Cervélo informs about a voluntary recall of stems, which has resulted from a co-operation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada.
Which Cervélo stems are affected by the recall?
The voluntary recall concerns the stems of the Cervélo R5 and Caledonia-5 road bikes from model year 2022, as well as the Cervélo ST31 LT replacement stems.
With the stems concerned, the handlebars can slip in some cases even if the handlebars are fitted correctly and the recommended tightening torques of the stem bolt are observed. This increases the risk of losing control of the bike. Strictly speaking, it is not the stem that is affected, but the front plate of some models. This stem front plate is installed in Caledonia 5 models introduced on or after 1 May 2021 and R5 models introduced on or after 28 September 2021 (including all replacement stems with part number ST31 LT).
All Cervélo road bikes delivered from mid-August 2022 and all upcoming models are not affected and already have the original version of the stem front plate fitted (green variant in the diagram below).
Is my Cervélo bike affected?
The easiest way to determine whether your own wheel or a stem has one of the affected front plates is to carry out a visual inspection.
The front panel shown in red (left) is the part affected by the recall, while the front panel shown in blue/green (right) is not affected. The recessed area in the centre of both front panels is usually filled with an insert or an accessory holder, which should be taken into account during the visual inspection. The colours are only used to differentiate the panel designs and are not representative of the colours of the front panels. The actual panels are black.
I have one of the affected stems - what now?
As part of this recall, consumers are instructed to contact their Cervélo dealer to arrange a free repair to replace the stem front plates.
For a quick solution, the affected bikes can continue to be ridden with stems from other manufacturers (e.g. FSA) that allow internal cable routing.
Further information on the exchange can be found here.
