I have a new frame, CDale r800, CAAD 5. The frame came with a CODA stem and I've seen a review that mentions the stem is prone to cracking and breakage in the welds? Should I replace the stem? Anyone have any feedback on the CODA stems? Also, if I replace the stem.....what size stem should I be ordering? The Cdale website says the R800 originally came with a Ritchey SI headset and Cdale 3-D forged aluminum 31.8 stem? Looks like with my measurements, I show the original stem having a 1" opening for the bars and the upper portion of the fork seems to be about 1-1/8" in width. The Ritchey rings say 41.8 X 30.5. Can someone that knows get me going in the right direction?

Thanks,

Tim

Sounds like you're looking for a standard 1-1/8" threadless stem. Handlebar clamp would be 25.4mm if your measurement is exactly 1". (There's also a 26mm clamp available) This sizing is very, very common and the only thing you'll really have to consider is stem length.

As for CODA stems, I wouldn't say they're prone to breaking. CODA equipment is C'dale's "own" equipment. Often it's just an inexpensive generic part to save money on the overall bike. Yes, they do have carbon CODA stuff and some nice higher-quality componentry, but usually it's just filler.

Thanks for the answer, I appreciate your help. I am familar with the quill stems and not threadless and want to be sure what I am doing before I do an oredr for another stem to replace the CODA. Want to do this right. I am considering a Thomson stem, is there a better or at least a high quality/cheaper version I should consider? The Thomsons seem a little pricey?


jman

You looking to shave weight or what? I've always enjoyed the value of Ritchey stuff. My C'dale is a full Campy Chorus/Ritchey WCS setup. If you don't need the flash or the few grams of weight savings, Ritchey Pro is a great level for (relatively) cheap.

Before you order or buy a new stem, be sure to measure your bars. 1 and 1/8" sounds about right on the steerer end from what you measured, it's extremely common. However, the other side might be 25.4mm or 31.8mm (you wrote 31.8mm in your post). So measure the bars where the stem clamps to them, and if they're more than an inch, it's 31.8mm. If it's about an inch, it's 25.4mm or 26mm, and you'll probably want to measure closer just to be sure. In all likelihood, it's 31.8.

Yeah. Double check those measurements. The OP said that C'dale had originally spec'd the bike with a 31.8mm stem, but your measurement of the stem was 1" (25.4mm).

There was a recall of Coda stems.................in about 1995. Something more recent?