It is true that Ritchey's standard WCS stems have always been fully capable for road, cyclocross, XC race and short travel XC trail use, but as the MTB riders have moved to 5-6" travel bikes with 740mm wide (and wider) handlebars, it became clear that Ritchey needed a true set of trail components. Built with a 31.8mm handlebar wrapping C220 clamp design and a full 40mm wide faceplate width, the 3D forged 2014 alloy WCS Trail Stem is lightweight, stiff, and easily defeats the torsion the extra bar leverage and rugged trail conditions bring to bear.

The zero rise, forged stem body has a 45mm steerer tube clamp height, and comes in a variety of common trial sizes, starting at 35mm. The C220 designation means the bar clamp section wraps 220° around the bar, meaning the face plate must only cover 140°. On most stems, this is 180°/180°. Almost every 31.8mm diameter riser bar will fit in with just a slight side angle. Once the clamp is bolted down, the assembly delivers incredible stiffness and strength- surpassing that of many stems that have much wider face plate designs. The same can be said for the offset angles of the two steerer clamp bolts. If you are building a new trail bike cockpit, start with Ritchey WCS Trail components and you'll never look elsewhere.