I've been using Ritchey's WCS stems on both MTB and road bikes for the past 5 years, nevey had a single problem. Always bought it at a local distributor, it might be worwhile sometimes to avoid the hassle of warranty if bought cheap on the net.
Submitted by
Al Garcia
a Cross Country Rider
from Ft. Laud., FL, US
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2008
Strengths: very lite, nice graphics
Weaknesses: weak stem, although it was tightened with a torque wrench the stem craked at the mounting bolts after a couple months of use.
Bottom Line:
stem is very lite and has strong grab on handlebar. however, the metal used is either week or britle and cracked at the upper mounting bolt within 6 months of use. this bike is used by my girlfriend for very lite xc - no jumps. im quite dissapointed with product quality.
Bike Setup: GT idrive 5.0, x7 drive train, cane creek zonos wheels, tekro hydro brakes.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan Baumann
a Cross Country Rider
from Madison, WI
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2005
Strengths: Lightweight. Strong. 4-Bolt Clamp. Looks Great too
Weaknesses: The four bolt face clamp with two seperate hinges is not as carbon friendly as I'd like. Could be stiffer, but not an issue unless in a longish legnth (>120mm)
Bottom Line:
A great lightweight, strong stem for the money. If you plan on usin carbon bars, email Ritchey and ask them to send you a small shim to make the clamp more carbon-friendly. It's a decently stiff stem, but you can definatly tell that a Thompson Elite is stiffer.
Overall, for the weight, it is a great XC racing component.
Similar Products Used: Thompson elite, Easton EA 50, Specialized flip-fop
Bike Setup: 2006 Giant XTC Composite, 21', SRAM X.o and FSA/Easton/Ritchey WCS components. Stan's wheelset, Kenda Karma tires.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Paulo
a Cross Country Rider
from Coimbra, Portugal
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2005
Strengths: Very light, great looking, strong enough for XC. The WCS colours are awesome!
Weaknesses: The paint comes off too easily
Bottom Line:
A great stem for weight-looneys: 75 grams less than my previous RaceFace. Beautifull, stylish, combines great with Ritchey handlebars. No problems of lack of stiffness yet whatsoever, despite some complaints I heard from some downhillers wanna-be.
Bike Setup: Trek 9.8, Sid Race, XTR transmissions and disc-brakes, Mavic CrossMax XL, Ritchey WCS OS Stem, Ritchey WCS OS Carbon Handlebar, Bontrager X-Lite Carbon Seatpost, Ritchey V3 pedals
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
michael clancy
a Cross Country Rider
from louisville ky
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2005
Strengths: light, strong, does exactly what it's supposed to.
Weaknesses: none so far and i have abused it for a year or so
Bottom Line:
i have really abused this stem. nothing higher than five or six feet so far but it hasn't shown me any reason to worry. like i said, it does exactly what it is supposed to and it is very light. i am more worried that i am going to snap my cranks or break my bottom bracket than i am the stem is going to break. anyway, i am sure i will do it one day, but thats another review.
Further to my review below, I regret to say that Dirt Works - Ritcheys Aussie distributor - have declined to stand by their product, implying that I damaged the stem in a stack. Unfortunately this is par for the course. It's not for nothing that my LBS refer to them as 'Dirt Jerks'.
Submitted by
Graham
a Weekend Warrior
from Perth, Australia
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2005
Strengths: Lightweight, looks 'blingy'
Weaknesses: Inaccurately made
Bottom Line:
I bought a 110mm WCS after-market a while ago now and though I felt the handle-bar/stem interface looked a little 'out', I attributed it to the vagaries of carbon bar manafacturing. Recently I bought a new 660mm Easton riser and noticed,due to the extra length that something was definitely 'out'. On placing a steel set-square on the inner face of the bar clamping area of the stem, I realised to my horror that it markedly offset i.e. the handle-bar was NOT perpendicular to the stem! My LBS where I originally bought the stem have confirmed my discovery and returned it to the supplier. As I have had the stem for nearly three years now, we await with interest their response. If they choose not to replace it free of charge, I shall buy a Thomson - this seems to be the best out there. I will post a brief update on the outcome. In the meantime if you're thinking of buying a WCS stem, have a damn good look at it first!
Similar Products Used: Ritchey Pro stem, Ovation (Marin) stem, Non-brand OEM stuff
Bike Setup: '99 Mount Vision with Fox Vanilla fork and shock, XT, Ritchey, Easton CNT Bar.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Peter
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2004
Strengths: Does what it's supposed to, and it's light.
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
A stem is a stem. This stem has changed my riding for the better, but any other stem of the same geometry would have done the same.
The only major difference I can think of is that this stem does it in one of the lightest possible ways, which is always good. I'm a lightweight rider so lighter components are more important for me.
Submitted by
sam gaver
a Cross Country Rider
from boonsboro, md
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2004
Strengths: even if you paid msrp ($90), for its weight(110g @100mm), it is one of the best values if you are a gram counter. simple and beautiful
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
it's an excellent stem if you like light weight. ritchey makes excellent stuff period. maybe a little flex, but it's so hard to tell when your shakin down a rock garden. i also have the road version (26.0 clamp diameter is the only difference) and it's solid, cost about half the price of my other similar weight stems. it's a beautiful thing.
Weaknesses: Those little 4mm can be tough to torgue properly (not so tight). The treads on the stem bolts can be knee shredders if yours come sticking out
Bottom Line:
Good stem, don't overtighten the bolts. Strange bar clamp but it works fine. If the bolt threads stick out at the back of the stem, put some duct tape over them to save your skin. Thems sharp!
Similar Products Used: Easton, raceface, pazzaz, titec, ...
Bike Setup: Epic Ti 'Tirant' with Manitou, X.O., Martas (retch), Am Classic stuff
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Rex
a Cross Country Rider
from Palo Alto, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2003
Strengths: Once it's on the bike, I forgot about the stem, and never have to worry about the stem.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
This stem is one of the lightest stem you can find, and it can handle everything a cross country rider throws at a bike. The stem is supposed to be inactive. The fork and the front tire is absorbing all of the front end forces, so the stem just need to turn accurately and not flex. This stem certainly does not flex. The bar will flex before the stem moves. It provides a solid feel to the bike when I grab the stem to push the bike up the hill or when I need to turn the bike around. I am very happy with this stem.
The only theoretical concern is that aluminum can get catastrophic failure without warning. In that regards, a ti stem might be more reliable since it will bend, but not break. However, I had my old aluminum Ritchey stem for 12 years and it is still holding up my old Bridgestone. I am counting on the Ritchey to do the same for my Seven. Perhaps I can upgrade to a titanium stem once Seven or Moots make a lighter and more affordable stem. Until then, this is one of the most solid light stem you can get on the market.
As previously posted, surprisingly stiff,and strong. It defies it's weight and whispy looks. If you're not a huge person and freeriding, I think this makes for a great trail riding XC stem.
Bike Setup: GIANT Xtc frame, all XTR2000, Asonic handle bar Mavic wheel set
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Tucson, AZ USA
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2003
Strengths: Probably lightest MTB stem available; nice styling; unique diagonal clamp slit with opposing bolts for even stress on steer tube; four-bolt removable front clamp with open center; low profile clamp (adds very little to stack height).
Weaknesses: None. It just stays there doing its job and looking good.
Bottom Line:
Was looking for light weight stem with adequate strength and good looks. This stem shines in all those areas. I really like the look of the Thomson, as well, especially since it would match my seatpost, but this was lighter and the older Thomsons (without the serial number printed on the front clamp plate) were reported to be scoring carbon bars and causing them to fail.
