Why would one upgrade a stem? Other than 4 grams in weight savings? Carbon is only "arguably" stiffer than aluminum...

So it matches your new seatpost...

So you can spend more of your wife's money on bling.

So it matches your new bottle cages...that's even more important than seatposts

if all stems are the same, then there is no upgrade.







Hahahaha. Of course I kid. The more expensive it is the better it is, we all know that!!!!

Only 2 possible reasons, the first is cosmetic appeal, the second would be to change length or angle.

^^^This. Also Ive heard carbon is better translating the stress from the road to your hands so you get less exhausted from vibrations etcetera. I could be wrong though, I heard that from somebody on the train...

You could potentially have a 50g weight difference between two stems, so I think weight is a valid reason. Fine-tuning fit is obviously the best reason to change stems, but you might as well get something to match other components on your bike while you're at it. Also, not all bar clamp mechanisms are created equal. You might upgrade because of a shoddy two-bolt or reverse bolt faceplate stem.

I guess it's bad that my Stealth Black Bontrager RXL Stem doesn't "match" my Stealth Black 3T Ergonova Handlebars then?

Having anything that says Bontrager on your bike is bad enough on its own. At least the colors match?

The colours match quite well

Hey, what's wrong with Bontrager?

If you have to ask....

Nothing....now. Ever since Phil and Paul said it on national television during the USA Pro Challenge...Bontrager is gold baby, gold...





(Also, FWIW, I have a nice set of Bonty wheels on my mountain bike that are pretty light and still bomb-proof....so, there ya go)

If the stem is the first thing that one upgrades then it's probably because it doesn't take much mechanical ability and it's the one thing that they can F with.

If it's the last thing you upgrade then it's because it's the only thing left to F with so why not?

Fork too if you're lucky

This^. But mostly the first part.

more horsepower.

Ridden both a lot. Currently ride Ritchey WCS 4-axis Al and no difference to me...weight or otherwise...versus their carbon matrix stems and I have owned many. If I felt there was a single advantage...like I do with my carbon handlebars...I would ride a carbon stem but I don't. I also prefer a carbon seat post.

Looks or fit. Carbon stems really aren't much lighter (if at all) than their alloy counterparts. Some think they look cooler though. I'm a fan of Forte stems. One of the better deals in cycling IMO.

If you are a track cyclist or put out massive power in a sprint, you will want something heavier and stiffer.

Well, honestly, I was just wondering. I have nothing against Bontrager even though I gotta look at the stuff almost every day, but I'd feel weird throwing Bontrager anything on my Bianchi simply because to me, Trek = Bontrager. It would be akin to putting Mopar-branded products in a Chevy instead of a Dodge.

That being said, I was thinking of getting a nice third-party carbon seatpost in the future, but given that means replacing both the Reparto Corse seatpost + stem...I might have to push it back a bit more, as my knowledge of seatposts is fairly poor.

I do like the way that the saddle rails sit on the Race X Lite posts, though.

yup

if you're looking for rationale, you're in the wrooooooooong forum pal

So it equals the length and angle of your peni5

I think it's actually the inverse.