I bought 2 stems a while ago.
Both off Raleigh M-trax bikes. One of them is a lot lighter than the other. Tried the magnet test on them and magnet sticks to both just not as much to the lighter one. The same magnet also sticks to the rails of my Flite Ti saddle. So now I don’t now if one is Ti or not. What other options do I have to check?

place the stems in a glass of water and measure how much water spills out

Mass spectrometer? 😀

place the stems in a glass of water and measure how much water spills out

That would just make a mess not tell me if one it Ti or Steel. SWMBO would be very cross if I made a mess. Any sensible options?

Anodize them. Purple = Ti 😀

place the stems in a glass of water and measure how much water spills out

if it floats burn it, for it is a witch.

more water will spill out per gram from a steel stem than a Ti one

once you know which is which then anodize the Ti one (as downshep said!)

Give them to midlandstrailquestgraham.Which ever one cracks,that’s the ti one.

Leave them in the water for a few weeks. If one goes rusty it is steel and the other one is Ti. If the other one goes rusty then that is steel and the other other one is Ti.

is there any bare metal showing (not anodised or chromed or lacquered)

A damp paper towel and the positive terminal of a 9v battery should tint the metal brownish if its Ti – two batteries would turn it more of a violet.

A more destructive test: a grinder would also make white/blue sparks (rather than red orange for steel)

Alternatively apply enough heat to melt the stems, the steel one will melt first.

You started this thread not expecting a sensible answer, right?

Check your wallet

The amount of money remaining will be inversely proportional to the amount of Ti equipment you have just bought.

Plot the numbers on a graph and see where the lines intersect

more water will spill out per gram from a steel stem than a Ti one

physics fail.

if the stems are identical then the same volume of water will be displaced whatever the material (unless it floats)

you need the mass as well to work out the density.

physics pass

I used the words ‘per gram’ to indicate that you need to know the mass

The amount of money remaining will be inversely proportional to the amount of Ti equipment you have just bought.

😆

Out of interest… why? If one’s lighter, is that’s sufficient knowledge?

Buy a single Ti bolt. Use it to scratch the stems. The one that scratches deepest / easiest is steel

Out of interest… why? If one’s lighter, is that’s sufficient knowledge?

You can factor that in too if you like

Look, Joking aside – the best way to find out is to just try riding with it.
If it feels like your performance has improved when actually it hasn’t – then its definately titanium.

the Titanium one will be the one with cracks in it.

Check your wallet

The amount of money remaining will be inversely proportional to the amount of Ti equipment you have just bought.

I only spent £10 on both stems 🙂 But going on colour of them at the moment and the catalogue one must be Ti 🙂 I shall get out the paint stripper and the wet and dry later 🙂

And I was expecting at least one sensible answer

Why does it actually matter ? Surely the objoective is to use the lightest of the two.

I’ve never owned any Ti bike parts. Unless m960 stuff has Ti in it.

more water will spill out per gram from a steel stem than a Ti one

1 gram of Ti will displace more water than 1 gram of steel

Fit them one at a time and go for a ride, the Ti stem will attract more women as they just luv the bling and they’ll throw themselves under your wheels, this is a 100% undeniable fact. Since i’ve bought my Ti bike and fitted a full Ti bolt kit my attractiveness to the opposite sex has increased by 47% over my old scandium frame with no TI, I now have to go out under the cover of darkness for all my rides and adorn myself in a stealth black ninja suit, if i venture out during the hours of daylight i have to beat them off with a shitty stick.

its easy, bring it to my house, at the garage door, show one of the stems to the bouncer, if he lets you in, its steel. If he hits you repeatedly and then nabs the stem its ti.

Take them for a test ride, the Ti will be more zingy, the steel more twangy. Easy.

Rub both stems together and see what happens. The only thing that can cut a Ti stem is another Ti stem.

Rub both stems together and see what happens

if they stick to each other then they’re made of velcro

1 gram of Ti will displace more water than 1 gram of steel

good point

logical – Member

…Tried the magnet test on them and magnet sticks to both just not as much to the lighter one…

you may have a winner.

i thought a magnet wouldnt stick to Ti?

Do the magnet and Ti have velcro on them?