Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 56 total)
  • Road bikes – how important to have matching bars, stem and seatpost?
  • matthew_h
    Free Member

    In your opinion, how important is it to have the bars, stem and seatpost matching? All three matching or different bars but matching stem/seatpost?

    I’m interested in people’s thoughts

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    I’m interested in people’s thoughts

    people tend to stop thinking and come out shooting under these circumstances…

    stevied
    Free Member

    there’s probably a rule that someone will be able to recite for you…
    they’ll be along shortly 😉

    Raouligan
    Free Member

    Always match everything…

    Although I’ve now been hoisted by my own petard with that as I’m going to have to spring for Thomson bars for my best bike.

    Thomson was until now the only exception.

    ISP’s give you an excuse but the bar and stem should then match.

    fasthaggis
    Full Member

    In the grand scheme of things ,it’s like shaving your legs init.
    Some will be super impressed ,while others will have laughed so hard that their screen is now covered in phlegm

    Onzadog
    Free Member

    Stem and post to match. Bars selected for fit. Applies on and off road (with dropper posts being the exception)

    billyblackheart
    Free Member

    You mean the bar tape and stuff? I run white tape black charge saddle, I did used to have a white Knife but that’s on the current winter race mtb, I think on the willier I’ve an EC90 post and Pro stem, but I might have put that on the dolan for winter…I generally see MTB parts and Road parts as interchangable 🙂

    I’m just waiting for someone to quote the velominati rules as if they weren’t a joke…

    fasthaggis
    Full Member

    Stem and post to match.

    Wotifyirpostsaspecialoneof?

    😉

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    I have this problem all the time.

    I use Ti seatposts so they *never* match.

    billyblackheart
    Free Member

    while others will have laughed so hard that their screen is now covered in phlegm

    I believe that just about covers it 🙂

    jameso
    Full Member

    Not in the slightest bit important ) I use parts that do the job best. Of my 4 most used bikes (2 road 2 mtb) ony 1 had colour matched b/s/p and none are brand-matched.

    stevewhyte
    Free Member

    Sorry but stem and post do not have to match.

    Get a decent bike and you don’t have to justify anything, better still decent bike and 400W FTP

    umop3pisdn
    Free Member

    Seatpost and stem should be the same brand, bars can differ. 3t and zipp respectively for me

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Not even relevant. Slim chance of 1 company making the perfect bit of kit for all 3.

    fasthaggis
    Full Member

    The people that constantly fret about logos ,valves and(oh how I hate this phrase )finishing kit are just that little bit higher up the additional support needs scale. Don’t worry,they are almost harmless 😆

    matthew_h
    Free Member

    This is intriguing. Pretty much the kinds of answers I was expecting.

    I’ve just bought a pair of 3T bars and was planning on using a Thomson seatpost but I’m not a fan of the Thomson road stem and think a X4 may look a bit too chunky. The matching 3T stem looks ok but then would leave me with a non-matching seatpost. Being a large chap, I’m reluctant to trust a 3T seatpost.

    All going to be on a rather special bike so I want it to be right.

    nickc
    Full Member

    depends on your POV really, for some people it matters, some people don’t care, decide where you are on the sliding scale and apply yourself accordingly.

    me, colour: I like them to be the same, but I don’t care about brand so much.

    Bez
    Full Member

    Has to work aesthetically; doesn’t have to tick a brand box.

    Onzadog
    Free Member

    I didn’t like the look of the x2 so matched an x4 to my elite post with vss compact bars on my Tripster.

    edhornby
    Full Member

    do they work for you? good

    do they match, bonus

    aP
    Free Member

    TBH I wouldn’t trust a 3T stem either particularly as I had 2 ti bolts snap at well below the rated torque setting.
    All I can say is buy what you want, and don’t feel the need to attempt to live up to other people’s expectations.

    duirdh
    Free Member

    Road bikes are for riding, if you’re seriously bothered about shit like this you probably shouldn’t have bought a road bike at all.

    billyblackheart
    Free Member

    Road bikes are for riding,

    Nah, they’re for sitting around drinking coffee aren’t they…

    On sunday I had just taken the child out swimming and she was fast asleep in the pram so walked to the bike shop on the Quayside for a coffee. A group of rather portly older gents turned up….Pinarello Dogma with Carbones, Willier Imperialle, Independent Fabrications they had some serious bike porn to coo over between them.

    They must have been there for over an hour whilst I waited for the missus to come back from the car boot sale and when she turned up and we left they were still there, just drinking coffee eating cakes, the mind boggles.

    mrlebowski
    Free Member

    IT ALL MUST MATCH, IT MUST!!

    Dales_rider
    Free Member

    Rule #25 may be the one that covers it.

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    the mind boggles.

    group of friends meet up for some exercise and a long chin wag shocker!

    Dales_rider
    Free Member

    Sorry wrong rule

    Rule #25
    // The bikes on top of your car should be worth more than the car.

    bol
    Full Member

    Fit and suitability first, aesthetics second, brand third for me.

    I love Specialized Pave seatposts, but prefer Ritchey stems. The aesthetics are similar, so no worries. Handlebars are covered in tape, so I don’t tend to consider much other than shape, feel and weight.

    tonyd
    Full Member

    Depends on budget and levels of OCD! I have one road bike which started out as my Sunday best/race bike. It was my first really nice road bike (back pre-kids when I had disposable income) so got the full treatment – carbon everything, expensive wheels, etc. I frickin love that bike.

    Now it doubles up as a commuter and is currently in a bike locker outside work with (clip on) mudguards, 3 rear lights, 2 fronts, and a toolbox attached to the lovely carbon bottle cage. Oh, and when I had to replace the carbon Cinelli seat post I put on an alloy Bonty one that cost £6 (posted) from the classifieds!

    My point is that you might feel the need to spend as much as you possibly can afford and match everything, but if you ride it enough those things stop mattering. So long as it rides well and fulfills it’s role then it’s all good.

    johnellison
    Free Member

    I’m just waiting for someone to quote the velominati rules as if they weren’t a joke…

    You’ll be telling us that all the world’s major religions are just for $h!ts and giggles next… 🙄

    charliedontsurf
    Full Member

    How important?

    It’s 6.2 NIPs. On the stupid scale of inconsequential nonsense.

    Who gives a shit? Really? I personally would refrain from heckling or spitting at anyone with un-matching brands or colours.

    But I did see someone with odd dust caps, well, he was just asking for it.

    Dales_rider
    Free Member

    Dust caps WTF, unnecessary weight.

    toxicsoks
    Free Member

    Dales_rider – Member
    Dust caps WTF, unnecessary weight.

    Stop that. Stop that right now!
    “Rules”? It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters….

    wassertreter
    Free Member

    I use Ti seatposts so they *never* match.

    Ti seatposts always match!

    aa
    Free Member

    i would prefer to have matching bar stem post combo. BUT, i have italian frame with 25.0mm seatpost which means it’s very difficult to achieve. (I dont want thomson stem on road bike – it’s just wrong) 8)

    so, do whatever you like and you can justify it on grounds of fit/weight/appearance/ergonomics/cost at your leisure.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    id rather they fitted correctly. can be what ever colour , shape , size , brand etc as long as they fit me.

    uwe-r
    Free Member

    My bike has:

    Easton carbon post
    Rictchey carbon bars
    £12 Superstar Stem

    Deal with it!

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    2 out of 3 for me.

    Currently that means matching bars and stem (Ritchey WCS 260 and evocurve), and Canyon seatpost. Both black/white so don’t look too jaring together. It’s not like a stem can ‘fit’ better than another stem, they all come in 10mm increments. so why not pick it on asthetic grounds to match the bars (which are a personal choice) or seatpost, which was probably picked on asthetic/weight/price grounds and the stem will probably fit the same criteria.

    It’s not so much trying to match stuff, just a case of why not match it? It won’t affect the ride positively or negatively more than the sum of the individual components but the perception is that if the rider has bothered to match components, has colour matched cable ends, neat cable routing crossed under the downtube, neatly wound bar tape and a saddle that looks significanly more worn than the rest of the bike etc, then they’ve probably spent time setting it up right, and it probbly rides very nicely indeed and the owner is a ‘propper cyclist’ rather than just someone on a bike.

    Whereas a cobbled together winter hack says exactly the same thing as the nice summer bike, but only in mid winter.

    ahwiles
    Free Member

    Matt! – are you thinking of your *new* bike?

    🙂

    globalti
    Free Member

    Just match the colours, not the brands.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 56 total)

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