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Ritchey WCS 4 Axis mountain bike stem review

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$89.95

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Ritchey WCS 4 Axis

BikeRadar verdict

4 out of 5 stars

"A fine piece of race-orientated kit that will go the distance on Alpine tech too"

4 comments
Thu 10 Feb 2011, 10:00 am GMTBy

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Prominent logos and rainbow colours identify the WCS’s podium ambitions, but we were surprised at how stiff this 120g offering was. We pushed it on tougher, more furious descents than cross-country race kit should be subjected to and it came out smiling.

The stem is stiff and direct for its weight, helped by its square section main body, and while it may not have the heavy looks to match today’s fatter tubed all-mountain bikes, it displays trail riding potential. 3D cold forged from 2014 aluminium, the smooth lines keep its looks simple and timeless.

A forged silver anodised face plate spreads to a 42mm width at the front of the bars, narrowing to just 22mm at the bolt fastening points, the four bolts being grouped very close together. Ritchey say this four-axis bolt design helps distribute vibrations through the face plate and avoid stresses in the bar.

The bar clamp is chamfered to avoid carbon bar damage and reduce stress hotspots. Out back the steerer clamp is diagonally slotted using opposing taper headed bolts to spread loading to a wider area, making it carbon steerer friendly. The bolts are also well concealed to protect your knees.

What's the score with BikeRadar reviews? You can find a full explanation of our ratings here.

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User Reviews

There are 4 reviews on this post

Showing 1 - 4 of 4 comments

  • I have one on my hybrid and it's great - really light, first class finish and stiff. It also looks really nice in the "wet white" finish if you've got a white frame.

  • Top looking parts, i got a full WCS kit on my mtb, the only downside of the wet Finnish (in black), is that it starts flacking off the lacquer...

  • bought customley added from www.zeroos.co.uk they are amazing never look at anything else again

  • Hands down this is the bench mark XC stem in the bicycle industry.

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Specification

Name:
WCS 4 Axis (11)
Built by:
Ritchey
Price:
$89.95

Description:
Stack height: 42mm. Options: 70-120mm in 10mm increments
Weight (g):
120 g
Available Colours:
Black, White
Length (mm):
90 mm
Stem Rise:
6 Degrees

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