Zipp SL Sprint Carbon Stem

Zipp® set out with one clear goal – design the best-performing carbon stem. Ever. The SL Sprint is optimized for the stiffness required by pro road sprinters, while still being light weight.

Just as cyclists maximize performance by being as light, but as powerful as possible, the SL Sprint Stem strikes the ideal balance of stiffness and lightweight to deliver responsive handling without wasting a single watt. The stem weighs in at just 1.8g per newton meter of stiffness. How’d we do that? The SL Sprint was designed using SRAM’s Exogram™ technology, the same used in the ultra light and strong SRAM® RED cranks.

The SL Sprint was designed with feedback from top pros to meet the unrelenting demands of Grand Tour sprinters. Zipp also tapped into expertise gained from its pioneering carbon stems and exhaustively researched the marketplace to create the SL Sprint Stem.

The SL Sprint comes with its own stem cap that’s designed to be aerodynamically efficient by blending into the stem body. Available in six sizes ranging from 90 to 140mm to meet any rider’s fit needs. Includes stiff aluminum faceplate and steel Torx® T25 bolts for precise torque readings and ease of adjustment. Available in Matte White and Matte Black finishes.

Zipp chooses Torx®-head bolts for its stems and aero bars - why? It’s simply a better bolt:

• Won’t easily strip.
• Provide more accurate torque readers.
• Are durable.

It comes down to the way the tool head interacts with the bolt. Common hex tools tend to strip the bolt head if the bolt is over torqued. This is especially true with lightweight bolts. Zipp wanted to be able to use a lightweight bolt with reliable performance. Bolts on stems and aero bars are critical to safety – having a reliable bolt is crucial.

The Torx® head is more robust that hex-head bolts and will not easily strip. Torx® fasteners also were designed for use with a torque-limiting wrench (torque wrench), which is needed to achieve the precise torque reading for proper installation.

We chose a bolt size, M5, that was best suited for our stems. The standard Torx tool head for an M5 bolt is a T25, although sometimes a T20 or T27 is used. The T25 is becoming a go-to bolt in the bicycle industry. It’s been used on disc brakes for years and also is in use on chainring bolts, derailleurs and shifters. What’s more, the T25 tool is a common in bike shops or hardware stores and is readily available alone or in multi-tool sets. For your convenience, Zipp includes a T25 wrench with all stems and aero bars.

Specifications:

• Weight: (100mm) 165g
• Sizes: 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140
• Material: Unidirectional carbon
• Finish: Matte White and Matte Black
• Hardware: Stainless steel with Torx® T25 heads
• Clamp Diameter: 31.8mm
• Angle: -12°
• Steer tube diameter: 11/8 in
• Stack height: 41.0mm
• Clamp width: 50mm
• Clamp torque - max: 6Nm