Carbon stem on carbon steerer questions
Posted: Mon May 29, 2023 3:50 pm
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 
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?
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?
