[Closed] Road bikes - how important to have matching bars, stem and seatpost?

[i]I'm interested in people's thoughts [/i]

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

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

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.

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

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

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...

Stem and post to match.

😉

I have this problem all the time.

I use Ti seatposts so they *never* match.

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

I believe that just about covers it 🙂

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

do they work for you? good

do they match, bonus

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.

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.

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.

IT ALL MUST MATCH, IT MUST!!

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Rule #25 may be the one that covers it.

[i] the mind boggles. [/i]

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

Sorry wrong rule

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

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.

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.

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... 🙄

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.

Dust caps WTF, unnecessary weight.

Dales_rider - Member
Dust caps WTF, unnecessary weight.

I use Ti seatposts so they *never* match.

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.

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

My bike has:

Easton carbon post
Rictchey carbon bars
£12 Superstar Stem

Deal with it!

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.

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

🙂

Just match the colours, not the brands.

Orbea post and bar (both OE, they will get changed soon) and Easton stem for me so I pass, sort of. However I have got Bontrager tape on which I am told is disgraceful.

It is important because the riders feel comfortable with it.

I dont have a seat post 🙁

Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, this thread needs more photos so we can judge how pretty everyones bikes are.

None of my finishing kit matches except the bar tape and the bars. Deda superzero black/white seatpost, white fsa stem, black Cinelli bars with white cinelli tape.

It's comfy, and I think it looks good. As much as I'd love all matching kit, its really not important and I've never judged anyone else for having or not having matching finishing kit.

Easton bars, 3T stem and USE Alien seat post.

Is this why I never get waved at by 'real' roadies?