10mm spacer above the stem is nice looking. But no more
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That was a neat read, thanks
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Theyāve changed the design on the ARX II Team in a way that Iām pretty sure will make it less stiff. Theyāve moved the clamping bolts for the handlebar more inboard such that it now resembles a Ritchey 4-axis, which did not test well in terms of deflection. Itās pretty obvious by looking at the stems that tested well vs. those that didnāt that the wider the clamping face, the less the deflection. I wager this has everything to do with leverage ratio and the axis of moment vs. torsional deflection of the stem itself. The hollow aluminum structures of any old stem is one of the most torsionally stiff structures one could make.
Unfortunately, the Fairwheel data is getting a bit old at this point, but itās interesting nonetheless. I found it because I was interested in having matchy-match parts and didnāt want to buy a carbon stem and have it be worse, which many are.
For most folks, especially those that arenāt quite as substantial as myself, for instance, it probably wonāt matter, unless theyāre an avid sprinter.
Good news is that there are still a lot of the old ARX Team stems on ebay, but any old thing would work:
https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/forza-cirrus-road-bike-stem-83993.html
That guy, ugly as it may be, is 125g, has a pretty wide clamping face, is 6061-T6, which, while not nearly as strong as 7075 has nearly the same modulus. I bet thatās a really good stem.
yeah, I liked the Arx models Iāve had slightly more than similar Ritchey models, but itās probably almost all in my head. Alu is alu past a basic threshold of design competence.
My big annoyance with more recent Arx models that have come my way is the single Torx bolt attachement to the steerer. I want two m5 allen heads there, so I donāt have to bring a spare tool with me.
My interest in carbon bars is mostly for comfort, I like the idea of cutting a little chatter and vibration without big wraps of bar tape. Iām already using unpadded gloves, and would like more of a firm contact with the bars. Thatās project after next at soonest, though. I am playing around with flared bars on a sport touring bike first, and Iām guessing that itās going to take a few tries to get what I want.
After that Iām going hog wild with fully integrated carbon barstems on a road bike.
Iām conflicted about thisā I think more bike fasteners should be torx especially in smaller sizes, but until that point letās just use allens everywhere. two bolts on the steerer clamp is just a good idea
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another solution to my problem would be to gaffer tape a couple of torx wrenches to my multitool, but the problem there is that I"m a huge idiot and have been forgetting to do that for years.
Replace the bolt
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Look I already said I was a huge idiot you donāt have to rub it in
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The āproblemā with two bolts on the steerer clamp: A vast majority of folx donāt use a torque wrench, and it makes it a lot easier for ding dongs to overtighten things when a torque wrench isnāt being used.
Give one bolt an oomph, go to the other and give it the same oomph, and then go back to the first bolt and youāll be able to oomph it again.
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Turning the inside of the BIGANT crate into mess with what may or may not be a bad idea to keep stuff strapped down. It still mostly folds flat with all that crap in it.
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mine no longer folds flat because of the thicc foam i shoved in there. i really want some straps tho
I keep forgetting about foam!
If you need new teeth anywayā¦ I have been using this weener stem on my OPEN. Ok Iām not doing 5 foot drops but I do a lot of off-road. Recently swapped it to a shorter Thomson but will be going back I think. Wipe the logos off with acetone.
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Gave Alisonās bike the runny arse treatment because I wanted its tires on my trucker for camping, and then put it in the back of the closet because itās never been ridden.
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It that a purple ano ti king cage?
nope, itās just something cheap.
itās labeled ādirt headā
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thatās sad, I felt bad that at this point wifeās bike has had more miles on the trainer than outside but at least sheās riding it
Put my winter bike back together and rode it around the block.
Determined that the cheap pogies I got are probably not going to cut it ā felt a tiny breeze on my hands.
we just always take the tandem. sheās nervous about getting hurt on it, and probably with good reason.
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Ordered Ritchey Kyoto bars for the cross bike. Going for alt bar with a clutched 1x10/11 set up.