non ugly threadless stem
09-25-06 | 01:33 PM
#51
jack of one or two trades
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 5,640
Likes: 0
From: Suburbia, CT
Bikes: Old-ass gearie hardtail MTB, fix-converted Centurion LeMans commuter, SS hardtail monster MTB
Originally Posted by Learn_not2burn
Nah the design on Thomson Elite is awesome. The way the clamp method to the steerer tube is flush is great. Also, the clamp area to the actual bars is wider than a lot of stems, which makes it atleast look a lot stronger. It's a MTB stem, so you know it's going to be damn strong too. Also, it's not too heavy. It's machined out of a single piece of 7000-series aluminum, and you can just tell the quality.
09-25-06 | 01:49 PM
#52
Biggity-bam
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 698
Likes: 0
From: West Lafayette IN, Ann Arbor MI
Bikes: Pista Concept, Fetish beater, Fuji road
They are beautiful pieces of engineering too. Thomson seat posts are ovalized on the inside in the fore/aft direction. It intuitively makes sense, but if you do the actual math with moment of inertias about the centroid of the beam, it proves to be the optimal case. It makes it stronger in the direction when it bends from your weight, and lighter by removing material from where you don't need it, on the sides (because you don't need to worry as much about flexing side to side). I actually brought in my seatpost to show some of the students in the Mechanics of Materials class I'm TA'ing right now.
If an aluminum seatpost is NOT ovalized then it isn't optimized. There are a bunch of qualifying statements to that, but just let me say that the ovalization is smart hahhahah.
If an aluminum seatpost is NOT ovalized then it isn't optimized. There are a bunch of qualifying statements to that, but just let me say that the ovalization is smart hahhahah.
Last edited by Learn_not2burn; 09-25-06 at 02:05 PM.
09-25-06 | 02:07 PM
#53
ride fast...take chances
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 247
Likes: 0
From: alpharetta ga
Bikes: 2004 titus switchblade, '96 marin rocky ridge ht ss; '91 marin rocky ridge ht (soon to be fully rigid); 2006 motobecane grand sprint; '06 bianchi pista; '83 (?) haro freestyler - neon green.
before the outside of the [edit] posts are shaved down...you can see the inner ovalization. good stuff... 
stems to be...
Last edited by iridetitus; 09-25-06 at 02:51 PM.
09-25-06 | 08:39 PM
#56
ride fast...take chances
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 247
Likes: 0
From: alpharetta ga
Bikes: 2004 titus switchblade, '96 marin rocky ridge ht ss; '91 marin rocky ridge ht (soon to be fully rigid); 2006 motobecane grand sprint; '06 bianchi pista; '83 (?) haro freestyler - neon green.
hahaha...i hear ya, man. i hear ya...
09-25-06 | 09:04 PM
#57
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 718
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by eyefloater
Is the Thompson Elite love based on design/aesthetics or the simple fact that you can't get the X2 in as many sizes?
12-02-06 | 09:31 AM
#58
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,104
Likes: 1
From: Austin
Bikes: Too many to count
Originally Posted by matt_savvy
there's got to be something out there that looks good. something that will go nice with my black tig-welded frame. anybody?
OK, you asked for it. You want a badazz black stem. Well, here you go. It's made by a company in Italy. Check them out (www.Extralite.com). Expect to pay some big bucks for shipping. At least it is light, so maybe shipping won't be so bad. It's 82 grams. Yep, 82g! How do you like the inverted steerer tube clamping bolts?! So cool.
12-02-06 | 11:20 AM
#62
Team Sohoku
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,003
Likes: 0
From: Not where I want to be.
Bikes: BMC, Cannondale, '87 Nishiki Modulus, 3Rensho Keirin
Originally Posted by 1fluffhead
I have been using the cinelli vai since April and really like it. I switched from the 3TTT mutant. Which was so-so IMO. The vai also comes in different angles depending on the length.
Angle:+/6 degree (50mm, 80mm)
+/-17 degree (100mm, 110mm, 120mm)
Angle:+/6 degree (50mm, 80mm)
+/-17 degree (100mm, 110mm, 120mm)
12-02-06 | 12:20 PM
#64
Ho-Jahm
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,228
Likes: 0
From: Manchester, NH
Originally Posted by Learn_not2burn
It intuitively makes sense, but if you do the actual math with moment of inertias about the centroid of the beam, it proves to be the optimal case. It makes it stronger in the direction when it bends from your weight, and lighter by removing material from where you don't need it, on the sides (because you don't need to worry as much about flexing side to side). I actually brought in my seatpost to show some of the students in the Mechanics of Materials class I'm TA'ing right now.
12-02-06 | 01:22 PM
#65
lurker in denial
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: The Netherlands
Originally Posted by bellweatherman
OK, you asked for it. You want a badazz black stem. Well, here you go. It's made by a company in Italy. Check them out (www.Extralite.com). Expect to pay some big bucks for shipping. At least it is light, so maybe shipping won't be so bad. It's 82 grams. Yep, 82g! How do you like the inverted steerer tube clamping bolts?! So cool.
I actually put the old type stem back on my MTB, bought a new one. Bit skeptic at first, have run Thomson in the mean time, took really good care when installing. Still flexxy, but it is a nice minimal looking stem.
In the US you can get extralite stuff through light-bikes.com, this will make things a bit easier for you guys to get. Extralite can be a bit of a pain to deal with. No personal experience but I did know the guy that was a distributor for them.
Salsa or Thomson would be my advice.
12-02-06 | 04:07 PM
#66
Member
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
12-03-06 | 12:51 AM
#71
re:member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 874
Likes: 0
From: Cracow, Poland
Bikes: unknown make TT bike, fixed; Romet Sport, gone; titanium Pinarello gone;Colnago with Campy C-Record/Super Record,on it's way; Funny Gianni Motta; Buehler track, Polrad track chrome; titanium MTB on 28'', fixed; Tri Wheeler, fixed
Originally Posted by Learn_not2burn
... The way the clamp method to the steerer tube is flush is great...
Last edited by vobopl; 12-03-06 at 01:48 AM.
