syntace megaforce 2 stem

Discussion in 'Stems' started by sir crashalot, Nov 3, 2018.


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  1. sir crashalot

    sir crashalot iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    laguna beach
    Name:
    gary fishman
    Current Bike:
    2018 banshee rune
    This may be the only negative stem review ever. I have a syntace megaforce 2 40 mm stem. Today riding to work, I went down a few stairs and the bars twisted out of straight with the fork. Meaning the stems clamp on the steerer tube slipped. I checked the torque on the bolts, 8 NM just like specc'ed. What. The. F#%k. Imagine if that happened on one of the 4 dh's i rode the other day. ive had it for 6 years, but it has a 10 year warranty. But their warranty is they just replace it, and now i dont trust syntace.
    Found a raceface respond 45 mm stem in my parts bin, close enough!
     
  2. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Hmmmm, guess what kind of stem I have?

    I had two Thomsons that cracked - one on the faceplate, one on the stem itself. My Syntace has been flawless so far (about 4 years - two bikes and countless fork changes). I don't own or use a torque wrench, so I probably over-tighten it, which invites material failure.
     
    Mikie, Danmtchl, Faust29 and 6 others like this.
  3. sir crashalot

    sir crashalot iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    laguna beach
    Name:
    gary fishman
    Current Bike:
    2018 banshee rune
    I seem to remember that in a few crashes ive had with that stem, the bars were rotated afterwards....hmmn.
    Yeah I hafta use a torque wrench, otherwise I’m sure I’d overtighten everything!
     
    Mikie, Danmtchl, mtnbikej and 4 others like this.
  4. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    I've seen those guns and I concur...
     
    Mikie, Cyclotourist, Danmtchl and 2 others like this.
  5. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
    Mikie, Cyclotourist and DangerDirtyD like this.
  6. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    Isn't a stem one of those things we should not have to think about??? Kinda like airbags...wait, never mind.
     
    ~JB~, Mikie, rossage and 2 others like this.
  7. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Aside from being the correct size and rise, what makes a stem good? Any that doesn’t fail and is not unfriendly to accessories works for me. Syntace, Raceface, Thomson, Truvative, Ritchie.
     
    Mikie, DangerDirtyD and Danmtchl like this.
  8. Oaken

    Oaken Well-Known Member

    Location:
    OC
    Name:
    CeeJay
    Same here. Stem is one part I’m pretty strict about using the torque wrench on.
     
    mike, Mikie and Danmtchl like this.
  9. sir crashalot

    sir crashalot iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    laguna beach
    Name:
    gary fishman
    Current Bike:
    2018 banshee rune
    well. now id say clamping to the f'in steerer tube is what makes a stem good!
    mustve just been a lemon.
     
    mike, Mikie, rossage and 1 other person like this.
  10. rossage

    rossage iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    East Sacramento
    Name:
    Ross Lawson
    Current Bike:
    Highball
    Yep. Just hold the steerer and hold the bars. If it does that and can be lightweight great. If not... Fail. :thumbsdown:
     
    herzalot, mike and Mikie like this.
  11. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    Stems are the one part that I no longer weight weenie out on.
     
    herzalot, mike, Mikie and 1 other person like this.
  12. rossage

    rossage iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    East Sacramento
    Name:
    Ross Lawson
    Current Bike:
    Highball
    But it doesn't have to be OEM boat anchor heavy either...

    I'm not a weight weenie either, but have I told you about the Ti bolts on my Thomson Masterpiece seatpost?
     
  13. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower

    I agree. Middle of the road weights are acceptable.

    I used to weight weenie out on stems....but on the SS it is scary how much you can see them twist and flex when you are really cranking on the bars.
     
    herzalot and rossage like this.


As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?