Is a stem an upgrade?

Is a high end stem an upgrade that i will notice (Enve, Zipp, maybe S-works). The weight savings are minimal and easy to quantify. Will there be a noticeable change in the ride?

I currently have the S-works Aerofly 2 on a Tarmac sl6 and moved a middle of the road stem from another bike (alloy, mid level Felt).

Not unless it improves your position on the bike or you feel your current stem is overly flexy.

thats kinda what i thought. thanks for the reply

Hi end vs hi end no. But an alloy rock vs an Enve carbon (or any high end), it dampens vibrations considerably IMO. Weight savings are gravy.

By itself the upgrade would be from stiffness. I tend to think spending on stems as part of an overall weight reduction effort (stem, handlebars, pedals, bottle cages, bar tape, tires, tubes, etc). If your equipment is lower end you can save a lot of weight relatively inexpensively from going even to midrange. I have a spreadsheet with component weight and then look at upgrades I make on a $/gram basis if weight is what Iā€™m after.

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