# Moots Stem/Post



## O-Man (May 21, 2007)

I am considering putting a Moots setpost and stem on my new Compact. Anyone have any practical experience with either one? Does the Ti seatpost soak up road noise as well as carbon? What is the advantage of the Ti stem (other than a great look) for all that money? Thanks


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## madequity (Aug 10, 2005)

I have an 06 Compact SL and was running the Ti seatpost (laidback) and the Ti stem. Seatpost I love but the stem felt a bit......well jittery is the only way I can desrcibe it....Also I was running an Easton EC90 Carbon Bar.....switched to an EC90 Carbon stem to match the bar and now it's perfect for my liking. I think on the Moots you need to be careful with total Ti (stem and seatpost and even a bar option on the mountain bikes) as Moots doesn't use carbon like most other manufacturers anywhere on their frames. I love the "pure" essensce of the Titanium bike without the carbon stays, etc...which is why I have three actually (YBB, YBB Sl, and Compact SL) but IMO the road bikes are better with carbon stems.....just my opinion though......Let us know what you choose and how it works for you......J


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## tigoat (Jun 6, 2006)

O-Man said:


> I am considering putting a Moots setpost and stem on my new Compact. Anyone have any practical experience with either one? Does the Ti seatpost soak up road noise as well as carbon? What is the advantage of the Ti stem (other than a great look) for all that money? Thanks


Your questions have no definitely answers...

I bought Moots stems and seatposts because they are made of titanium by Moots and I wanted them reagardless of cost.


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## fmbp (Apr 23, 2003)

I have 0 complaints about my Lay Back post. I've been on it for almost 2 years now, and it's been bullet-proof. I can't make the comparison to carbon posts, as I have not spent a considerable amount of time riding on one. 

No comment either on the stem as I went with Ritchey WCS. I just couldn't justify spending that much money on a stem. I also think the post was significantly cheaper 2 years ago when I bought it.


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## O-Man (May 21, 2007)

madequity said:


> I have an 06 Compact SL and was running the Ti seatpost (laidback) and the Ti stem. Seatpost I love but the stem felt a bit......well jittery is the only way I can desrcibe it....Also I was running an Easton EC90 Carbon Bar.....switched to an EC90 Carbon stem to match the bar and now it's perfect for my liking. I think on the Moots you need to be careful with total Ti (stem and seatpost and even a bar option on the mountain bikes) as Moots doesn't use carbon like most other manufacturers anywhere on their frames. I love the "pure" essensce of the Titanium bike without the carbon stays, etc...which is why I have three actually (YBB, YBB Sl, and Compact SL) but IMO the road bikes are better with carbon stems.....just my opinion though......Let us know what you choose and how it works for you......J



Interesting. Any particular reason you went with Easton, rather than, say, FSA or Ritchey?


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## O-Man (May 21, 2007)

tigoat said:


> Your questions have no definitely answers...
> 
> I bought Moots stems and seatposts because they are made of titanium by Moots and I wanted them reagardless of cost.



I'm starting from the same place, but Madequity's experience with the stem troubles me. I take it you've had no problem with the stem?


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## chuckice (Aug 25, 2004)

No complaints here with either the stem or post.


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## terry b (Jan 29, 2004)

I have the post and the stem on my Vamoots, bought them 100% for the looks of the overall package.

They both work just like every other post and stem on the market. No better, no worse. The post is a bit of a pain when it comes to mounting the saddle, the clamp can be a tough nut to crack. The stem is a stem.

I did not choose to use them with my second Moots (Psychlo-X), too darn expensive.


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## madequity (Aug 10, 2005)

Well I think a lot of the "feel" of a bike comes from the total package as opposed to one or two items. My opinion is overall ride quality is a factor notwithstanding the frame and fork of course of wheels, seat post and saddle, and then stem in that order. I mean you can have the same frame on aluminum rims and it will be night and day different than the equivalent on carbon rims, not to mention spoke count, aeros, etc... So my point is it really depends on the whole package. Up above I mentioned the Ti stem was to "jittery" for me but I should mention that I am running 20 spoke Lightweight wheels and they of course are stiff as hell so I am sure that magnifies the effect of the stem and seatpost on overall dampening effect of the entire ride. And incidentally I am running the EC90 stem only because I had one off a previous build....no other reason.......good luck....


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## Forrest Root (Dec 22, 2006)

madequity said:


> Well I think a lot of the "feel" of a bike comes from the total package as opposed to one or two items. My opinion is overall ride quality is a factor notwithstanding the frame and fork of course of wheels, seat post and saddle, and then stem in that order. I mean you can have the same frame on aluminum rims and it will be night and day different than the equivalent on carbon rims, not to mention spoke count, aeros, etc... So my point is it really depends on the whole package. Up above I mentioned the Ti stem was to "jittery" for me but I should mention that I am running 20 spoke Lightweight wheels and they of course are stiff as hell so I am sure that magnifies the effect of the stem and seatpost on overall dampening effect of the entire ride. And incidentally I am running the EC90 stem only because I had one off a previous build....no other reason.......good luck....



I think you've misinterpreted what you were feeling and likely the "jittery" stem was a perception issue, not a real physical issue. "Stiff wheels" have got zip to do with it since they all flex much less than a millimeter in the plane of the bike. Stems ain't that long compared to their diameter, so the amount they flex is going to be pretty small.

Tires and inflation pressure, tape/bars, and seat are the things that really make you comfy--besides a good fit. Whether someone wants a ti, al, cf, mg, or whatever stem or seatpost comes down to their personal tastes. It's not, however, a performance influencing decision.


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## madequity (Aug 10, 2005)

Forrest Root I have to disagree. Try just changing the stem on the same bike between carbon, titanium, aluminum and steel and tell me they don't feel perceptively different. I do agree with you on the overall setup is what ultimately effects the ride but to say there is no difference other than asthetics between stems is just not right. Sorry man not trying to be a d*** head but I tried this many times on my Compact SL to dial it in just right.


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## Forrest Root (Dec 22, 2006)

madequity said:


> Forrest Root I have to disagree. Try just changing the stem on the same bike between carbon, titanium, aluminum and steel and tell me they don't feel perceptively different. I do agree with you on the overall setup is what ultimately effects the ride but to say there is no difference other than asthetics between stems is just not right. Sorry man not trying to be a d*** head but I tried this many times on my Compact SL to dial it in just right.


Wonderful: be what and think what you want, but don't mistake that for physical reality. The human body is a wonderfully inaccurate sensor. It's been shown time and time again that what we "feel" ain't really what's going on.

Not to be a di**head, but just because you went through a series of stems doesn't say anything about those materials.

Did you consider stem geometry differences? Construction differences? Material thickness differences? I didn't think so.


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## terry b (Jan 29, 2004)

madequity said:


> I do agree with you on the overall setup is what ultimately effects the ride but to say there is no difference other than asthetics between stems is just not right.


Stems is stems.


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## madequity (Aug 10, 2005)

Of course the stem matters, type, size, shape, slope and of course material. Maybe stems are stems but on the Moots board where frames go for over 3k I would think one cares about stems as well.


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## Forrest Root (Dec 22, 2006)

madequity said:


> Of course the stem matters, type, size, shape, slope and of course material. Maybe stems are stems but on the Moots board where frames go for over 3k I would think one cares about stems as well.


Well, there are a lot of frames that go for over 3k.....so? And a lot of those frames don't have Moots stems. Moots stems are pretty and all, but they don't do anything special as far as performance goes, certainly nothing any more special than most other stems.


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

I got a Moots stem and sold it after one ride. From the side it looks great, but looking down on it, the bar clamp looks very bulky. I think it looks like a fat penis head. I went for the new Deda Zero 100 instead to match the bars.


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

This is what I'm talking about.


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## terry b (Jan 29, 2004)

madequity said:


> Of course the stem matters, type, size, shape, slope and of course material. Maybe stems are stems but on the Moots board where frames go for over 3k I would think one cares about stems as well.


Sorry bro but I think Stem A at 84d, 120cm, 150g, made of CNC aluminum is going to behave just like Stem B at 84d, 120cm, 150g, made of welded titanium.

Stems is stems.

The one reason to choose or not to choose a Moots stem is that you're looking to make the bike appear a certain way to the eye, in which case it might be an attractive choice. That's the one reason to care about stems.


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## jacksingletrack (May 17, 2007)

If Aluminum and Titanium behaved EXACTLY the same way there would be no titanium bikes. Aluminum dampens the road far less than titanium IMO. Possibly not such a big deal when it comes to stems but there is a difference beyond appearance.


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## Forrest Root (Dec 22, 2006)

jacksingletrack said:


> If Aluminum and Titanium behaved EXACTLY the same way there would be no titanium bikes. Aluminum dampens the road far less than titanium IMO. Possibly not such a big deal when it comes to stems but there is a difference beyond appearance.


   

Oh, boy. Here we go again. Someone's been into the frame material mythology sauce.....


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