Carbon stem on carbon steerer questions

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steveadore
Posts: 386
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:01 am

by steveadore

I'm really tempted to try the (not-quite-weight-weenie) Zipp Sprint SL "monster" stem. I must confess, my watts are nowhere near justifying the investment in such a stiff stem, but I really like its looks :D
Is it uncomfortably stiff? The roads in my area are not particularly smooth and I would install it on an all-road endurance bike, with 32-35 mm tubeless tires, but I still want to make sure this stem would not transmit too much road chatter and vibration to my wrists. So I'd appreciate any first-hand opinions.

But the real reason I've started this thread is the following question: With such a full-carbon stem, does one also install it on a carbon steerer "dry", just like a regular alloy stem? Or is the use of carbon paste recommended? (I use carbon paste with my carbon seatpost in a carbon frame, but my intuition tells me this is not really a good idea for stems+steerers, even if both are carbon). But once torqued to spec, do carbon stems have a tendency to slip on the steerer more than alloy ones, thus needing to be regularly re-adjusted (to prevent headset loosening)? Or do carbon stems behave just like good alloy stems in general?

by Weenie


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