titanium stem - why so expensive

[Rob_T]

i'm looking to bling up my bike and get a titanium seatpost and stem for my road bike

i've found titanium stems to be outrageously expensive - unto £300, but typically around £150 - £200.

can anyone recommend a sensibly priced stem (not from ebay)

[Foliage]

Titanium anything is expensive because its an expensive raw material and its an arse to machine.

Carbon fibre or alu would be a cheaper alternative.

[daddy cool]

Yeah, but Robocop wasnt made out of carbon fibre or Alu.
Only the best for him.

[Foliage]

daddy cool said:

Yeah, but Robocop wasnt made out of carbon fibre or Alu.
Only the best for him.

He was likely made out of some high-tech composite plastic. I don't think titanium could be made to be bullet proof in that usage.

[TwistingMyMelon]

LOL @ Robocop, just spat my lunch out laughing

[bakerstreet]

Rob_T said:

i'm looking to bling up my bike and get a titanium seatpost and stem for my road bike

i've found titanium stems to be outrageously expensive - unto £300, but typically around £150 - £200.

can anyone recommend a sensibly priced stem (not from ebay)

Why Titanium? As others have said, Carbon Fibre stems are readily available. You can get a Hylix one on Ebay with Titanium bolts for £45. Pretty light too Hylix also do some nice carbon fibre seat posts too. You can get a 160g one for £50

[Dammit]

Hipster tax on top of hard to machine and hard to weld.

I have a Ti Serotta stem, it is a thing of great beauty and does nothing an alloy stem would not do.

Likewise I have a 3T ARX LTD- it went on a showbike.

For the bikes I actually ride I use the ARX Pro, it is strong, stiff, light enough- if you want a bit of bling you can always paint it to match the frame and fork.

[BadgerBenji]

It's a difficult material, and there is a lot more work in a stem than a seatpost to get the alignment right.

http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/20720/products/van-nicho...

[gazza285]

Personally I wouldn't buy anything made from welded titanium, especially something like a stem.