I have the stem in question and have been riding it for about a month now. Here is about as unbiased a review as I can provide:
1. The thing is stupid light, and super-stiff. It was a noticeable upgrade in both ways from the FSA OS-115 stem it replaced (that I was pretty darned happy with before I switched).
2. Contrary to Donald (not a fan of your condescending tone buddy), the bolts do suck a bit--They're sloppy even with a high-quality hex wrench as pointed out by other posters, and as acknowledged by Ritchey with their recommendation to switch to the torx bolts (which I ordered from Ritchey and they quickly shipped to me). I was able to install the stem without stripping them out but it definitely takes some care. Good news is the stem has stayed tight and perfectly adjusted since, so I haven't had to touch them and/or switch to the torx bolts which I think could be a pain. So, just know when you get the stem that it takes some care to install. But I do struggle a bit with how many components out now are so lightweight that you really need a shop to install/adjust them. I guess that's not a criticism of Ritchey, except that they should likely make it clearer that this is a pro-level stem and requires a relatively advanced mechanic to install properly. I have the matching WCS alloy seatpost and it is similar-It's superlight, secure, and hasn't required any adjustments; but the initial setup was a bit of a challenge.
3. The 260-degree stem clamp is good and bad. It's likely a big reason why the stem is so amazingly stiff; but it does sacrifice a little convenience in that you need to unwrap your bars a bit to get the bars in and out as a result.
4. The thing just looks SWEET with a beautiful high-gloss finish (I got the red).
Would I recommend this stem? Absolutely, as long as I was confident the buyer wanted the absolute highest-performance part and was willing to accept the compromises. And, either was a decent wrench or was going to have it installed by their LBS.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
I have two of these stems on bikes I own. Ritchey made a rolling change on the bolt heads from 3M Hex to T20 torx bit. Please be aware since these small bits can be stripped if you force them. Otherwise, a great product that I love.Best Deals for Ritchey WCS C-260 Stem
This stem is lighter and sexier than my last DEDA stem.I've found just a few draw backs.The bottom faceplate bolts are a little tricky to get to. Also, my bars did slip jsut a bit after hitting a pothole hard which actually may not be the fault of the stem but the bars themselves..Honest reviews on Ritchey WCS C-260 Stem
Another reviewer stated the bolt heads stripped out easily. That is NOT true. He obviously doesn't know how to properly use an Allen Wrench. He also needs to pay attention to Ritchey's installation instructions for this particular Stem Design. They even have videos on how to install the handlebar on the stem on their Web Site.In the Ritchey instructions it is strongly recommended to use this Stem with Ritchey bars; they also state it may not work with some handlebars. This is a high end product and requires that you know how to properly work with tools.
This is a beautifully made Stem and mated beautifully with the Ritchey WCS Flat Bar I had previously purchased. I particularly like the clamp design.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Ritchey WCS C-260 Stem
Another quality product from Ritchey.This stem looks great. Its sleek, low profile, and glossy
The unique front clamp looks cool and works good.
Its a little confusing at first. You can't push this stem onto the 31.8 bulge on your bar because of the 260 degree wrap clamp. You have to push it onto the bar at the smaller diameter portion then slide it onto the 31.8 bulge.
This stem is pretty stiff for its weight and its crazy light. Easily the lightest stem I've ever seen, and I own about twenty of them (various bicycles set up trials, etc).
Ritchey is really gaining my favor these days with their surprisingly well designed products.
No comments:
Post a Comment