Carbon stems worth the extra?

sweetslice
sweetslice Posts: 31
edited May 2010 in Road buying advice
Do carbon stems make much difference to road vibration on an alloy frame?
Cannondale Caad 9
Cube SL Cross Comp
Diamondback Apex

Comments

  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    IME, no - also I doubt you'd notice unless you were using something fairly long ~12cm. What I want from a stem is stiffness and durability, which runs contrary to having something which dissipates vibration.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,719
    Compared to a very stiff, heavy alu stem, I noticed a difference (with a 100mm stem). Enough of a difference to justify the price increase? No.
  • nicensleazy
    nicensleazy Posts: 2,310
    The 3T Team stem is very nice. Quite a lot of the pro teams use these. The LTD stuff is quite bling looks but quite ££££££
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    No - I dont think they're worth it.
  • sweetslice
    sweetslice Posts: 31
    Ok, good. Alloy it is then. Cheers
    Cannondale Caad 9
    Cube SL Cross Comp
    Diamondback Apex
  • Zendog1
    Zendog1 Posts: 816
    Have to disagree with the above comments.

    My carbon stem is significantly better at reducing road buzz than the original alloy job. Especially on the dump some tar and gravel on it "repaired" roads you get a lot of round here.

    If it does 30k miles (20k so far) for a premium of say £30 that's 0.1 pence per miles - well worth it to my mind.

    .
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    or you could just lay the bar tape on a bit thicker for no extra cost...

    Don't think carbon stems or handlebars are worth the extra cash IMO. But if you want them for the extra bling then fair enough.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    FWIW I sold my carbon bars and stem - they were too stiff - didn't like the shape and wasn't going to spend another pile of money for something expensive I didn't like. FSA Compact Pro and OS115 stem suits me fine - as light as any carbon bar/stem. In terms of comfort, it also depends what you're comparing with, but as I said on another thread, if you're looking for comfort, fit gel or thicker bar tape.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • APIII
    APIII Posts: 2,010
    On one bike I've got Deda zero stem and Newton bars. On the other, I've got the Time carbon stem and bar. I have to say I prefer the Deda set up, despite it being about £400 cheaper. The carbon set up is super stiff, an 80 mile ride the other week left me with sore forearms, so I would say no, it's not worth the extra, just get some wider tyres.

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