Great stem for a great price. Leave the CF and other weight saving crud for the roadies. It has taken the abuse I've dished out with no compaints what so ever. 5 for 5 on this puppy
Submitted by
joshster
a Weekend Warrior
from oakland
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2004
Strengths: strong, powdercoat finish, 4 bolt cap, easy to remove logo
Weaknesses: not CF light, but then it's a stem & therefore not the best place to save weight Lousy labels (no complaints though)
Bottom Line:
This is a competent, beefy stem with a nice finish. The stickers were peeling, which I think is why it was in a clearance box at the Kelly swap meet. I just used a spoon handle to scrape off the remaining stickers & buffed it out afterwards. Looks sweet now & helped cut down the number of logos on my bike. Peeled the stickers off of my Marzocchi too, so the rig's looking pretty sweet & stealth.
Similar Products Used: kalloy, kona stock (kalloy?), ritchey
Bike Setup: kokopelli
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Bizario
a Cross Country Rider
from Rexford, MT
Date Reviewed: December 18, 2002
Strengths: Price, Qulity, Stiff and looks good.
Weaknesses: Weight (but only if you compare it to stems 3X the price)
Bottom Line:
Ok, It’s not a Thomson… but if you are a bit shy on the bucks this is the stem for you. I bought 2 of these as interim stems as I gave my wife the Thomson off my GT and needed a stem till I got something better. I put the other on my Marin MVP to get the geometry right until I could scratch up the bucks for a Thomson. Well, 3 months down the road I have to say that the one on my GT will stay. It looks good, feels stiff and it is a bit on the heavy side; but we are talking about a $19 stem. I will spend the extra cash for the Thomson on my MVP as I like the looks (This is just me being anal) and I strive to keep this bike light. I have had no problem with decals (I’m not sure that they are decals) coming off and the only reason to worry about the amount of torque that you use on these stems is so that you don’t crush your bars. This stem is clearly worthy of being classified with stems over twice its price and the length / angle selection is pretty good. Bottom line… I give this stem 5 flaming Habaneros
Similar Products Used: Thamson Elite, Easton EA 60, a few nopname stems.
Bike Setup: 2000 GT Zaskar X (Custom) & 2002 Marin Mount Vision Pro
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Hervisaurus
a Cross Country Rider
from IL
Date Reviewed: September 23, 2002
Strengths: Super stiff, really sturdy 4 bolt removable face plate, good weight to strength ratio
Weaknesses: Not available in 0 Degree rise
Bottom Line:
It's one of the nicest stems I've used. It's not the lightest stem in the world, so if you're a super weight weenie, don't bother, but it usually beats stock on most bikes. It's really strong and it's the stiffest part of my front end. Everything else under my hands flexes like hell but this thing doesn't move. The forging on it is beautiful. The only problem I found is the rise. I ride a 21 inch frame with a massive head tube, so the angle of my fork is set way back. It would be nice if they offered it in a 0 degree rise or even a negative. Also everyone else has been complaining about their decals coming off, but my stem is laser etched. They must have gotten ripped off. Simply put, if you're looking for a really lightweight stem, go elswhere, but if you don't give a damn buy this stem, it's fantastic. 5 burning mounds of platypus excrement for the value (can't beat 8 bucks) and, although they didn't have a 0 degree, I'm not gonna penalize them on the overall.
Submitted by
Hank
a Weekend Warrior
from Plano, TX USA
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2002
Strengths: secure fit. The look is okay, but nashbar's version isn't polished, it's a dull silver-like powder.
Weaknesses: the brand stickers. Again, nashbar's version isn't polished silver, so it doesn't match the other silver components on my bike. But who cares... I do alittle :)
Bottom Line:
For $10, this is a good deal. I still like the polished silver version!!
Bike Setup: '99 voodoo hoodoo, xt driven, truvativ stylo, avid brakes, salsa post
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jim T
a Weekend Warrior
from Flatlands : (
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2001
Strengths: Fit and finish, strength, very nice welds.
Weaknesses: Why finish this beautiful stem with crappy decals, even my stock marin stem is screen printed.
Bottom Line:
Looks like a nicely made product, upon installation the decals started peeling off the beautiful shot peened finish. The 4 bolt clamp holds the bar securely and the stem clamp works fine. The welds are consistant and fit and finish are beautiful, why would you finish off such a nice product with crappy decals. With the decals coming off in my hands and the rise not exactly what I wanted (this was my fault not Koskis)this went back, and I purchased a Thomson.
Submitted by
peter
a Cross Country Rider
from herndon,va
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2001
Strengths: cost, looks great
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
not only does the shot peen finish look great, the stem is fully funtional with no problems. the four bolt clamp holds with no problem. the decal is not laser etched, but once its fully off, i probably will not replace. best stem i have had so far.
Bike Setup: hardtail with rockshox and litespeed handlebar
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Christian
a Weekend Warrior
from Warrenton VA
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2000
Strengths: Stiff Looks cool 4 bolt pattern Takes a hell of torquing on screws and like it
Weaknesses: Black version should sya mad max on it
Bottom Line:
I really really really like this stem, got it free with the purchase of my fork and front wheel from supergo (boy that rhyno lite rim they sent was old!! cheapskates :) )
Along with my ringle uncle jesse bar and my 20mm axle, it makes a hell of a stiff front end for my bike! The only flex left comes from within (or something)
At first I thought this stem would never fit the kinda rinding I wanted to do with it (jumping and some light trials and DS), but it works GREAT with azonic's DS1 frame... (talk about cheapskates try Azonic) (cheap bashtaaads)... (their frame still is cool tho)
Anyways, this stem rocks and it rocks even more coz t'was free...
Weaknesses: the Koski logo or moniker is not painted or laser-etched, so the stickers that are on this shot-peened finish stem have peeled off waaaayyyy too easy...however, Eric Schurr at Koski hooked me up with a whole envelope of replacement decals... ...and it's not OVERLY light, really...around 224 grams for the 125mm, I believe...no matter though, I can readily notice the attributes of its strength to weight ratio, so no complaints.
Bottom Line:
So far, no problems whatsoever (aside from the silly decal thing)...This stem is the 4-bolt pattern and has proven to be a VERY solid XC stem...I have not been able to flex it at all and it has not creaked or come loose...not even once. I had a bit of a problem keeping my RF SYStem tight and "creak-free"...Suffice to say, I am content.
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