Originally Posted by
renton20
Also due to the fact that alu and carbon don't bond perfectly, a fork with a carbon steer tube can theoretically be made stronger and lighter than one with an alu steer tube. This is because the full carbon fork can use longer strands of carbon. Generally speaking carbon fork fail for one of three reasons, all of which are easily preventable. Either clamping the stem with too much torque, using an incompatible stem not designed for a carbon steer tube, or much more rarely not leaving a spacer above the stem. These issues usually arise through user error. I'm pretty wary of used carbon fiber for this reason. So in the end, the question becomes, how much do you trust the mechanical ability of the person that you bought the bike from?
Interesting. Do you mean stems with bolts on the same side?