Thomson, Syntace or Deda?



donm

New Member
Oct 30, 2006
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I'm looking for an oversized alloy stem for my CAAD9. I'm considering the following three, all of which are similar in price:
  • Thomson Elite X2
  • Syntace Force 119
  • Deda Newton O/S
Syntace has a slight (~30g) edge in weight, but I've heard the other two are stiffer. I'd be interested to hear from anybody who has ridden one or more of these stems to hear what you like and don't like.

Cheers,
Don.
 
donm said:
I'm looking for an oversized alloy stem for my CAAD9. I'm considering the following three, all of which are similar in price:
  • Thomson Elite X2
  • Syntace Force 119
  • Deda Newton O/S
Syntace has a slight (~30g) edge in weight, but I've heard the other two are stiffer. I'd be interested to hear from anybody who has ridden one or more of these stems to hear what you like and don't like.

Cheers,
Don.
Well I've only used Ritchey and 3TTT stems so I'm going on opinions of others and stuff I've read. Thomson is heavy but it's built to withstand a nuclear blast. I've used their seatposts and wouldn't hesitate to use any of their products. Deda Newton is a fairly popular choice among the pro's. Partially it's due to sponsership, but I've heard from friends that use it, that it's very stiff. it's not 125 grams as advertised, but considerably heavier. Four bolt front is nice, but I'm not a huge fan of ti hardware (can snap). I have also read that there have been instances of the face plate cracking. It's a problem that may have been fixed, but I'm always leary of stem breaking issues since that's a nasty fall if it gives at the wrong time. Syntace is a popular choice of the weight weenie crowd. Very light, reasonably stiff and minimilist in appearance. A couple other brands to consider would be Ritchey (light, fairly stiff and not to expensive). 3TTT, stiff, reasonably light, good looking (IMHO) but not so easy to find and perhaps a tad pricey. ITM, very stiff, well made, durable and although listed weights may not be too enticing, the actual weights are very close to. I have never heard anyone complain about the perfromance of their ITM stem.
 
donm said:
I'm looking for an oversized alloy stem for my CAAD9. I'm considering the following three, all of which are similar in price:
  • Thomson Elite X2
  • Syntace Force 119
  • Deda Newton O/S
Syntace has a slight (~30g) edge in weight, but I've heard the other two are stiffer. I'd be interested to hear from anybody who has ridden one or more of these stems to hear what you like and don't like.

Cheers,
Don.

All are good brands. I would pick based on which you think looks the best. I would bet the price of the stem that you wouldn't be able to feel a difference in stiffness blindfolded.
 
I've two Thompsons, they are 26mm, and as far as I can tell, as stiff as the OS stem on my other bike.
I would imagine a OS Thompson would be like bolting your bars to the curb.
 
Do you really need the oversized handlebar? I have the superstiff and almost indestructible Syntace F139 + Racelite 2014 combo for both of my roadbikes and nothing moves there! (Well, except from the complete bike in the direction I want ;)).
 
Bought a Thomson X2 last July, check over the bike and noticed the face-plate has crack both side's almost right through!!, just glad i check it or it would have broke for sure, did not over tighten the bolt's, i am going to exchange it for a Thomson X4 which has a stronger face-plate, might be just a one off. never fault a Thomson would break,
 
All three are a-ok. Choose what you like the best. I like the look of the Deda and/or the Syntace. The latter is lighter, the former stiffer. Not that this makes any difference in the real world to riders like us... :eek: