Bike Setup: Omega helix bike, Look HSC 3 fork, ultegra groupo and strong 32 spoke training wheels.
Summary: I've been trying to work out all of the reviews I've read for this stem. Lots of people say that it's great, others say it's dreadful. After some investigation, the problem with this stem is mixing it with the EA 70 bars. Don't do this and you'll probably like it. Mix the EA70 bars and stem and you will experience some of the following:
- slipping bars
- creaking a'plenty
- SERIOUS flex. People find the amount of movement I get in my bars laugh out loud funny!
This stem and bar combo had effectively ruined my ability to sprint on the bike in question. The bike that this stem was on got knicked and I am going out of my way to get a non-easton bar/stem combo on the new bike.
Strengths: If you can find a bar that works well there are lots of good points about this stem. See the positive reviews for them.
Weaknesses: If you use the wrong bar then this stem is worse than useless.
Please note, my review is based on using this stem with the EA70 bars and the marks are only applicable in this situation.
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Bike Setup: Specialized Roubaix Pro frame, Campy Record components, Rolf Prima Elan Wheels.
Summary: If you like to have your handlebars slip downward every time you hit a hard bump, then this is the stem for you! I've had to stop and retighten this thing every ride. I installed it with a torque wrench at the upper limit of their recommendation (70 in/lbs) and rechecked it more than once. When I bought Easton's EC90 Equipe bars, I had a Ritchey WCS stem already to use, but on the bars, and NOWHERE ELSE (i.e. in none of their advertisements or technical info)it says you have to use a two bolt system, so I reluctantly bought this stem. I'm going back to the Ritchey stem, and take my chances. Damn the warranty.
Strengths: Relatively light, attractive.
Weaknesses: The handlebars (26.0)slip even when installed at correct torque.
Similar Products Used: Ritchey WCS, ITM The Stem, ITM Millenium, 3T Forgie
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Summary: excellent stem. plenty stiff, especially in combination with carbon bars, which its great for. the wide front clamp is designed not to crush or crack them. i have not had a problem with the bars slipping in the clamp (kestrel ems), and no squeaking or ticking. i weigh 200 and put lots of pressure on the bars.
Strengths: strong, stiff, good for carbon, cool logo IMO
Weaknesses: can't think of any.
Similar Products Used: ritchey pro and wcs
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Bike Setup: IF Crown Jewel. Dura Ace, Reynolds Fork, Custom Harris Cyclery 13-34 Cassette. Speedplay X pedals.
Summary: My standard (26 mm clamp) stem weighs 144 grams. I had trouble with the combination of the EA-70 bar and the EA-70 stem. The first set slipped despite being installed with a torque wrench according to specs. I called customer service, and was met with an answering machine the first dozen or so times over 5 days (no answer to the call or to an earlier email ) I finally got a real person who suggested first that "Performance does their own warranty," and second that I might "caliper" the stem and bar to see if they're the same size. How does one measure the bar clamp diameter as it's made up of 2 pieces? He said I'd have to return the parts and try again. The customer service guy seemed anxious to get back to his bong: absolutely no indication as to whether this was a known problem or not. I was getting ready for a big ride and so I ordered a second bar/stem combo, hoping it would work better. I didn't slip, but developed a loud creak when climbing out of the saddle. I cleaned and reinstalled it, which silenced the creak for about 50 miles. I've switched to a Ritchey 4 bolt stem which is working perfectly. I think the EA-70 stem would mate better with Easton's carbon bars, as they recommend a 2 bolt design for them.
Strengths: Stiff, rode well. I've had very good luck with Easton products over the years. I hope this product is an anomaly. The bar has a very shiny, slick finish that may not be a good match for the smooth inner surface of the stem. The inside of the EC-90 bar I have is textured and appears to have potential for better performance with this stem.
Weaknesses: Slipping, creaking. What happens if one bolt of a 2 bolt faceplate breaks? I like the redundancy of a 4 bolt faceplate stem.
Similar Products Used: Thomson, Kore, Syncros, Titec.
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