The Radavist

Available in late January of 2021, the Ride Farr Headspace 70mm is a throwback to MTB and ATB stems of the ’80s and ’90s but designed for gravel bikes. Why 70mm for a gravel bike? Modern gravel bikes are moving in the direction that mountain bikes did back 10 years ago with a longer reach. 70mm seems to be the sweet spot most progressive gravel bikes require.

-70mm Extension
-Zero Degree Rise
-8mm Bar Diameter
-Forged Alloy Construction with CNC-Machined Finish
-70mm Clamping Width ( ideal for Drop Handlebars and Flat or Low Riser MTB Handlebars )
-Target Weight : 167g
-MSPR: $95.00

Pre-order the Headspace stem at Ride Farr today.

Silver will always be classy and Zipp is looking to bring classy builds back with their full line of Silver Service Course components. Seat posts, stems, and a wide variety of handlebar models are now available in this silver finish. Now, since Zipp and SRAM are under the same roof, I wonder if this means we can look forward to silver SRAM kits? Now that would be nice! See the full Zipp Silver Service Course lineup at Zipp.

PAUL and his team of merry machinists made yet another super-limited batch of Boxcar Stems – 5 of each size – as an homage to Eddie Van Halen’s iconic home-painted “79′ Bumblebee” guitar as it appeared on the back cover of Van Halen II and throughout their 1979 Tour.

It’s a little known fact that Eddie himself brought the original guitar to Dimebag Darrell’s funeral in 2004 where it was placed in his coffin and buried with him. Much like the guitar, each one of these stems is totally unique, artistically splattered in black and gold anodizing by Scooter himself. Somebody get me a doctor!

After their A35 stem’s success, Industry Nine decided to adapt the 35mm clamp stem to the 31.8 platform. These A318 stems are machined in the USA, right in Asheville, North Carolina, from domestically sourced 7075 aluminum billet, come in a variety of color options – 11 to be exact! – and since all of I9’s parts are anodized in house, you can expect consistent color matching.

After their first secret Van Halen-inspired product drop, Paul Component decided to make a run of these wild Van Halen Boxcar stems, as an exclusive offer to readers of the Radavist. They come in 35mm – 110mm, in 0º, 7º, and 15º, and in both 31.8 or 35mm clamp for MTB bars. Check out all the options at Paul and have a great weekend!

Kingdom Bike, the manufacturer of rowdy titanium mountain bike frames announced their newest product, a shorty MTB stem called the Ronin. These stems are available in a 31.8 or 35mm clamp, in 35mm and 40mm lengths and in a raw or polished finish. The Ronin comes in at 135g for the 35mm and 140g for the 40mm, and like all good things, it features titanium fixings.

The stem is a very limited edition as a pre-order for the start of March. The RRP is €155 (+/- $177.69 USD) and we will have stock at the start of March. Pre-order discount if you want to pre-order this stem to ensure you get one then use the code IAMRONIN at the checkout to claim a €30 pre-order discount.

See more at Kingdom Bike.

Your comments on Paul Component Engineering’s Instagram did not fall on deaf ears. The team at PAUL have designed and fabricated their popular Boxcar stems in a 35mm clamp, with a 35mm length. Head to PAUL for more information. I love all these MUSA stem offerings!

Industry Nine is best known for their hubs and wheelsets but the Asheville-based company just launched their new A35 stem. These stems are made in-house at i9, come in a 35mm bar clamp, in 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, and 60mm lengths. Best of all, you can mix and match your favorite anodizing colors. There are 11 colors to choose from. That means there are 231 possible combinations. See more information at Industry Nine.

The Boxcar stem is Paul Component’s flagship stem design and it’s now available in a 110mm length, perfect for a road, all-road, or cross bike. These stems are made in Chico, come in 7º, in black, silver, or polished and are in stock now, shipping direct from Paul, or available for ordering at your local dealer.

While Paul recommends not breaching the 4nm torque spec on their Boxcar stem bolts, just how much can Travis push it? This should go without saying but don’t try this at home!

There are gooseneck and “LD” stems, so why not go with a 0mm upright stem? Analog Cycles believes the long and low stem is on its way out, that stems should evolve and while this might be on the extreme end, I can see its application for high to mid trail vintage mountain bikes, turned all-rounder city and tourers. Why only high to mid trail? Read all about it at Analog, who now has these stems open for pre-order at $80 with a total cost of $140 for raw, or $185 for a clear coat.

In the world of modern mountain bikes, shorter stems are usually better, and that’s the motivation for Paul Component’s newest version of the Box Stem. These made in Chico stems now come in a 35mm length and weigh only 118grams. They’re in stock now at Paul. I can’t wait to put one on my mountain bike and on my touring bike.

Shorter is better sometimes, and for those times, there is Crust Bikes’ new 30mm fillet stem. Perhaps you want your bars 66.6cm wide and your stem as short as possible? Or maybe you ordered the wrong size bike for your t-rex arms. Whatever the reason, even if it’s experimentation, Crust has the solution to the problem you may or may not have known you had. These US-made stems come in 60mm or 73mm rise and in a raw finish, for you to paint to match for your bike or just ride it raw. They’re in stock now in limited quantities, so if your interest is piqued, waste no time! Head to Crust Bikes.

Originally made famous by Charlie Cunningham, yet modernized for your 31.8 clamp, 1 1/8″ bike by Crust, these new high-as-hell stems are available for pre-order, complete with matching spacers, exclusively at Crust Bikes for $115. Best of all, all profits will go to support Charlie Cunningham!

Perfect for your dirt droop shred sled!

When Factory Five first introduced their 31.8 clamp quill stem in silver, a lot of people requested it in black. Well, it’s finally here and in stock now so head over to Factory Five to see more information!

“The Boxcar Stem is the perfect combination of stiffness, strength and reasonable weight. Available in +/- 0 in 50, 70 and 90mm. Also +/- 15 in 70 and 90mm. All screws are high strength stainless steel with the popular T25 head. Made in Chico, California with US sourced 2024 aircraft alloy.”

Sounds good to me! Especially for a made in the USA, steel hardtail! See more at PAUL.

Ever want to run a 31.8 clamp bar on your traditional 1″ threaded frame? Well, the guys at Factory Five do all the time but they didn’t stop there. By adding a removable, two-bolt faceplate, they made switching bars a cinch. Now if you’re running this stem on your track bike, you can swap between drops and flats or riser bars without unwrapping your tape or removing your grips.

Designed, made and tested in China, forged from 7075 aluminium, these unique and useful stems come in a 90mm length at the moment, with more lengths on the horizon. The Titan Stem is shipping TODAY so order now at Factory Five!

Now I wonder what this will do for all the classic road builds out there?

MTB stems keep getting shorter, but there’s a barrier to ultimate stubbiness. That threshold seems to be around 30mm. Maybe that’s short enough, but for not for Kirk Pacenti. In his quest to push new ideas, Kirk has developed a patent pending PDent™ system, allowing stems to go as short at 15mm, with initial test products coming in at 25mm. Now, 5mm isn’t anything to brag about, but this is an interesting concept and an even moreso, something worthy of discussion.

Rather than paraphrasing Pacenti’s PR, I’ve pasted it in below, along with a few product photos.