Are all stems equal?

rapid_donkey
rapid_donkey Posts: 448
edited April 2014 in MTB buying advice
Im looking at getting a new shorter stem to go with my Easton Haven bar. Ive been looking at Thomson Elites, Easton Havens etc and settled on a Raceface Turbine for £70: http://www.raceface.com/components/stem ... bine-stem/

Then I saw on the Raceface website, the Ride stem (£22.99 on CRC) which apparently is also good for XC/Trail/AM use: http://www.raceface.com/components/stem ... ride-stem/

Is a stem just a stem, or would I notice a difference between the two, apart from the price?

Im 77kg so not heavy. I ride a bit of everything. Mostly red trails aggressively with some jumping, and the last month Ive been to the Peaks twice and descended Lockerbrooke and Kinder Loop quite hard and fast (wheels are taking a beating!).

Comments

  • jairaj
    jairaj Posts: 3,009
    Some are stiffer and some are lighter than others.

    I've tried a few AM style stems and they all felt plenty stiff enough for me. I've never been attracted to any of the Thomson or Easton stems. They seem very expensive compared to Superstar's offerings and also the many deals in CRC's sales.

    I picked up a Spank stem for ~£25 from CRC a while back and the weight was very similar to models much more expensive.
  • Cave_Dweller
    Cave_Dweller Posts: 114
    I'm pretty sure someone else will tell you different but for me a stem is just a stem. Like said above some feel stiffer than others as well as weight, but I've very rarely heard of a stem snap or fail. As long as it's not welded then I don't see a problem with strength. Most stems are CNC'd out of a solid piece of metal nowadays anyway. I'd quite happily shove a cross country stem on a downhill bike and give it my all, it wouldn't look good but it would still perform.

    I made my own stem. I just made a CAD drawing of my design and gave it to my mate who works in a machine shop and he worked his magic on the CNC machine. Turned out pretty nice and only cost me the amount of a small block of aluminium and the usual round at the local.
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    I doubt anyone (except awesome gnarly riding gods) can tell the difference. And even then....?
    I don't do smileys.

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  • BigAl
    BigAl Posts: 3,122
    I'm not an awesome gnarly riding god, so a stem is a stem.

    1) Choose the length
    2) Set your budget
    3) Buy the one you think is prettiest
    Anthem (now without bar ends)
    Duster
    My Bianchi
  • bartimaeus
    bartimaeus Posts: 1,812
    BigAl wrote:
    I'm not an awesome gnarly riding god, so a stem is a stem.

    1) Choose the length
    2) Set your budget
    3) Buy the one you think is prettiest

    This.... 70mm... under £15... Carboncycles Exotic
    Vitus Sentier VR+ (2018) GT Grade AL 105 (2016)
    Giant Anthem X4 (2010) GT Avalanche 1.0 (2010)
    Kingley Vale and QECP Trail Collective - QECP Trail Building
  • passout
    passout Posts: 4,425
    A few are badly made with crappy screws etc but the vast majority are fine my experience. Thompsons are nice & On One's stuff is good value.
    'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.
  • dusk
    dusk Posts: 583
    OP, It sounds like I ride similarly to you and am about the same weight. I have a RF Turbine stem and it's a lovely bit of kit but I broke it after a few rides. I got a new one under warranty that's still going strong on my hardtail as I didn't fancy putting it on my big bike
    YT Wicked 160 ltd
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  • taffygriffiths
    taffygriffiths Posts: 186
    edited April 2014
    I had a RF ride stem. it was 95% fine.

    i only changed it due to being 17odd stone, and using 785mm bars, i could feel a small amount of flex in it.

    replaced it with a £40 nukeproof zero stem. solid stem so far!
  • Kowalski675
    Kowalski675 Posts: 4,412
    I have the Raceface Ride stem on my bike (70mm flavour), clamping 740mm Spank Spoon bars. It was cheap, it looks good and it does the job. Certainly can't feel any flex on it with my riding, I expect you'd have to be launching yourself off some pretty big stuff (or be hugely fat, or both) to flex it.

    DSC_8908532x800_zps2dfab97b.jpg
  • Cookeh
    Cookeh Posts: 351
    Superstars Zenith AM is worth considering for a smidgen over £20. Great stem, light and looks great. I've not felt any flex in at all with 720mm bars.
  • BigAl
    BigAl Posts: 3,122
    taffygriffiths wrote:
    i could feel a small amount of flex in it.

    You realise you've just defined yourself as an awesome gnarly riding god!

    Surely any 'flex' will more likely be from your bars ?
    Anthem (now without bar ends)
    Duster
    My Bianchi
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    this is interesting.

    Road bike stems but the point is the same.


    Also, try some silly light "am" stems and you'll know what flexy feels like. Thomson looks sick and is insanely durable and holds value well. That said the new bike is coming with the 35mm atlas so we'll see what they're like.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • taffygriffiths
    taffygriffiths Posts: 186
    BigAl wrote:
    taffygriffiths wrote:
    i could feel a small amount of flex in it.

    You realise you've just defined yourself as an awesome gnarly riding god!

    Surely any 'flex' will more likely be from your bars ?


    Nope. Rotational flex in the body of the stem...

    Felt it more when climbing out the saddle with a lot of weight on the bars.

    Strangely no movement on the new stem... Hmmmm

    We are talking a small amount mind.....
  • adamfo
    adamfo Posts: 763
    Cave_Dweller wrote:
    I'm pretty sure someone else will tell you different but for me a stem is just a stem

    viewtopic.php?f=10002&t=12964579

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