19, 2004)

This whole "stiffest stem" thing comes up alot, and to be honest I don't really understand why its such a huge deal (on a mountain bike). 

Think about it, how stiff do you need a stem to be? Do you want it to be stiff vertically? Isn't any vertical force you put on the stem going to be absorbed by the fork anyway? What about side to side stiffness: "Precise Steering" is a term that gets thrown around alot. Well as an experiment go and put stand in front of your bike and lock the wheel in your legs. Now try to twist the handlebar. Is the stem flexing? It shouldn't be. But you might notice quite a bit of torsional (twisting) flex in the steerer tube. Point is that the steerer tube is going to twist WAAAAAYYYY before the stem flexes side to side. 

Now maybe you're worried about torsional twisting on the stem, imagine if you're leaning into a turn and pushing down on one side while pulling up on the other. That I can maybe understand, but luckily stems are usually short enough that its not as much a problem.

All this being said I ride a thomson X2 because its light enough and makes me feel safe. Used to use a syntace and one day looked inside at how thin the walls are. I'll take the 35g hit for peace of mind.


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## cannonballtrail (Sep 14, 2004)

*Stems*

www.fairbikes.com (or fairwheelbikes... google it!) here in Tucson sells and mail orders KNCN stems 90mm 100g
Also they can order anything from extralite

www.blueskycycling.com sells FSA 105mm 127 g (maybe too long)

How can an alu or alu/composite stem be flexy?


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## RC JonB (Mar 1, 2004)

I know some people may turn their nose up, but the sette (pricepoint) edge stem at 90mm is said to weigh 134g according to weight weenies (126g on the pp site) and is very cheap ($25). Just a thought.


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## Duckman (Jan 12, 2004)

I run a cheap 110mm Pazzaz(140gms) with ti bolts on my roadie.


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## lanier1974 (Mar 4, 2007)

if i were still living back in North Carolina, the syntace would be a no brainer. Riding alot of the high alpine trails that I like here in Colorado, again, the syntace would be great. But for now, I have one bike, and that bike goes to Moab and other desert, rocky, fast places. I really saw on the bars to drop into turns there, so no dice on the 99gram stem.

There have been alot of good suggestions here. Still thinkin'.


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## cannonballtrail (Sep 14, 2004)

*thompson*

If you see or feel your stem flexing it means it's to late, it's failing, you're going down, and you're going to eat dirt! The Thompson X series has about the best grip around on the bars and steer tube and will not let go when you need it the most. + looks great, made in USA, and in 5 years of working in a shop we never sent one back! Moab, Fruita, Crested, Durango.. it has been there!


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## lanier1974 (Mar 4, 2007)

i see KCNC makes some pretty light stuff, for good prices. anyone used em?


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Duckman said:


> I run a cheap 110mm Pazzaz(140gms) with ti bolts on my roadie.


Then you need your roadie to be a WW Bike more like your top MTB.  

You ride it more right??


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## Duckman (Jan 12, 2004)

Sssshhhh...don't tell anyone. 

I had to start recycling some parts. I'll get to it eventually tho..


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## Axis II (May 10, 2004)

DIRT BOY said:


> Then you need your roadie to be a WW Bike more like your top MTB.
> 
> You ride it more right??


Well....That's not my strategy. I spend more time on the road TRAINING for the dirt for sure. I want to maximize my training time so that I get the most bang for the buck. That's why I put in prolly 80% of my road time on a heavy old lugged steel Tomasinni that has been converted over to a fixie. My in the dirt training gets a lot of SS 29er time. If I were racing on the road still I would for sure have a light road rig but what's the point when I'm looking for more pain not less?


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Axis II said:


> Well....That's not my strategy. I spend more time on the road TRAINING for the dirt for sure. I want to maximize my training time so that I get the most bang for the buck. That's why I put in prolly 80% of my road time on a heavy old lugged steel Tomasinni that has been converted over to a fixie. My in the dirt training gets a lot of SS 29er time. If I were racing on the road still I would for sure have a light road rig but what's the point when I'm looking for more pain not less?


Race like a WW and Train like a WW! Your SUPPOSOED to be contributing more to my retierment fund!   

NO less respecting WW would be caught training on anything that was sub-par right?

Everyone needs a beater right?


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Duckman said:


> Sssshhhh...don't tell anyone.
> 
> I had to start recycling some parts. I'll get to it eventually tho..


Not too temp you...ebay? Extralite 110mm?? 86G?? Cheap??


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## Axis II (May 10, 2004)

DIRT BOY said:


> Race like a WW and Train like a WW! Your SUPPOSOED to be contributing more to my retierment fund!
> 
> NO less respecting WW would be caught training on anything that was sub-par right?
> 
> Everyone needs a beater right?


I said I would *contribute* to your early retirement, not take it on all alone!:nono: I have heard tell about another forum dedicated to road bikes.....I think it's called road bike review or something. Maybe those fellows would be interested in light road parts?


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Axis II said:


> I said I would *contribute* to your early retirement, not take it on all alone!:nono:


LMAO! You have some competiotion so get moving .



> I have heard tell about another forum dedicated to road bikes.....I think it's called road bike review or something. Maybe those fellows would be interested in light road parts?


Not many WW there. Plus there is a LOT of WW here that ride road bikes and have WW RB as well as MTBs.

So a little here and there can't hurt .

Did yo finish that Kona yet? Pics? Too bad that eBay scam was not for that dreadful LOOK fork!  :ciappa:


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## Axis II (May 10, 2004)

DIRT BOY said:


> LMAO! You have some competiotion so get moving .
> 
> Not many WW there. Plus there is a LOT of WW here that ride road bikes and have WW RB as well as MTBs.
> 
> ...


OK, the Kona is on hold till I get back from Moab on April 2. Rest assured this forum will be the first to know when it's done. The Fournales will hopefully be finding a new home on the Voodoo if all goes as planned. That reminds me that I should get ahold of AndrewTO- he's doing some work for me on the Fournales.:thumbsup:


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## mikedesign (Jan 25, 2004)

what about control tech newton


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Silly question,but...*



Duckman said:


> Syntace F99. Plenty stiff imo. Been racing one for 3 seasons now. No worries.


What would you all think of a fatass like me (200#) and a stem like this. I don't tend to ruin stuff, but I do pound down rutted fireroads at up 40 MPH+ on my 22 pound race hardtail (no exotic parts on this thing) during a race such as, say Sea Otter. I don't huck or do drops (more than a foot or so tops), but do pound through the occasional rock garden.

I already know I can loose some weight, thank you very much. Working on that too.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

*You will be fine....*



pimpbot said:


> What would you all think of a fatass like me (200#) and a stem like this. I don't tend to ruin stuff, but I do pound down rutted fireroads at up 40 MPH+ on my 22 pound race hardtail (no exotic parts on this thing) during a race such as, say Sea Otter. I don't huck or do drops (more than a foot or so tops), but do pound through the occasional rock garden.
> 
> I already know I can loose some weight, thank you very much. Working on that too.


The F99 can handle your weight and style. If you just ab tad worried, look at the F139. If you really want a very strong then the Superforce will handle almost anything!

Again, your fine on the F99.


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## kdiddy (Jul 14, 2005)

Why no mention of the Bontrager xxx lite stem? It's not the lightest, but it is reasonably light and plenty stiff.


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2007)

race face deus, 90mm will be 120 Gms. I use it myself at 90 mm and its super strong.

u try, u like


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## santacruzer (Nov 30, 2004)

Here's a photo of my current setup (Ritchey) on my Superlight, I previously had an Easton stem and I can tell this one flexes a little more, but I only notice it when I am climbing out of the saddle on pavement trying to see if it flexes.


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