REDSHIFT ShockStop stem review

 REDSHIFT ShockStop stem review*

A suspension stem you ask? Yep! This one from REDSHIFT served two purposes.

The first was replacing the 12 cm stem Zio Lorenzo stuck on this bike before he brought it down to Sicily. Too long! He stupidly failed to bring any other lengths just-in-case, so what to do?

If he was gonna buy a shorter one, why not try one of these to soften up the ride of this great Torelli Gran Sasso a bit more than the 27 mm tires (the widest that will fit on this bike) provide, especially on strada sterrata like on the old rail-trail along the sea? Zio was already running 60 psi in front and 70 psi in back but still felt more "sting" on the bumps than he liked, especially after riding his Super Gravel Monster on the same trail. Its frame is being painted at present so this Torelli is IT for unpaved roads.

Bolts right on with a shim Zio already had for the 1" steerer tube along with a shim he bought with the stem to use a 26 mm bar in the stem's 31 mm clamp. Looks pretty normal, right?

It comes with a selection of elastomers so you can get the amount of movement you prefer. Zio set his up using the recommended pair and liked it just fine. No bouncing around, just a bit more "cush" when your front wheel hits a bump. No slop or wiggle when you hop over a bigger bump though you do get a bit of movement when you land or stand up and push down hard on the bars, but nothing like that when simply standing up on the pedals to accelerate or climb. You don't notice it until you hit a bump and even then it's very subtle, but still effective.

Overall, it feels like Zio let another 10 psi out of the front tire without any of the squishiness he'd feel running that tire at just 50 psi, so he's kind of happy that he failed to bring a rigid 10 cm stem down here just-in-case!

* Zio bought this at MSRP through the REDSHIFT website.