Weight Weenies

I am curious. Anyone notice any real difference in stiffness between the enve stem and the 3t arx? Seems there is a lot of less expensive stems on the market. How does new ultimate stems compare?

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Interested in this as well. Enve is carbon, yet only weighs like 5 grams or so less than 3t team. Maybe useful to compare to 3t arx Ltd stem, which is also carbon?

during an interview with Enve founder on the two johns podcast, Jason Schiers said the only reason Enve offers a stem is because people want matching cockpits. He admits that aluminum is just a better material for stems. So do you want to match your cockpit with everything ENVE? If not than get a nice aluminum stem... 3t, ritchey 260, new ultimate.

I heard from quite a few sources that they are both made in the same carbon plant, using nearly identical molds.

Most the pro riders for 3T... are riding the aluminum version of their stem, not the carbon.

I personal have used a both Edge and 3T stems and there was no humanly noticeable difference in stiffness between them. The Edge has a matte finish, which makes it easier to remove the decals for the all-black look. The 3T has a thick clearcoat, so it's more difficult to remove the logos. The Edge has the backs of the stem bolts exposed, the 3T has carbon overlayed on the bolts so it's cleaner looking.

Anyway... both stems are equally stiff I say.

Any other stems I should look at?

We were trying out both the 3T alloy stem with double clamp bolts from last year and the same stem with a single clamp bolt that's new for 2013, compared with a Thomson X4 and the Enve. This was for track use, where stiffness and reliability are paramount. The double-clamp 3T was extremely stiff, bested only by the X4 (which outperformed any other stem for sheer stiffness, mostly because both steer and bar clamps are wide and very substantial). The Enve was next best. The single-bolt 3T was somewhat inexplicable unless 3T was having steer damage problems and wanted to go to a single-bolt version to avoid the problem.

Be aware that your steer is usually what flexes and what comes across as stem flex. And if you want stiffness, go to narrower bars. Just cutting back a couple centimeters in width can pay huge dividends in stiffness. Plus, you get a better aero position. Just watch the trackies.

11.4,

Anywhere I can get more info on these new 2013 3T products? Also, i understand that going smaller bars is a bit more aero/stiff/lightweight, but don't people usually ride what the width of their shoulders are? I was fit for a 44cm, which is indeed rather big.

If wanting to match a bars/stem/post, and using enve bars and seat post, a good option would be the new stealth 3t srx team stem. The graphics are very subtle on it. It's a good way to save some cash, if you don't absolutly HAVE to have them all say ENVE

But, then again... if you've spent all that money on the bar and seatpost....

Or just remove the logos from the 3T ARX Stem and it will be stealth.

11.4- did you compare the Deda Zero-100 in that test?

To summarize many thoughts mentioned.

First, there is no logical reason in the universe for stems to be made from carbon. They can be made stronger, stiffer, lighter and cheaper in aluminum. In fact, pro riders often eschew carbon options and almost always run alloy stems. There is no ride benefit from running a carbon stem.

The 3T alloy stems and Thomson are both very stiff. There are lighter (potentially less stiff) options from KCNC, EXtralite.

If you were fit for 44 bars, ride 44 bars. If you want some REALLY STIFF 44 bars, I suggest the Pro Vibe series, I have 3 sets (in 44cm) and they are fantastic.
On two of my bikes I ride these bars with 140mm stems (pretty long and you figure they would show flex if they were gonna), and neither stem has let me down at all- I have a Pro PLT alloy stem and a 3T Team. Both stems are appropriately rigid, and both can be cleaned up to remove logos with acetone.

On another bike I have a 130mm Thomson (that is the longest they make with 31.8 clamp), and it too is plenty stiff.

good answer. any insight on the 3T ergosum LTD 44cm bars? A bit lighter than the pro vibe, looks good paired with 3T stem, and can be found for a lot cheaper than the $400 msrp on ebay. I got mine for $150. Haven't ridden on the Pro vibe, but it does look promising.

Ufgators wrote:Any other stems I should look at?

UNO stems on eBay. Alloy, lighter, stiff, and by far more affordable (it's not even close).
There are two types - go for the lighter variation.
Also search on this forum, there's a few threads worth of information on them.

People who want to match everything by brand aren't true WW, spend more time posing than riding, or are afraid to customize. That's about it.

tdudzik wrote:I got mine for $150....

And you are sure they are the real deal? Have you had them on the scale yet?

I recently bought a set of 3T Ergosum LTD (42 cm). They weighed in at 218 grams, which was a lot heavier than the claimed weight (174 grams).

Returned them, and bought a set of Ergonova's at an official dealer.

I've got the PRO Vibe 7S stem. (130mm) I removed the stickers from mine so it's all black, except the "x" on the frontclamp, which gives it a more exiting look. I'm running mine with the 3T Rotundo Pro alloy bar. Works perfect for me.
The one I've got is last years model, but this looks just as good in my opinion.
http://www.pro-bikegear.com/publish/con ... 4_5VI.html

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