Cannondale has issued a voluntary recall on its OPI stems, found on all Flash, F-Si, F-4, F-5, F-29, Lexi, RZ, Scalpel, and Trigger mountain bikes between model years 2011 and 2015. About 23,000 stems (including those sold aftermarket) are affected in the US, as well as 800 in Canada. These stems can be identified by the OPI logo printed diagonally across the top of the stem. While there have been no reported accidents or injuries, Cannondale decided to issue the recall after identifying a potential safety issue during the course of regular testing.
The OPI stem, which only fits Lefty forks, is a two-piece integrated stem and steerer assembly that threads together in the upper half of what would normally be the steerer tube. Cannondale’s testing revealed that the nature of this threaded connection could result in reduced fatigue life. Cannondale developed a special wedge kit that locks and reinforces this threaded connection. When retrofitted to the OPI stem, Cannondale says the wedge restores appropriate fatigue life. This modification does add 45 grams but also increases stiffness, so there should be a handling benefit.
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This recall does not affect the Lefty fork or the standard steerer and stem assemblies, just the OPI stem. If you have one of these OPI stems, Cannondale says you should stop riding it immediately and contact your dealer for the retrofit. The work takes less than 30 minutes and will be done free of charge.
