Road Stem

[Nlee1875]

May 16, 2003

Hello there..

I have an older but expensive road Syntace 1" threadless stem that has a has -17 degree angle --
which when mounted is parallel with the ground.

The stem is one of those one bolt non removeable face plate clamp on style model.

Question #1: Are road stems more prone to failure than mountain bike stems? Should you not recommend
a road stem on a mountain bike?

Question #2: The write-ups on mountain bike stems suggest that the stems can be reversed (upside
down) without compromising safety.. Are road stems manufactured differently so that it is not
recommended to be reversed?

Much obliged. Nick

 

[Mike Jacoubowsk]

> The stem is one of those one bolt non removeable face plate clamp on style model.
>
> Question #1: Are road stems more prone to failure than mountain bike
stems?
> Should you not recommend a road stem on a mountain bike?

Road bikes are, for the most part, as durable as mountain bike stems, although there are some
special-purpose mountain bike stems, typically used by downhillers, that are about half the weight
of the entire bike and obviously designed for extreme use.

High-quality road stems aren't going to be suitable for mountain bike use though, due to mountain
bikes using a 25.4mm diameter handlebar, while road bikes use either 26.0 or 31.8mm.

>
> Question #2: The write-ups on mountain bike stems suggest that the stems
can
> be reversed (upside down) without compromising safety.. Are road stems manufactured differently so
> that it is not recommended to be reversed?

A good many mountain bike stems are also made to be useable in either orientation, although that's
generally not the case with a non-removable face plate style.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

 

[Paul Southworth]

In article <[email protected]>, NLee1875 <[email protected]> wrote:
>May 16, 2003
>
>Hello there..
>
>I have an older but expensive road Syntace 1" threadless stem that has a has -17 degree angle --
>which when mounted is parallel with the ground.
>
>The stem is one of those one bolt non removeable face plate clamp on style model.
>
>Question #1: Are road stems more prone to failure than mountain bike stems? Should you not
>recommend a road stem on a mountain bike?

It depends on the stem and how it will be ridden. There are road stems out there that are very light
and will not be a good choice for any kind of abuse. There are things people do on mountain bikes
that demand much beefier components. And if you're planning on using flat handlebars they are
unlikely to match the clamp diameter of the Syntace stem.

>Question #2: The write-ups on mountain bike stems suggest that the stems can be reversed (upside
>down) without compromising safety.. Are road stems manufactured differently so that it is not
>recommended to be reversed?

Most threadless road stems are reversible, I don't know if some would pose a problem installed
upside down. Most would be fine that way.

--Paul