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11 August 2006

Zipp 145 Stem and SL Bar

Zipp 145 stem

The Zipp 145 stem is every bit as stiff as you might imagine by looking at its stout appearance. Zipp achieves this quality by hand wrapping more than 50 pieces of precision cut carbon cloth as well as using the same keylock bonding and full enclosure carbon wrapping methods as the Zipp 300 crankset. This, according to Zipp's website, makes the 145 stem the "stiffest, strongest all carbon stem available."

Zipp, in both the 145 stem and SL bar, utilizes what they call VCLC technology, or Visco-Elastic Constrained Layer Control. This technology allows for a 10% reduction in vibration and muscular road fatigue-no matter how fast or how long you are riding. Zipp "sandwiches" a viscous material between the layers of carbon that dampens vibration coming from the road. (For more information visit the Zipp website section on VCLC technology.)

The Zipp 145 stem combines bella and forza. The stem is finished off nicely up front with a polished aluminum faceplate; adding a thin steel insert for added durability and stiffness. The faceplate has the recommended torque specs labeled plain as day on the collar so you're not tempted to over tighten; 6 Nm.

The Ducati-manufactured screws literally pull together one of the best stems on the market, the Zipp 145.

The faceplate is secured to the carbon stem with four titanium screws that are imported from Bologna, Italy. Zipp contacted famed motorcycle manufacturer Ducati while searching for the strongest and lightest fasteners. The Ducati-manufactured screws literally pull together one of the best stems on the market, the Zipp 145.

Details:
•  Clear coat over carbon, aluminum hard-anodized faceplate
•  Ducati titanium bolts.
•  Solid carbon steerer tube top cap included
•  Weight: 155g (31.8mm, 120mm)
•  Also available in 26.0mm but limited to 110mm and 120mm sizes
•  1" shim provided
•  Rise: 6 degrees
•  Invertible design for two angle options
•  Price: about $199 USD

Zipp SuperLite Bar

More than two years of research have gone into the development of the ultra-light Zipp SL road bar. It is certainly the lightest road bar out there on the market, tipping the scales at a very feather-like 160 grams (SL stands for SuperLite). But is weight everything?

If you're the kind of bike nut I am, where you look at the gram count for everything, weight can definitely be a fun and interesting element when considering your components. Anything you can get in a lighter version is definitely a bonus. But in considering the purchase of a road handlebar, weight savings is only a small piece of the puzzle.

If the handlebar isn't comfortable and safe, all the weight savings in the world won't amount to a hill of beans. You're putting a lot of trust in your bars when you're going over potholes and rough road surfaces, and nobody wants to break a set of expensive bars or seriously injure themselves.

Comfort

I like a bar that forms a nice flat platform when the shift levers are mounted to ride on the hoods and the Zipp SL provided just that. They are not too deep and have a nicely formed anatomic drop section for in the drops riding. Otherwise, there's nothing too futuristic or high-tech about the overall shape of the SL. There are no anatomic flattish sections on the top or oval tubing, just good ole fashioned round carbon.

Campagnolo users will be happy to know that this full-carbon bar features dual cable routing grooves. The grooves, combined with the smooth transition from 31.8 at the stem clamp to 24.2 diameter at the bends, spells-out a very comfy shape in your hands. And just like in the Zipp 145 stem, to handle vibrations the Indiana company uses VCLC technology.

Strength

The Zipp SL bar has undergone rigorous testing with those stressed out stress testers at the EFBe lab in Germany. It passed the EFBe rigorous tests with some of the best results to date for a carbon road bar. (EFBe website)

The Zipp SL certainly measured up in rigidity and stiffness. Anyone who has any experience riding Zipp's high performance wheels knows that the company understands how to make a stiff, lightweight, comfortable pair of hoops. And Zipp has definitely made the successful transition into the road bar market. When you couple Zipp's SLs with the beefy 145 stem, you can really go full throttle in a sprint and not feel any flex at all.

When you couple Zipp's SLs with the beefy 145 stem, you can really go full throttle in a sprint and not feel any flex at all.

Zipp has thrown in some nice little extras too. The bar has torque specs on the sensitive areas to remind the heavy-handed among us to keep a lid on the Nms (Newton meters) and textured surfaces on the stem and brake/shifter clamping surfaces.
- Franco

Details:
•  31.8mm clamp area
•  Reach: 100mm (center-center)
•  Drop: 150mm (center-center)
•  Widths: 40, 42, 44 and 46cm (center-center)
•  Price: about $350 USD

Visit the Zipp Speed Weaponry website to learn more about the 145 stem and SL bar.