Extralite vs Mcfk stem

[jever98]

Apologies if this has been discussed before, search won't let me find "extralite stem" as a phrase (or I'm too stupid to manage to do it).

I'm torn between a MCFK and Extralite stem for a road build. 110mm.

How stiff are they? I once had a floppy stem (a first generation Rotor stem) - the handlebars would dip under braking - which I REALLY disliked. Whilst I'm no sprinter I don't want the stem to move about.

Thanks for inputs.

[nickf]

I have been riding a hyperstem for a few months now. I notice no "flex". Just feels like a stem. Its a 100mm. The only complaint i heard is the extralite could make clamp marks in the handlebars. So far my bars and steerer tube are just fine with no marks whatsoever.

I have a MCFK going on my next build. What i do like is the stem clamps are just 5Nm and can be adjusted with a torque key. Also the bolts are just a standard T6 (from what i remember) the extralite uses a torx head that's not as readily available out on the road. There have been reports of bar slippage with the MCFK. Ill find out if that's true here in a few weeks.

[dereksmalls]

I've got both an MCFK and a Hyperstem in 110m for my new build. Tossing up which to go with myself. Damn choices!! I know the MCFK will be stiffer, but, the Extralite is lighter. And this is WW, so really the choice should be obvious, but even still, decisions, decisions

[jimaizumi]

The MCFK has a relatively tall stack height (was nearly as high as my old Time Ulteam) so something to consider in regards to aesthetics. Otherwise, both are extremely stiff so it'll probably be a tough choice.

[choiboi]

Been running the extralite for a couple of years. No noticeable flex in the current model!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

[velomane]

The only complaint i heard is the extralite could make clamp marks in the handlebars. So far my bars and steerer tube are just fine with no marks whatsoever.

As far as this is concerned, I believe it was addressed last year with a change in the design. This was reported in another here somewhere.

[jever98]

Thanks for all the inputs.

Last question: would the clamp of the MCFK stem pose problems with a handlebar like the Schmolke Evo? It has flattened tops that are 35mm deep (front to back).

[madcow]

We've not seen any bars that didn't work with the Mcfk stem so far.

As for which is stiffer, the Mcfk. In our testing, the Extralite deflected 5.06mm and the Mcfk 4.74mm. Weights were about the same. Stiffness to weight the Mcfk was top out of the 25 stems we tested, Extralite OC was a very close 3rd. Both are fairly similar. The biggest difference in my opinion is that the Extralite has less clamping force and can sometimes allow the bar to slip. The Mcfk also is far less likely to crimp a light carbon bar because of it's beyond 180 opening. However the Extralite has a lower stack height and is less expensive.

[jever98]

Thanks madcow. Did you very your hands on the THM tibia stem or the AX Lightness stem by chance? They seem to play in a similar class.

[mike]

both stiff enough. the mcfk is a beauty. the extralite is also very nice, just have to be careful about torquing those tiny tiny bolts. they could strip easily.

[madcow]

Did test the Ax stiff, slightly less stiff than the Extralite, but not a huge difference. No test on the Thm as it's still not actually available.

[bilwit]

The only complaint i heard is the extralite could make clamp marks in the handlebars. So far my bars and steerer tube are just fine with no marks whatsoever.

As far as this is concerned, I believe it was addressed last year with a change in the design. This was reported in another here somewhere.

Some users here have claimed that it still happened to their bars or steerer tube despite the new design. In my experience with it, never happened to me after several thousand kms of use. I think you just absolutely need to make sure that you don't over torque it and using a torque wrench to do the job is required and not optional. I eventually binned mine because I needed a steeper angle, otherwise I'd still be using it.

both stiff enough. the mcfk is a beauty. the extralite is also very nice, just have to be careful about torquing those tiny tiny bolts. they could strip easily.

Yep, I actually destroyed one bolt because my park tool torque wrench (ATD-1) stopped working while I was setting this up and there was no indication that the specified torque had been surpassed.

[Wookski]

The Extralite is a noodle that has caused damage to my steerer (updated design, low torque and loads of carbon paste). McFK much better design and I love that it looks like “McF uck” at a glance!

[4ibanez]

Old topic revived, but just saw Jason's comment. If the AX is slightly less stiff than Extralite, but presumably the lightest in the field I wonder where the SxW is on the leaderboard. Edging ahead of MCFK or just behind? I'd like to see an updated chart with any stems not in the original test.

Although I'm around 75-77kg I don't yank the bars in normal riding conditions. But even going for KOMs I've never noticed any "noodle-like" feeling with my 12cm AX Rigid. Maybe a slight cushioned feeling, but could easily have been the bar or compacting of the bar tape it was so minimal.

[Jenmoss]

I’m around 85 kilo could be more , will be more this year hopefully aiming for 90 kilo.( fat lump ) I’m using a ritchey stem -17 and a pro carbon -10 ( I think it’s called) both stems were 125 gram with the hardware . They are both on combos now and are pretty stiff. I do think quite a lot of this is due to them now being a one piece, no worries about clamping issues , movement etc. Maybe a combo is the way to go with ultra light stems.