| |
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Illinois
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Any | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Shop | | Strengths: | Well designed, quality of build, quite attractive! | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Various Easton | | Bike Setup: | "Trail Bike" | | Bottom Line: | One of those few, great components that you can simply set up and forget about. In addition, in the rare occurrence that the stem has any issues- a real, live, human being will answer the phone at Thomson to assist you in a timely fashion. I’ll pay a few extra bucks for that level of product support any time! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nate
a Cross Country Rider
from NC
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Kanuga, Paris Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Frank's | | Strengths: | Looks great, strong and stiff, does what it should. | | Weaknesses: | Makes the rest of my bike look bad. | | Similar Products Used: | Stock on 2 bikes | | Bike Setup: | Jamis Dakar, Monkeylite Bars, Thomson stem, egg beaters, firex crank, shimano shifters/derailleurs, BB5's | | Bottom Line: | Great stem. Helped the feel of the front end/steering a LOT. Really looks great, adds some bling to the bike. Does exactly what it should do. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stefan
a Racer
from Oklahom City, OK.
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | Light and seeming strong aluminum. Looks good. | | Weaknesses: | Will not grip the fork tube strong enough. Had many problems with steering going out of wack no matter how tight it was. Went back to my Easton EA 30 and magically no more problems. Not worth the price and under performs. | | Similar Products Used: | EA 30 | | Bike Setup: | Giant Trance/XT setup. | | Bottom Line: | Not worth the hassle. Poor pinch design. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney,NSW,Australia
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Manly Dam, Oaks Fire Trial | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | JensonUSA | | Strengths: | Easy to install onto you forks, the product finishing is great. The overall design of how to install it onto the fork is made easy. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | Reign 1 2007, THOMSON MASTERPIECE SEATPOST,
EASTON MONKEYLITE XC RISER BAR | | Bottom Line: | A must item, if you would like to upgrade to a lighter and stronger stem. I do AM/DH/XC with this product, and it works perfectly fine. Once you have it setup no need to worry about it! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Julius
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$89.00 | | Purchased At: | Cal Coast Bicycles | | Strengths: | Strength, light, looks, functionality, no welds | | Weaknesses: | Price | | Similar Products Used: | Race Face, Titec | | Bike Setup: | BMC Fourstroke 03 | | Bottom Line: | The is THE best stem on the market under $100. If you have the cash for a solid stem buy this one! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Brooklyn, NY
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Stillwell Woods | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$89.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Great looks, stifness, quality built | | Weaknesses: | Price | | Similar Products Used: | Ritchey WCS, Azonic | | Bike Setup: | Voodoo Sobo, full XTR | | Bottom Line: | This stems looks great on the bike. So far I have noticed it is stiffer than the previous stems I have used. I have yet to try it offroad, but it appears it will perform great because of the extra rigidity it offers over my previous stem. Bike feels more secure now. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Charles P.
a Cross Country Rider
from Windsor, Ca
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Clean Lines. Beefy design. Fairly light | | Weaknesses: | Not as pretty to look at as my polished Ibis ti stem, but what is. | | Similar Products Used: | Control Tech, Ibis Ti | | Bike Setup: | '99 Ibis Mojo (steel is real) '07 XTR, SID Team, Thomson Stem and seatpost, Race Face Deus XC | | Bottom Line: | Great stem. May not be the lightest, but you know that it won't break. A little pricey but worth it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Han ju Park
a
from SouthKorea
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$95.00 | | Strengths: | ´Ü´ÜÇÔ, Æ°Æ°ÇÑ ¿Ü°ü°ú ¼º´É, ·¹ÀÌÀú ¿¡Ä¡µå ¸¶Å· | | Weaknesses: | ¹«°Ì°í Æ©ºê¿¡ Á¶ÀÓ ÅäÅ©¼¼ÆÃÀÌ Èûµé´Ù. | | Similar Products Used: | ÄÜÆ®·ÑÅ×Å© 3AM | | Bike Setup: | Epic M4 04³â½Ä XT-XTR È¥Àç ¼¼Æà | | Bottom Line: | ÀÏ´Ü À¯¸í¼¼¿¡ ÈûÀÔ¾î ±¸ÀÔÇßÁö¸¸
µÐ±â¼öÁØÀ¸·Î ¹«°Ì°í
½ºÆ¼¾î¸µ Æ©ºê °íÁ¤³ÊÆ®°¡ ¹½°°ÀÌ ½±°Ô ºü°¡³´Ù.
ÀÏ´Ü Àý´ë XC¿ëµµ´Â ¾Æ´ÑµíÇÏ´Ù.
ƯÈ÷ Çѱ¹¿¡¼± ¹Ù°¡Áö¼öÁØÀ¸·Î ºñ½Î¼
°ú¿¬ ÀÌ°É »ç¶÷µéÀÌ ¼º´ÉÀ¸·Î º¸°í »ç¼ ¾²³ª½Í´Ù. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Willem Boom
a Cross Country Rider
from Bend, Oregon USA
Date Reviewed: March 19, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | BEND has soooo many!!! | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$48.00 | | Purchased At: | EBAY | | Strengths: | Simply awesome! | | Weaknesses: | None so far! | | Similar Products Used: | TruVativ and Bontrager | | Bike Setup: | Novara, All XT Components, Sette Carbon Seat Post / Riser Bar, Bontrager seat, WTB Rims, Tires, AVID BB7 Brakes | | Bottom Line: | Buy it! It is simply the best!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas, Texas, USA
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Bottom Line: | There's simply no reason to buy any other stem. Period. Sure it's a little pricey but you get what you pay for. Like all Thomson products, the strength to weight ratio is just what the Dr. ordered. And this is coming from an admitted weight-weinie. The four-post face holds my carbon bar firm without the fear of overtightening. Plus, it's a Thomson so it looks killer! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick Ponte
a Weekend Warrior
from Waterbury, CT
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Purchased At: | colorado cyclist | | Strengths: | Beautifully engineered and finished. Absolutely no problems, but do use a torque wrench when installing. Very strong and reliable. | | Weaknesses: | A bit expensive. | | Similar Products Used: | Salsa, Cinelli, others | | Bike Setup: | Tommasini Tecno | | Bottom Line: | It's the one to buy. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pat Connelly
a Racer
from Fort Walton Beach, FL
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | The one I'm riding at the time | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Came on bike | | Strengths: | Thomson customer service | | Weaknesses: | Doesn't last forever | | Bike Setup: | Titus Racer X | | Bottom Line: | After completing the 24 Hours or Adrenaline World Solo Championships I noticed a crack running through the base of the stem. I sent the stem back to Thomson and within a few days there was a new Elite stem wating for me in the mail. This past year I have put thousands of hard miles on my bike in endurance races and the pounding the bike endured at Conyers was extreme. I wrote a review a year ago about cracks on the faceplate (from a different bike and different Thomson stem). The Customer Service at that time was outstanding, as it was in this most recent experience. However, I weigh 158 lbs and ride XC style singletrack. No hucking off of 5' ledges or soaring over 20 foot gaps. Rocks, roots and logs are pretty much the standard fare I ride (the granite faces at Conyers going 25 MPH are an exception). I ride hard and fast and the 2 Thomson stems I have owned have held up for a long time, but both had issues. Nothing lasts forever, even a Thomson, so check your gear regularly. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pat Connelly
a Racer
from Fort Walton Beach, FL
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | The one I'm riding at the time | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Came on bike | | Strengths: | Thomson customer service | | Weaknesses: | Doesn't last forever | | Bike Setup: | Titus Racer X | | Bottom Line: | After completing the 24 Hours or Adrenaline World Solo Championships I noticed a crack running through the base of the stem. I sent the stem back to Thomson and within a few days there was a new Elite stem wating for me in the mail. This past year I have put thousands of hard miles on my bike in endurance races and the pounding the bike endured at Conyers was extreme. I wrote a review a year ago about cracks on the faceplate (from a different bike and different Thomson stem). The Customer Service at that time was outstanding, as it was in this most recent experience. However, I weigh 158 lbs and ride XC style singletrack. No hucking off of 5' ledges or soaring over 20 foot gaps. Rocks, roots and logs are pretty much the standard fare I ride (the granite faces at Conyers going 25 MPH are an exception). I ride hard and fast and the 2 Thomson stems I have owned have held up for a long time, but both had issues. Nothing lasts forever, even a Thomson, so check your gear regularly. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chris
a Cross Country Rider
from wisconsin
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | levis mounds | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Faceplate clamp, sleekness, easy on the knees | | Weaknesses: | The clamping mechanism will not hold tight. Ever since I put it on my rigid single speed, I have to adjust the headset every 20 minutes or so of hard riding. I don't know if it can't handle the rigid fork, or if it doesn't grip the steel steerer tube, or what. I threw a crappy Giant OEM stem on there with the standard steerer tube clamps and had absolutely no problem with the headset coming loose. | | Similar Products Used: | Kore, Easton, Cheap OEM stuff | | Bike Setup: | PUSS, King headset. | | Bottom Line: | Looks like a really great stem, but the clamping mechanism just doesn't perform. What a shame.
I might try the 4X (different clamping mech). | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria, BC
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Anything fun | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Strengths: | Super strong, precise, beautiful | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Nothing close to being as good | | Bike Setup: | TST Ti hardtail, Marzocci MX Comp ETA, Thompson hardware, Shimano drive, Crankbrother Candys, Chris King Hubs, Mavic 717 rims, etc | | Bottom Line: | I'm a 210lb rider who needs something to keep the bike steady. Maybe overkill for lighter riders but anyway around it, this is an awesome stem. Matches the seatpost to.
I've read complaints about the bolts on this stem and I have had no problems. As long as it's set up evenly and tighened correctly, you should have no problems. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Dry one | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | Universal Cycles | | Strengths: | Nice looking
Stiff
Stays tight | | Weaknesses: | Mine has been creaky at times without using a carbon spacer above and below it. | | Similar Products Used: | Lots of different stems | | Bike Setup: | Turner 5 Spot | | Bottom Line: | I like this stem but found it creaked like crazy unless I used a carbon spacer above and below the stem. I also find the bolt on each side of the stem a bit annoying. Overall, a good stem that has never let me down. Very nice looking stem. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Geoff King
a Cross Country Rider
from Christchurch, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: February 20, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Gun Barrel, Port Hills | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Papanui Cycles, Christchurch NZ | | Strengths: | Its strength, clamping mechanism, looks... | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Easton EA 50 (see review!), Kore Lite, numerous generic stems | | Bike Setup: | Giant Trance 2 with Thomson stem and seatpost, Hope rear and Hayes front hub laced to Campag K2 rims,Hope skewers, SRAM X9 rear mech and X 7 shifters, RF Good n Evil grips, Avid Juicy 5 brakes, WTB Rocket V saddle, Maxxis High Roller rear Mofo front... my dream machine | | Bottom Line: | After realising how much flex there was in the Easton EA 50 supplied stock with my bike, and having decided to buy a Thomson post, I succumbed to the inevitable bike gear-freak's desire to have stem and post match. Replaced a 110 mm 6 deg EA 50 with a 100 mm 5 deg Thomson, and am now learning to ride my bike all over again. It has turned an already great bike into a singletrack demon. The steering is so much more responsive, crisper, cleaner - I spent most of my first ride after making the switch running into the sides of the trail. Am pleased I didn't go for the 90 mm - would have been too short for my 6'1" 187 cm body on the Trance 20" frame I think - but for all you FS and especially Trance riders out there, I'd highly recommend trying a Thomson 100 mm for size. Yes, it's expensive, but...would you fit a truck steering wheel to a Porsche?
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
gary stoughton
a Cross Country Rider
from moab,utah USA
Date Reviewed: January 10, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | porcupine rim | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$59.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Total bike bling!! Strong,stiff and light | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Similar Products Used: | Sette,syncros,zoom,ritchey | | Bike Setup: | '05 rockhopper comp,sette race ti saddle,profile bar ends,thudbuster seat post,blackburn rack,wtb nanoraptor tires,carbon headset spacers & cap,thomson elite stem | | Bottom Line: | Strong,stiff,light, a thing of engineering beauty!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Jakarta, Indonesia
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | SBK-ROXY MAS | | Strengths: | The best in strength, stiff, rigid and durable.
Also good looking and easy to clean. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bottom Line: | Is one of the best product that fit to many type of bike and fork.
No regret to buy this products because of very good customer service. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pat Connelly
a Racer
from Navarre, FL
Date Reviewed: September 23, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Phat Tire | | Strengths: | It's a Thomson; customer service | | Weaknesses: | Cracks in face plate where bolts fasten to stem | | Bike Setup: | DeKerf Team ST | | Bottom Line: | Product has worked flawlessly for years of hard riding/racing. Yesterday I noticed cracks eminating from all 4 holes in the face plate. Called Thomson Customer Service, talked to David, and they will turn the part around in a day. If it takes longer than a week to get the new face plate back, I'll submit an updated review. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
lloyd
a Weekend Warrior
from los angeles, CA
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | san gabriels | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | universal cycles | | Strengths: | finish, quality, and design | | Weaknesses: | got crack (horizontal) on my stem face plate, just wondering how can an aircraft aluminum crack when u'r using a carbon handlebar. i know i didn't overtorque it 'coz i followed the specified torque, and of course i'm using a torque wrench :) | | Similar Products Used: | still loyal to thomson stem. easton mg60, easton ea70, titec knock rated | | Bike Setup: | intense 5.5 rig...(shhhh it's confidential) | | Bottom Line: | i'm still loyal with this product, the replacement given to me by the manufacturer is fair enough and not to flame and give them negative impact. i'm just disappointed that they didn't answer my question that how would this face plate fail when u'r just using a riser cabon handlebar and not doing stunts and downhilling thing. at first i just thought it's a cosmetic line accross, but as time goes by...half of my face plate has crack.
having this stem still makes me confident that this product will last me another 5yrs. the only thing i would like to know is how much tensile strength can this stem handle, so that i will know my limitations. above all, their customer support is very helpful and very prompt that during the time they received my returned cracked face plate, they shipped it out immediately.
i'm not disappointed to what happened to their product, maybe the thing they gave me was already redesigned to handle such load, impact, and can carry my weight in accordance to my riding style, which i love going down the single track. i just hope if anybody got the same situation, it's better go directly to the manufacturer and ask for a free replacement. well done thomson, and hopefully, R&D with QC will be done perfectly. nobody's perfect anyways...happy trails!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doug Ford
a Racer
from Clear Lake, TX
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | The one I'm on. | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Bay Area Schwinn, Webster, TX | | Strengths: | Strength IS it's strength. Cool machining from one piece and no welds is a nice touch. If you can break one, the rest of your bike will likely be wasted too! | | Weaknesses: | I have yet to find a true weakness in any of the Thomsons I've owned. The slight amount of extra weight is not a concern. You may want to remove the bolts 1 or 2 times a year to grease them if it starts squeeking. | | Similar Products Used: | Too many to list, but none as strong. | | Bike Setup: | NRS1 with a shiny polished silver Thomson Elite stem, CrossMax SL's and other aftermarket bits not worth using server space on. | | Bottom Line: | I've used several Thomson Elite stems on my road and MTB's because there isn't a better engineered stem on the market. For carbon steerers, the Elite's wrap around clamp secures it without damaging the carbon surface.
My next Thomson stem will be the Elite X4 for the new single speed. I'll write about it in 9 months after the upcoming Fall and Spring seasons of racing.
Buy one, install it, and forget about it.
http://www.lhthomson.com/elite_stems.htm | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bo
a Cross Country Rider
from spring,Texas
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | rocky hill ranch | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Strengths: | Fairly light and very strong, looks awsome and gives your bike a whole new feel. | | Weaknesses: | its a little heavy compared to some of the carbon fiber stems. And is kinda expensive. | | Similar Products Used: | Forte carbon, Kore stem | | Bike Setup: | Acces frame, sram x-gen front derailleur, pilot sl fork and lx r derailleur and avid single digits. | | Bottom Line: | This Stem rocks it handles beautifully, better then any other stem i have used. its difinently worth the bucks. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron burford
a Cross Country Rider
from mobile, al usa
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | seagull creek trail, MT | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | at the shop where i work | | Strengths: | Great looks! no welds, STIFF, Great QUALITY, Laser etched Graffix | | Weaknesses: | well if i have to say anything.... its that the bolts are hard to losten. I even broke the baal part off on my pedros allen wrench...and pedros makes good stuff...other than that its a wonderful component | | Similar Products Used: | Syncros, Ritchey, Specialized, Control tech, Salsa | | Bike Setup: | 04 independent Fab Steel Deluxe rf atlas cranks, e-thirteen chainguide and bashguard, chris king disc hubs, sun singletrack rims, thompson stem and seatpost, syncros petals, chris king hedset, fsa handlebars odi grips, xtr dirraleurs and shifters, kenda k-rad tires, salsa skewers and seat binder, brooklyn machineworks saddle, surley rigid fork! | | Bottom Line: | it hold on my handlebars. i like it. it looks good, my bike likes it... it works! its not too expensive! MADE IN THE USA | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
wildy
a Weekend Warrior
from UK
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Peak District | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$56.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Precision engineering. Once piece billet aluminium. | | Weaknesses: | Nothing | | Similar Products Used: | Easton xc magnesium, specialized, marin. | | Bike Setup: | Klein Palomino XX with factory custom "bones" paint.Maverick rear shock.Fox 100 RLC, hope xc with mavic rims and hope ti skewers, XTR groupset and M959 pedals,hope minis,answer carbon hyperlight bar,thomson elite stem.chris king headset, Thompson elite seat post,Fizik Gobi saddle. | | Bottom Line: | Its not the lightest stem out there, but IMHO its the best made.Recommended. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jeffo
a Weekend Warrior
from NYC, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Bike Setup: | Kona, this, that, good parts, good parts | | Bottom Line: | Eh, the thing sucks.
Well, actually that's not true. I just thought it would be funny to see that in this collection of reviews. I got one, I like it. Hasn't brought me any more women, but it holds the handlebars on well. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a
from Fort Bragg, CA
Date Reviewed: October 6, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | EBAY!!!!!! | | Strengths: | Looks cool, tough, easy to adjust, tough, light, looks cool..... | | Weaknesses: | NONE | | Similar Products Used: | Stock stems.... | | Bike Setup: | Mavic, XT, Thomson, Avid Ti, Rock Shox Duke | | Bottom Line: | I was of the thinking that a stem was a stem. Wrong! This stem is great! Super cool looking, super tough, super stiff,super light, easily adjustable, no creaks. What more needs to be said? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cliff
a Cross Country Rider
from Las Vegas
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | singletrack | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | online auction - used | | Strengths: | Strong/no flex for 180 lb XC rider, good quality, good value in the $30 range, Thomson website has detailed instrucions for installation. Thomson says OK to run "upside down", which I do for a -5 degree setup. Low stack height. | | Weaknesses: |
|
$ 89.95
