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review
Stems
Prime Primavera Carbon Stem Prime Primavera Carbon Stem Prime Primavera Carbon Stem
Prime Primavera Carbon Stem

Prime Primavera Carbon Stem

7
by dave atkinson
UPDATED Sun, Apr 05, 2020 09:46

First Published Apr 5, 2020

4
£129.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Good value carbon stem for cockpit tweaks and new builds
Nicely made
Stiff
Good value
Not especially light
Non-captive clamp inserts would be easy to lose
Weight: 
135g
Contact: 
www.wiggle.co.uk
How we test

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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The Prime Primavera Carbon stem is a good-looking tiller that's available in a decent range of sizes. It's not especially light, but then it's not especially expensive for a carbon stem either. If you're tweaking your bike setup then it's one to consider. You can get lighter stems for the same money and less, though.

The Primavera Carbon stem is nicely made. The main body of the stem is all carbon – this isn't just a wrap job – and it's well finished in matt black with a shiny logo. The faceplate is aluminium, and the hardware is good quality.

Prime Primavera Carbon Stem 2.jpg

The steerer bolts thread into an alloy insert – you can't put a reliable thread in carbon – and they're not bonded into the stem, so careful you don't lose them if you pull the bolts all the way out.

Prime Primavera Carbon Stem 3.jpg

The stem has a 31.8mm four-bolt clamp and a pretty standard +/- 6° rise, and it's available in 10mm increments from 80mm to 130mm. Slap it on your bike and tighten everything up and it does a fine job. There's plenty of stiffness in the stem, and it'll look the part on any modern road bike. The branding is subtle and the overall performance is good. The only time you'd notice a stem would be if it was doing something bad, but there was no flexing or creaking or any other issues.

> How to choose the right stem length

Normally, making stuff from carbon means that you can make it lighter for the same performance, if not the same price. Frames, wheel rims, bottle cages, saddle rails, handlebars, cranks... they all tend to follow that rule. Stems are a bit of an outlier really, because the specific twisting forces that they need to counteract are handled so well by a simple metal tube; stick a clamp on each end and you're good to go.

> 9 top tips for setting up your new bike

For that reason many of the lightest stems out there are alloy; it's pretty straightforward to make a sub-100g stem out of a more exotic aluminium alloy. Even something mid-range like a £50 Genetic STV stem is lighter for less than half the price (the Prime's RRP is £129.99, but Wiggle is selling it for £89.99).

> 9 ways to make your bike more comfortable

Carbon stems tend to be a bit more pricey than this; something like an FSA K-Force or a Zipp SL Sprint is north of £200.

So if it's a weight saving you're looking for, a carbon stem is a poor route to take. If you're fiddling with your position on the bike, or speccing up a new one, and you're after a nice looking, good value carbon stem to complement your carbon frame and bar and seatpost, there's no reason why the Primavera Carbon stem wouldn't do the job for you.

Verdict

Good value carbon stem for cockpit tweaks and new builds

road.cc test report

Make and model: Prime Primavera Carbon Stem

Size tested: 110mm

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?

From Wiggle:

"Offering great stability, low-weight and confidence inspiring control, the Primavera Carbon Road Stem completes the ultimate Prime cockpit.

A carbon fibre body and aluminium faceplate provide a superb interface with your handlebars and help reduce hand and upper body fatigue on rough roads, while the carbon construction is torsionally and laterally stiff so it's ultra-efficient as you're zipping into corners or sprinting for the line.

The faceplate is cold-forged aluminum, which provides a highly reliable and strong grip on the handlebar, enhancing your steering.

At just 130g for a 120mm stem, the Primavera will shave precious grams from your race ready machine, rivaling many stems at a much higher price point."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Top Features:

Material: Carbon Fibre

Length: 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130mm

Rise: +/- 6

Clamp Diameter: 31.8mm

Steer Tube Clamp Diameter: 28.6mm

Faceplate Material: Aluminium

Face Plate Torque: 5.5Nm

Steerer Tube Torque: 5.5Nm

Weight: 130g (120mm)

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Nicely made and finished.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

It does the things stems do, no issues.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

No problems during testing; it'd be easy to lose a clamp insert which would be difficult to replace.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
6/10

It's not heavy but you can get lighter stems for less.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
6/10

Stems don't major on comfort, stiffness is their thing.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

For a full carbon stem, it's pretty cheap.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It's good: stiff and good looking, not expensive.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Nicely made, stiff, good value.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Not especially light, non-captive clamp inserts would be easy to lose.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

For a full carbon stem, it's cheap.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes inasmuch as you can enjoy a stem.

Would you consider buying the product? Probably not.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, in the right circumstances.

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's a decent stem, for sure. You can get lighter stems cheaper, but if you like the chunky carbon look then it's a pretty good value way of getting it.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 47  Height: 189cm  Weight: 94kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Kinesis Tripster ATR, Merida Scultura, Dward Design fixed

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

Prime Primavera Carbon Stem 2020
Prime Primavera Carbon Stem
Prime 2020
Prime
Dave Atkinson

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

Add new comment

4 comments

Avatar
neeb | 3 years ago
0 likes

It's about the same weight as a good quality alloy stem, BUT - and this is something I've only just realised, having previously been skeptical of carbon stems - I believe there may be advantages to using carbon stems to clamp carbon steerers and bars. It's so common to have alloy stems leave imprints on steerers and bars, which are always a little worrying from a safety perspective. In my (admittedly quite limited) experience, carbon stems seem much less prone to this, partially because the material is the same and partially because they tend to have wider, more encompassing clamp designs with less sharp edges.

Avatar
RECAR77 | 4 years ago
0 likes

looks exactly like the engage ST-06 which is/was the "budget" brand of ax lightness

Avatar
RobD | 4 years ago
1 like

I've never really got the carbon stem thing, as the review itself states, they're usually no lighter, unless it's designed to integrate with an aero setup then I'm not sure why you'd spend the money. Do you not have to be even more careful about tightening bolts etc with this? Then again each to their own I suppose.

Avatar
Joe Totale replied to RobD | 4 years ago
2 likes

Yep. Unless it's an all in one, integrated jobbie then carbon stems make no sense. Even the pros rarely use carbon stems due to them usually being less stiff. 

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