FEATURED PRODUCT - ODYSSEY "ELEMENTARY" STEM
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Odyssey's new Elementary stem, designed by George French of
G-Sport in the UK, is probably the
funniest looking bike part to come out in recent memory. People are understandably
skeptical, but it has been prototyped and tested for over two years, so you know it
works. One bolt expands four individual wedge pieces to simultaneously clamp the bars and the
steerer tube in place. It has supposedly been proven to have more clamping power than traditional
stems, and it only weighs 8 ounces. By comparison, an S&M Redneck LT weighs 11.2 ounces.
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Odyssey's "Elementary" stem, front and back |
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I decided to put one of these stems on my bike solely for the purpose of seeing if it worked (okay, okay... it also weighs half of what my old stem did...). | ||
| There are two important things you should know: you must have at least 36mm of fork steerer tube sticking out above your headset... if you have more than 41mm you will need some spacers... if you have less than 36mm and you still try to use this stem, the force of the wedge pushing against the steer tube will cause the stem to bend forward, causing uneven headset pressure, and possibly damaging the stem. | 
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| The other thing is, the bolt needs to be tightened (with the included 8mm allen wrench) so that between 0mm (flush) and 4mm of bolt sticks out (see picture at left). It won't really feel all that tight, but it's easy to underestimate the clamping power of this stem. You'll know if you haven't tightened it enough, because your bars/stem will slip. I greased the surfaces of the wedge pieces (NOT any part that contacts the bars or forks) so they would tighten up smoothly, and I also greased the threads on the bolt. | |
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READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! There are some pretty detailed instructions included with the stem. Read 'em. | ||
| I've only ridden my bike with this stem a couple of times, but it hasn't slipped, it doesn't feel any different than any other stem, and it's priced about the same as any other good stem out there. It's got a 50mm reach, and about a 19mm rise (bottom of stem to center of handlebar clamping area). Again using a Redneck LT for comparison: a Redneck LT has a reach of 53mm and a rise of 19mm. The Elementary stem is available in black only, with or without Gyro tabs. | 
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Got questions about this stem? Email me at john@maulsbikeshop.com. | ||