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review
Deda Superleggero Black 120 Stem£116.99
VERDICT:
Expensive for what it it is but beautifully finished and definitely light
Weight:
124g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
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If you are going to go splashing out on Deda's snazzy Superleggera carbon bars you're going to want an equally impressive stem to hold them. As the name suggests, Deda would like you to consider the Superleggero stem, as they are designed as a partnership.
Deda claim this is the lightest production stem on the market. However, Ritchey's WCS C260° stem weighs 9g less than the Superleggero's still impressive 124g. The Superleggero is all about removing as much material as possible through design without compromising strength, Deda says.
Like a lot of stems the Superleggero is 3D forged from 7050 aluminium. Forging makes for a stronger structure than welding various parts together therefore allowing you to shed weight. The internals are pretty much hollow to so it's basically as light as it can be.
More weight is pared by using two individual strips of alloy for the face plate. You've got a little less surface area than a normal plate for clamping duties but it doesn't seem to make much difference. All the hardwear is titanium which knocks off another couple of grams.
In use the Superleggero is surprisingly stiff. I'm not light at 76kg yet no amount of manhandling the bars could get the Superleggero to flex noticeably. Climbing or sprinting was all taken in its stride and paired up with Superleggera carbon bars things were very comfortable.
The size options start at 80mm through to 140mm all with an 82° angle. As you'd expect they are for oversized bars. Deda calls the 1 1/4in handlebar diameter 31.7mm; everyone else calls in 31.8mm. If we were going to be picky we'd all call it 31.75mm. WHatever, it's all the same thing and bars marked 31.8mm will fit fine.
The Siperleggero is manufactured to accept a 1 1/8in steerer though you do get a 1in spacer sleeve included should you still be running around on a bit of old-school steel erotica. [We think Liam means 'exotica' but we're leaving it alone to show you just how some of our reviewers' minds work - Ed.]
The Deda Siperleggero stem is a bit of an extravagance at £116.99. A stem half the price will probably do near as damn it the same job, and the Ritchey mentioned above is just £75. In its defence though the Deda is beautifully crafted and has a really good feel to the finish but more importantly, when it's paired up with the matching carbon bars the two work really well together.
Verdict
Expensive for what it it is but beautifully finished and definitely light
road.cc test report
Make and model: Deda Superleggero Black 120 Stem
Size tested: Black, 120mm
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
The Superleggero is Deda Elementi's flagship stem and is designed to work in partnership with the Superleggera carbon bars. Deda have gone for stiffness and low weight achieving both as there is no noticeable flex. It comes at a price though.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Material: Alloy 7050
Screws: titanium
Angle: 82°
Ø Handlebar: 31,7 mm
Fork Steerer: 1" 1/8 (28,6mm)
Clamp Height: 36 mm
Sizes: 80 - 90 - 100 - 110 - 120 - 130 - 140 mm
Weight: 99 g (110 mm)
Finish: black anodized; polish on black (POB)
Recommended mounting with Deda Elementi carbon handlebars only.
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
It's a beautiful bit of kit. No rough edges or scruffy internals.
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
Light and stiff, a difficult combination.
Rate the product for durability:
7/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
8/10
Pretty impressive but not the lightest. Sorry, Deda.
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
8/10
Stiff but reasonably forgiving soaking up a fair bit of the road buzz.
Rate the product for value:
5/10
It's more expensive then its slightly lighter rivals; £117 is a lot of money to pay for a stem.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
It impressed with how stiff it is considering the light weight.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
How well it worked with the Superleggera bars; it looks great too.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
That price is hard to swallow.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Despite the price, yeah especially if I was getting the Superleggera bars too.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.
Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?
The Superleggero is a really good stem and as far as performance goes it is surprisingly stiff yet comfortable. That price costs it a star.
About the tester
Age: 35 Height: 180cm Weight: 76kg
I usually ride: Whatever needs testing or Genesis Flyer, fixed of course! My best bike is: Kinesis T2 with full Centaur Red
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,
As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!
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5 comments
Superleggero or Siperleggero?
If I'd get a stem, I'd need a white one, with red graphics. Fortunately, Deda do those also.. But Kalloy Uno ultralights too. Would be glad to see a "comparison" between big-brand named stems with those "budget options".
in line with previous comments about Deda's cheaper offerings - The Zero2 stem is really well finished, about £25 and 16g heavier.
And it matches the Super Record RS groupset perfectly. Hello final piece of the C60 build jigsaw.
I run WCS 260’s on a couple of bikes and they are superb - but when building my C59 I thought I’d go all out and get this bit of Italian bling. There’s no doubting that it looks fantastic, especially the black on black version, but it has one flaw…the Ti bolts are made of cheese! A bolt on the first stem snapped and another rounded out, then two bolts on the replacement rounded out. They’ve now been swapped for steel bolts with no issues. NB - no need to pay £117. I picked mine up for £77.