Wert Straight Shooter stem

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KWalker
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by KWalker

orders of magnitude are usually expressed in units that are modeled to establish many econometric parameters that generally feed into cost/benefit models or utility models. For me, 10g off of a 110g stem is a decent percent of its weight, but a low percent of system weight. If the cost is high, time to production is long, etc. I could imagine that producing it isn't as sensible as other products where weight can be dropped and/or stiffness increased.

I originally thought the stem was a really cool alternative to Thomson. Looks nicer, better angle, etc. But the cost and focus on weight seem to have made it unobtanium.
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mythical
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by mythical

Karsten, I see why you feel that this stem isn't for you.

However, our market viability research indicated that the Straight Shooter DOES add significant value to the pool of current stem offerings. Based on weights and retail prices specified by manufacturers of popular stems available, our data comparison shows that the Straight Shooter stem has the best price-to-weight ratio. Factor stiffness into this equation and our stem truly distances the competition, making it an extremely competitive product.

The prototyping process also gave us accurate production time and cost estimates. We plan to start with modest production numbers and developed a strategy for seamless upscaling of production capacity to avoid supply chain issues further down the road, should demand increase significantly.

RyanH wrote:A stem that can achieve comparable stiffness to mainstream stems while maintaining appropriate strength / safety while weighing in the 80g range is something that I'm at least interested in, as well as I'm sure many others on this forum.

Also, this stem is contemplating losing 44g over a 3T arx, which for us WW, is not an insignificant sum.
Excellent summary! :thumbup: To emphasize, we aim to compete with the stiffest stems overall, not the median.

KWalker wrote:This all led me to ask why is this effort even worth it? What is the problem that needs to be solved? Are current stems not stiff? Are they not strong? Are they orders of magnitude heavier than they could otherwise be?
Conversely, why should stiffness come at a weight penalty? There is definitely a market for riders who want the stiffest stem possible, those who want their stem to inspire maximum confidence and control. Other riders riders prioritize a lighter stem. Appealing to both demographics is the value proposition of Wert Cycling.

highdraw wrote:My response is probably what you may expect. Why?
Probability?
highdraw wrote:swim upstream and violate industry practice and go in reverse? You know the pitfalls...or I believe you do. You are essentially placing aesthetics in front of dimensional stability...aka control of your tolerances.
Indeed, your question does not surprise. Rest assured, Wert Cycling has done its homework. We're essentially talking about rethinking. Wert Cycling found a simple method for enhancing mechanical properties of a stem (increase fatigue strength and thereby durability) THAT ALSO improves aesthetics. A better question would be: Why didn't other manufacturers combine these two otherwise well-known and widely applied processes?

As per the opinion of the machine shop professional KWalker referred to, the high volume CNC-machining of stems is fairly easy and straightforward, and perfectly controllable. The manufacturing processes we use for our parts have been widely applied for a decades, and certainly long enough for all the parameters involved to be understood. Cold working is essentially the shaping of an object and alteration of its material properties within a certain temperature range, which is not necessarily restricted to cold-forging. We can cold-work a workpiece in a controlled manner without affecting dimensional stability, in this case a stem barrel after it's CNC-turned to its final dimensions.
“I always find it amazing that a material can actually sell a product when it’s really the engineering that creates and dictates how well that material will behave or perform.” — Chuck Teixeira

dereksmalls
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by dereksmalls

23 pages of comments just on your upcoming stem Rico (which you know I'm excited about). God (whichever one anyone does or doesn't believe in) knows what sort of discussion will be created when you give teasers of your other products!

RedRacer
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by RedRacer

I want this stem! Where do I sign up?

liketoride
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by liketoride

i am 110m. Let me know when we are ready. Thanks.

BrianAllan
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by BrianAllan

Where does the time go! :wink:

Any updates?

mariovalentim
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by mariovalentim

I guess at this point we can consider vaporware.

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corky
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by corky

Unobtanium

bm0p700f
in the industry
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by bm0p700f

Incrowdfunding link does not work either.

Stefano
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by Stefano

https://www.ridewert.com/

So what's the deal with this crankset? Looks amazing! Can you give us some more technical information, any cool design features?

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mythical
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by mythical

Which one? We made several, plus there's a new titanium crankset in the works.
“I always find it amazing that a material can actually sell a product when it’s really the engineering that creates and dictates how well that material will behave or perform.” — Chuck Teixeira

Stefano
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by Stefano

I'm talking about the new 3d printed titanium crankset

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mythical
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by mythical

we are calling them Wert Catalyst Cranks. Parts are currently being machined to assemble the first prototype crankset with.

Let's wait how it'll turn out before I make any further statements. Meanwhile, updates are posted on the Wert Cycling facebook page.
“I always find it amazing that a material can actually sell a product when it’s really the engineering that creates and dictates how well that material will behave or perform.” — Chuck Teixeira

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