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Cane Creek GXC is a Sleek, Lightweight Stem for Gravel or XC

Cane Creek GXC Stem hero(Photos / Cane Creek)
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Cane Creek’s latest product isn’t a groundbreaking gravel suspension fork or a colorful rim brake, but it is something that many bikes need. As far as Cane Creek’s lineup goes, this is one of their simpler products, but it looks like a cool, lightweight, and handsome stem, so let’s check out the details.

Cane Creek GXC Stem stacked
(Photos / Cane Creek)

Let’s start with the weight. The GXC has a claimed weight of 96g for a 60mm stem. That’s a pretty light aluminum stem. The GXC is made from forged and machined 6066 aluminum and uses stainless steel hardware.

GXC Claimed Weight

  • 60mm: 96g
  • 70mm: 104g
  • 80mm: 112g
  • 90mm: 116g
  • 100mm: 120g

GXC Details

The GXC sports “ghosted, laser etched” branding which looks low-key and attractive. Cane Creek GXC comes in polished black or polished silver. It’s a premium finish that would usually be on stems that could cost twice as much.

Cane Creek GXC Stem angle shot

The new stem has an angle of +/- 6 degrees and is compatible with Cane Creek’s computer mount. It has a stack height of 42mm and uses a 31.8mm bar clamp. It comes in five length options: 60mm, 70mm, 80mm, 90mm, and 100mm.

Made specifically for gravel and cross-country mountain bikes, the GXC uses an aesthetic that “matches the overall size, shape, and proportions of modern gravel and cross-country frames.

GXC Retail and Features

Retail: $70

  • Colors: Polished Black & Polished Silver
  • Lengths: 60mm, 70mm, 80mm, 90mm, and 100mm
  • Angle: +/- 6 degree
  • Bar Clamp: 31.8mm
  • Steerer Clamp Height: 42mm
  • Material: Forged and Machined 6066 aluminum alloy
  • Hardware: Stainless Steel
  • Graphics: Ghosted, laser-etched Cane Creek Logos
  • Accessories: Compatible with Cane Creek Computer Mount

Check the GXC Stem out as well as all of the cool bits at the link below.

CaneCreek.com

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32 Comments
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Greg
Greg
1 month ago

Lightweight CX/gravel stem? The answer is Wren.

Rich
Rich
1 month ago
Reply to  Greg

Wren is the only stem I’ve ever used where the threads on the steerer clamp just gave out while I was riding it, leaving the handlebar loose. Always used a torque wrench. Never again.

E Z
E Z
1 month ago
Reply to  Rich

I also had a wren fail. I came here to say this looks like a wren or at least is made in the same factory.

Rich
Rich
1 month ago
Reply to  E Z

It does look a bit similar. Where the Wren fails (I think) is the T20 torx bolts. This appears to at least have 4mm allen bolts if you zoom in on the website. Anyone know the thread/hole size difference between a T20 and 4mm allen?

Rich
Rich
1 month ago
Reply to  Rich

It’s also almost 20g heavier for the 60mm stem, so hopefully that added material makes the difference!

kreative cid
kreative cid
1 month ago
Reply to  Rich

Gray Components sold the same stem on Amazon for years. I have a 50mm, $42 USD delivered. T20 have held up so far. Now nly available on the Gray site for near triple.

Joe Bond
Joe Bond
1 month ago
Reply to  Greg

Kalloy Uno is the problem solved, problem staying solved answer.

kreative cid
kreative cid
1 month ago
Reply to  Joe Bond

Kalloy Uno Lightweight 60mm has been reliable and super light on my xc bike (74kg keyboardist here).

kreative cid
kreative cid
1 month ago
Reply to  Greg

Delivered to US address ,Wren costs a lot more than a Mt. Zoom which has regular bolts instead of T20. There are a few Wrens on fleabay, but still more than MT.

Nathan
Nathan
1 month ago

Gloss Black! Yes! Getting hard to find these days.

Greg
Greg
1 month ago

I’d like to see a pic of the interior cutout for the extension at the steerer clamp. Many stems don’t support enough of the top edge of the steerer.

Dog Farts
Dog Farts
1 month ago
Reply to  Greg

That’s why you run a spacer above the stem.

seraph
seraph
1 month ago

Seems kinda silly to not make a stem that is internal routing compatible these days.

Last edited 1 month ago by seraph
seraph
seraph
1 month ago
Reply to  seraph

Lots of haters in denial downvoting my comment, but too chicken to comment. I work at a small bike company and we only have internal routing on both of our bikes. Internal routing looks clean and literally brings more business to local bike shops. Yeah mechanics are gonna complain but they’ll always find something to complain about. I should know, I worked with them for 25 years.

Big Dave
Big Dave
1 month ago
Reply to  seraph

I’ll play chicken with you lol.

ICR is a solution looking for a problem. Aside from looks, there is no rider-benefit (Lighter? Cheaper? Faster? Stronger?… No) and creates expensive service procedures.

Probably why Specialized and other brands are moving away from the design.

seraph
seraph
1 month ago
Reply to  Big Dave

Internal routing is quieter, cleaner, more aerodynamic, and helps free up space in the cockpit for computers, bar bags, lights, and bells.

Yeah it creates expensive service procedures, but those expensive procedures help your LBS stay in business.

Robin
1 month ago
Reply to  seraph

“Brings more business to local bike shops”…by increasing the cost to the customer for bike service. Sweet.

“internal routing looks clean”…..and increases the need for service because of crap sealing and the resulting water, mud, dirt, etc ingress. Internal routing has made the “ring of death” on CF steerers a much more frequent problem now. Just ask Raoul Luescher. As for “looking clean”, so what? I guess today’s bike design ethic emerged from Ricardo Montalban’s design philosophy: “It’s better to look good than to work good.”

While the right-to-repair “movement” seems to be progressing in some industries, it’s going backward for cycling as bike manufacturers and “small bike companies” make it more difficult for customers to repair their stuff.

Fully integrated cables and hoses also come with more proprietary parts, less flexibility in terms of changing the bike fit (injuries happen), and less choice when it comes to choosing components

seraph
seraph
1 month ago
Reply to  Robin

You’re right about that last part, which is why I think it’s silly that more companies don’t make internal routing components. That was the whole point of my comment.

Bumscag
Bumscag
1 month ago

Cane Creek is such a weird mix of high-value products and aspirational products. Like, pick a lane…

And this stem is definitely on the high-value end. Looks nice. Probably overseas production like most of their stuff. But it is what it is.

seraph
seraph
1 month ago
Reply to  Bumscag

Cane Creek tends to go the SRAM route it seems, buying smaller companies and assimilating their products into their own lineup. They did it with EE.

Alan
Alan
1 month ago

Simple. Nice. Oddly refreshing.

Tom
Tom
1 month ago

I ordered one of these last week. Personally I am not a fan of some of the boxy chiseled looking CNC stems and prefer the smother classic profile. Bought a 60mm silver one to try on my hardtail.

Grillis
Grillis
1 month ago

This would look good in road lengths too (hint hint Cane Creek)

Deputy Dawg
Deputy Dawg
1 month ago

Love it. I have a harder and harder time finding 80 and 90 mm stems for my xc bikes. If I’m not looking in the right place, please, somebody, steer me there!

But likely ordering two of these today (or wait for Black Friday sale possibility).

seraph
seraph
1 month ago
Reply to  Deputy Dawg

I’ve always looked to Syntace for mid-length XC stems. My go-to has been their F109 stem for years. Lightweight, decent price, simple looks, and titanium hardware.

Deputy Dawg
Deputy Dawg
1 month ago
Reply to  seraph

Thanks, I’ll check that out. Syntace seems hard to source in the US, at least for some stuff. I managed to get two of their carbon seatposts in the huge 34.9 mm size. Had to go direct. Let’s say they are ok to deal with, but not tripping over themselves to win your business…..

Am I missing something, as I only see those stems for 31.8 bars?

Last edited 1 month ago by Deputy Dawg
kreative cid
kreative cid
1 month ago
Reply to  Deputy Dawg

They replied to my inquiry seeking a US dealer for their Liteforce stem. Told me none (as of yesterday). Shipping from Germany for a 50mm Liteforce is shockingly high.

Frank
Frank
1 month ago

Seems to come from the same stampings as the Zipp Service Course / Truvativ Atmos stems.

Brent Graves
Brent Graves
1 month ago

I’ll try to address the questions and issues raised. Yes, the fasteners are 4mm allen. Certainly most higher priced new bikes are sporting ICR these days, but there are literally millions of good non-ICR bikes still on the roads and trails. While we are happy to sell more bearings due to consequences of ICR, we’d rather see ICR only on pro race bikes where every second counts. We call our “weird mix” a premium alternative to OEM/commodity product. We offer some less expensive products, but we don’t see them as cheap. We are a small employee-owned company (SRAM’s revenue is 100X bigger), and we have not bought any company in over thirty years. We have partnered with others, most recently, Ohlins and Craig Edwards (ee), and have co-developed product with them. Sometimes like the eeSilk post and stem, the idea originated inside and then our partner was looped in. In all other instances we conceive, design, develop, and test (to ISO standards) ourselves in the same building we’ve been in for 50 years. The GXC comes from an all-new and exclusive forging mold.

Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict
1 month ago
Reply to  Brent Graves

What’s your partnership with Ohlins entail?

Frank
Frank
1 month ago
Reply to  Brent Graves

Thanks for clarifying.

seraph
seraph
1 month ago
Reply to  Brent Graves

If you isolate internal routing to pro-level bikes, you’ll have customers demanding it for their own bikes. Consumers always copy the pros. So you might as well make it available for consumer use in the first place.

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