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TECH NEWS
Suspension stems are back pt2! ShockStop hits Kickstarter target with pivoting suspension stem
The ShockStop suspension stem has only been on Kickstarter for a few days but it has already blasted through its funding goal by some way, with a lot of backers clearly interested in a stem that has been designed to smooth the ride on a road bike.
What is the ShockStop?
It’s a pivoting suspension stem that isolates your body from bumps, shocks and road buzz. You can expect between 1-2cm (6°) of movement. What we could do with now is a juicy stat, right? Good thing ShockStop has provided one, it reckons the stem reduces impact forces by up to 70%.
“The ShockStop stem does what gloves and extra bar tape can't: it isolates your upper body from the imperfections of the road, letting you ride further, faster, and more comfortably,” says the company.
The damping is adjustable, so it can cater for the different demands of performance and recreational cyclists. Firmer for a sportive, softer for a commuter, perhaps. There are a pair of elastomer bumpers inside the stem that can be swapped out, by removing the stem faceplate, allowing you to tune the damping for your requirements or tastes.
The stem is constructed from aluminium and uses a fully sealed cartridge bearing at the pivot. A wide selection of lengths and angles will be provided to you can get the right fit for your bike, from 90 to 120mm and +/- 6° and 30° rises. Claimed weight is from 238g.
We’ve been here before haven’t we?
Yes, anyone into cycling for long enough will remember the first attempt at suspension stems, most famous of all the Girvin Flexstem. The company behind ShockStop acknowledges these early attempts at suspension stems and their flaws, but reckons its solution is better suited to road bikes.
And just last year we reported on the StaFast, a more complex suspension stem with a pneumatic air cylinder to provide the damping. Maybe we can expect more suspension stems in the future?
Bike manufacturers have been incorporating elastomers and suspension devices into road bikes at an alarming rate in recent years. There's the Pinarello Dogma K8-S with a small rear elastomer bumper, Trek's IsoSpeed decoupler and don't forget Specialized has been pushing its Zertz inserts for many years. But suspension stems have yet to be adopted on a larger scale.
There are other ways to make your bike more comfortable. Here are nine top tips
That the ShockStop is proving popular is hardly surprising. Comfort has been a big driver of development on road bikes in recent years, with bikes like the Specialized Roubaix intended to provide a smooth and more comfortable ride than a regular race bike. The interest in wider tyres has been motivated by a quest for more ride comfort, especially given the poor state of our roads.
I want one. How much will it cost me?
You can currently pledge support for ShockStop and get a stem for $99, with delivery scheduled for April 2016, with worldwide shipping. Pay $134 and you can get an integrated bike computer or utility mount thrown in as well.
Discover more here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/redshiftsports/shockstop-the-shock-...
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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19 comments
I just wonder where this leaves all of the other stems that are available and all of the advice we are given by others more knowledgeable and even all of the marketing that we are inundated with telling us that stiffer is better.
@leqin - for some people stiffer may be better since it really is about personal preference. But, we can all see the general trend in the industry to finally embrace comfort (comfort and performance can co-exist in my opinion). As David mentioned in the article, innovations like Trek’s Iso-Speed Decoupler, Pinarello’s K8-S frame, and Specialized’s CG-R seatpost show that people are focused on compliance and comfort these days and not just stiffness.
Which is why I am maybe going to buy one so that I can try it out long term on my commute to work bike and see if it actually does what it says on the box. Even I appreciate that riding my Boardman 29er down the same roads each day is like commuting in a sofa... if it works then that will be great, besides which - like everybody - I am growing older by the minute and wouldn't want to make the same journey every day on my Colnago.
Hi All – I am one of the creators, so if anyone has any questions I would be happy to answer them. Also, as many of you are familiar with the suspension stems of the past, I thought you all might be interested in a little write-up we put together discussing how ShockStop is different: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/redshiftsports/shockstop-the-shock-...
Had one on my MTB on 90's. These type of stems are horrible for avid cyclists... Every time you torque the bars in a sprint, stand, pull on them, etc, it feels like the stem is broke with so much flex and compression. And the first few times you hit a bump you about crash until your body gets used to the unnatural feeling of bars dropping out.
@Jamminatrix - I hear you - a lot of people had the same issues with the Girvin and Softride back then. One thing that is important to keep in mind is that the suspension stems of old (designed for mountain biking) had up to 3-inches (75mm) of vertical travel! This meant that the effective geometry of the bike changed radically as the stem compressed. The ShockStop has a practical travel of 1-1.5 cm which is so small that you do not get a geometry change or an impact on fit – instead you get absorption of the kind of impacts you might encounter on an “all-road” road bike. And when it comes to that "connected" feel, because we have a large pre-load in our stem and you can set it up pretty stiff even when you climb or sprint out of the saddle you don't feel any motion.
Something like this would work well on commuter bikes where you don't want the weight of a suspension fork and only need to take the sting out of crappy road surfaces.
I would definitely consider buying - after it's been thoroughly tested and proven, though you could say the same of most things on Kickstarter...
Some people really need to HTFU.
If you can't cope with a little bit of vibration, buy a suspension hybrid.
Didn't your mum ever tell you that if you can't say it with flowers, don't say anything at all?
Didn't your Mum ever tell you to HTFU?
Maybe she should have.
Now, are you still mad because they called you Junior ?
I'm safe enough in the knowledge I'm not the sort of person that wants a 'suspension stem' if it makes you happier!
You can keep it coming, I really do have all the time in the world for poking the keyboard warriors!
So you've made a deliberately antagonistic self-aggrandising post, just to get people to call you on it, so you can then tell them you'd like them to say more so you can self-aggrandize some more? do we understand you correctly?
I'm assuming you run 20mm tyres at 200psi, with cloth bartape on deep drops. Because, you know, anything else would be delinquent in the HTFU stakes.
Please post photo of said tyre/tape combo, cheerzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........
yeeeeesss ... that's exactly it. Those sixth form psychology lessons really paid off didn't they!
Will do! I'll find one on the internet ... I mean .... take one tonight, just for you! Aren't I nice!
I don't recall ever thinking I need more shock protection on the front of my road bike. I guess some do but I prefer a solid piece of metal holding my bars in place.
I do, regularly.. cobbles, single track, forest tracks, country roads, pot-holes, roads under repair / redressing and variants thereof.
One of the first things I noticed about my Domane was how the rear showed up the front, it's not bad at all but can be harsh in comparison to the isolation you get with the IsoSpeed (and other stuff these days i'd imagine). To have both would be quite nice in a general purpose bike IMO - i'd certainly like one of these on the best bike - the difference in speed can be quite noticeable. YMMV as ever.
Edit : snip stem comment
I see where you are coming from, then hopefully there is a market, as long as this is an improvement on earlier designs.
Personally, I like to feel the bumps and road, makes me feel connected to the road more. I suffer from bad back issue but I've never had any improvement riding suspension, it just feels squidgy, though I would love to give the Domane a go.
The 90's called, they'd like their stem back.,
Those that don't live through the past are bound to repeat it!
Girvin flex stem all over again!