Stronger Stems (building on the Thomson thread)

[fourflys]

I think it's hard to be the Ritchey WCS stuff.. anyone have any stories of a Ritchey stem breaking?

[Gabe77]

Originally Posted by fourflys

I think it's hard to be the Ritchey WCS stuff.. anyone have any stories of a Ritchey stem breaking?

The C260 was actually my first ever carbon unit. I really like the wrap-around and the bolts that screw in from the other side - even though installing it is a bit of a pain, and not many OTF mounts available. The first thing I noticed is how much stiffer it was over some old ITM LUXE or such. The 3 steerer bolts are cool too.
Overall I don't thing the stem is actually that stressed if you're doing the Hinault piano playing thing. If OP really wants something hardcore MTB is the
go.

[Pastashop]

Ritchey typically forges their aluminum stems, and the WCS series tends to be pretty light. Nitto is also forged, perhaps not as lightweight. A Nitto steel welded stem passes all the MTB testing standards, and their lugged stems ought to have an extra margin of safety.