Let's talk bars & stems

[jwb96]

I trying to figure out what I'm going to be putting on my new frame coming this spring. Oh, the choices!

I'm thinking that at 160 lbs and being far from powerful, the advantage of the oversized bar & stem would be lost on me. Except that the stem that makes my heart go pitter-patter - the new one from Thomson - is for OS bars.

What I'll probably need in a stem is one that can be flipped to gain some height, and that's really the only need I have and I'm sure most will fill this. I don't need the lightest - I'd rather have something I can rely on. So I'm open to suggestions. (It won't be what I use currently, which is a 30* rise.)

Next is the bar. I have a set of Deda 215's on the recommendation of my LBS. They're the only bar I know and seem good enough, but I'm intrigued by the new shapes coming out in carbon. Both from a bend perspective and tube shape on the tops, I'm wondering if anyone has had good experiences with any other newer bars. Or if I seem happy with the 215, would I be just as good off with the Newtons (same shape, I think) and a new stem?

TIA,
Jim

[Blastinbob]

The newton's and the 215's are the same shape, I use and like both, although the newton's are stiffer.
I'm giving the new easton equipe os carbon bars a try this christmas, the shape is very similar to the 215, maybe a little less reach though. We will see if they feel any different than an alloy bar.

[dirtdigger88]

jwb-

thanks guy- I had not seen the new stems- now I need one of those too. I love Thomson products- but look at the original post when I got my Legend- Most people agreed that the silver Thomson was just chunky looking- Damn- now I have to buy a new stem and bars :crap:

jason

[Ken Robb]

Is it too late to have the new bike which is coming built with the front end high enough that you wouldn't need a riser stem? Then your choices would be expanded.

[zap]

Boy, if newtons are stiffer, than the other stem must be a wet noodle.

Either that, or your stems are stubby.

I like my zipp b2 bar. check it out.

perfect match for that sweet, new thomson stem.

[sevencyclist]

Since I do not have a road bike yet, I am not as familiar with durability and stiffness of road components. However, I am making comment more about the material than any specific stem.

I know someone who had a mountainbike aluminum bar broke off in the middle of a ride and sustained skull fracture falling off a cliff. Apparently aluminum tends to have catastrophic failure, so you might not have any warning sign of impending failure until the breakage occurs. Aluminium is stiff and light, so it makes a great race material, but for people like me who wants to put on the bar and stem and never think about it again, material such as titanium and steel might be "safer" in that it will bend rather than break. I believe carbon behave like aluminum as well, so catastrophic breakage is possible.

Professional racers like Lance Armstrong are able to get new bar and stems easily, so I believe they replace them on regular basis. If you decide to get aluminum or carbon, it might not be a bad idea to replace every so often.

For myself, I used Ritchey WCS aluminum stem and Easton EC90 carbon bar on my Seven titanium hardtail mountain bike for the past two years. I still have a Bridgestone MB Zip with the original Ritchey Force aluminum stem and bar which held up nicely for years. After I saw my friend, I got a Seven ti stem and Seven ti bar which I will put on my bike over the next two weeks. The stems and bars are heavier and much more expensive, but potentially I will never have to think about it again.

For road stem, Seven, Moots, and previous Serotta make titanium stems, and Sycip and Rexcycle will make steel stems. I have not seen non carbon or aluminum bars though, so maybe someone else can pitch in.

Perhaps I am just paranoid and overly concerned. Just my 2 cents.

[dirtdigger88]

Sevencyclist-

Road bikers don't need to worry about bar failures like MTBrs do. I could not tell you how many bars I broke and bent on my MTB- never on a road bike.

jason

[sevencyclist]

Dirtdigger,

Those mountain bars you bend and broke, were they titanium, aluminum, carbon, or steel? Did the aluminum/carbon bars ever just broke off without warning? I am curious since I just spend a lot of money on the new set.

[zap]

al hbars should be replaced every 5 years or so. doesn't appear to be a problem in this forum though as it appears many get new bikes every 6 months or so :D

Some light al stems should probably be replaced every few years as well.

If carbon bars haven't been crashed, nicked or heated, no reason why they can't last for 10+years.

There are some really light mtb stuff out there and it cracks me up when someone whines about a part breaking. It's a different world in-them woods.

[zap]

By the way, ti can shred just like al. Not likely with a ti h/bar, but some ti stems have come undone like an orange peel.

[sevencyclist]

I was getting paranoid about safety because I had those light stuff that you are talking about. Ritchey WCS stem is 125 gms and the EC90 carbon bar is 99 gms.

No crash on the carbon bar, but I am worried about whether I have pinched the carbon bar too tight with the stem or the shifter and brake levers to cause a weakness point to start the disintegration process.

On a side note, how about durability of cyclecross stuff. I would guess it is probably somewhere between road bike (which sounds like never fails on this forum) and mountain bike. I guess it also depends on how much dirt time/bumps it actually sees.

[gasman]

I have heard that handlebars should be replaced every 5 years also but I can't find any data to support this recommendation. For instance there is data to show that helmets need to be replaced because of the deterioration of the foam, but I haven't seen anything about bars or stems breaking down.Have you or anyone else seen such data since i am not buying a new bike in the next 3 months. :D

[sevencyclist]

By the way, ti can shred just like al. Not likely with a ti h/bar, but some ti stems have come undone like an orange peel.

What do you mean by shred? Failing at the TIG point, or does the titanium tube just break off?

I can deal with bending, since I can at least ride home and change. Sudden break off on top of the cliff is something different.

[jwb96]

Is it too late to have the new bike which is coming built with the front end high enough that you wouldn't need a riser stem? Then your choices would be expanded.

It's still in the works so it will be made to minimize the need, but my approach is going to be instead of a huge stack of spacers or a giant head tube extension or a sloping top tube to raise the head tube or a steep riser stem, I am going to try to do a little bit of each perhaps and avoid the strange issue I see on some bikes where there's an inch or two of spacers but a -17* stem. That just doesn't make sense to me if you can build some of that rise into the stem by just flipping it over. Or is there something that suggests a stem should not have rise?

This all assumes I'll be getting a level top tube, which is what I prefer, and as you may guess, I don't have a lot of drop from my saddle to the bars.

[sevencyclist]

It's still in the works so it will be made to minimize the need, but my approach is going to be instead of a huge stack of spacers or a giant head tube extension or a sloping top tube to raise the head tube or a steep riser stem, I am going to try to do a little bit of each perhaps and avoid the strange issue I see on some bikes where there's an inch or two of spacers but a -17* stem. That just doesn't make sense to me if you can build some of that rise into the stem by just flipping it over. Or is there something that suggests a stem should not have rise?

This all assumes I'll be getting a level top tube, which is what I prefer, and as you may guess, I don't have a lot of drop from my saddle to the bars.

I would recommend having a stem with rise/drop angle of no more than 5-6 degrees, so a flip of the stem is not a huge change, but more of the tuning of the position, fitting in with what you want to do.

[zap]

gasman-it's something I started doing some years back. Come to think of it, our tandem is the only bike we have where i've replaced the h/bar due to age. Lots of stress on tandem h/bars imo.

I have seen this recommendation in some users manual and articles. It has also come up when talking to friends.

I did have a friend break a road al hbar on a climb. He didn't crash but one of our buddies had to help him down the other side.

Seven-the rips in ti I've seen originated from the weld. I think it was some off shore junk. Mind you, I did see a Merlin frame which had a tear originate from the water bottle boss.

[dirtdigger88]

sevencyclist- I have never owned carbon bars. I think the cost to benifit ratio is just not there. The bars I have broken have been steel and Al. None have ever broken suddenly- I always had warning- you just have to know what to look for. On the road- stay up right and enjoy- your bars will be fine

Jason

[dirtdigger88]

I like these

Jason

[CalfeeFly]

Selcof.

I just built up a bike with their carbon wrap stem, matching 31.8 bar (the carbon wrap is where the tape is not) and a matching seatpost. It is their Premium line. They wrap carbon over alloy. I'd rather have that and carbon alone. The weights are good. The drops are a little more shallow in the traditional Italian design but ergonomic still. They have a nice feel.

Selcof dealers are harder to find.

[jwb96]

I like these

Jason


YES!! That's what I'm talkin' about. Literally. That's the new X2 that would look awfully sweet on a new frame. Except it's so new the only real review is one from Bike.com listing as the best alloy product to come out of Interbike. So no real-world feedback yet. I just may have to blaze that trail though.

[dirtdigger88]

YES!! Except it's so new the only real review is one from Bike.com listing as the best alloy product to come out of Interbike. So no real-world feedback yet. I just may have to blaze that trail though.

It is a Thomson product- you have nothing to worry about. These guys make rock solid products. I have never heard anyone with a problem with a Thomson product.

jason

[jwb96]

It is a Thomson product- you have nothing to worry about. These guys make rock solid products. I have never heard anyone with a problem with a Thomson product.

jason


But do I go with black or silver? . . . I guess I need to decide on my paint first.

[dirtdigger88]

SILVER- look at the photo above

jason

[dirtdigger88]

I emailed Thomson yesterday- the new stems are due to ship January 15, get your orders in today.

Jason