REDSHIFT ShockStop Suspension Stem for Bicycles, Shock-Absorbing Bike Handlebar Stem for Road, Gravel, Hybrid, and E-Bikes

After reading some of the negative reviews and comments I wasn't sure what to expect. This is definitely working for me on my new Cannondale Topstone gravel bike. My commute to work is 8 miles (one way) and the bike path and roads are not even. Especially roots pushing up the pavement is common on the bike path. It is rather painful when going 20mph and hitting them unexpectedly (e.g., in the dark). I am also going on an unpaved trail through the woods. The before and after are astonishing to the point that I am still impressed even after riding this for a couple days now. The movement of the handlebar is substantial. I didn't expect that. The quality and craftsmanship of the stem are excellent. The installation was easy (unless you are as stupid as I am and remove the original stem with the magnetic brackets falling down to the bottom of the fork inside the carbon fiber tube - duh). Overall, a much smoother experience now and a lot less impact on my hands and arms. So much more fun! One little side effect that is somewhat annoying is that my rearview mirror is shaking quite a bit due to the dampening effect :). I followed the weight table, and it seems to be just right. I wouldn't want it any softer or harder at the moment. Once the weather gets better, I'll try out a mountain bike trail with it. I am very impressed

Why did you pick this product vs others?: A must have stem for gravel, and commuter cycling. I bought this stem because I wanted my gravel cycling experience to be fun. I built up gravel bike to see what all the craze was all about. I can say that it’s rough when not having suspension or something to soften the fire road, and single track terrain. You feel everything, I have a full rigid aluminum bike with a steel fork. Well I can say that you can feel EVERYTHING. I went out for a shakedown ride at my local bike trail and it was a rough ride. Carbon would dampen some of the blows from the terrain but it would still be rough. No amount of carbon, titanium, air pressure in the tires, gel inserts with the most comfortable bar tape will compete with the experience of a bike that has suspension. I bought the redshift shock stop stem and satori harmony suspension seatpost to give me some type of help with rough dirt roads and trails. It helped a lot. The shockstop comes with directions and a graph to select which combo of elastomers you use. I’m 190lb but I went with the 180lb elastomers because the 190lb elastomers were too stiff and provide very little suspension. The elastomer combo one step down provide really good suspension feel and movement. The shockstop is a single pivot suspension stem so it will take a couple of rides to get used to the motion and the feel of the bars dipping. You get the most suspension when you ride the brake hoods and the least when you’re on the drops. After getting used to the single pivot movement. It becomes natural and now the fire roads and single track trail turbulence are much less. The impacts are greatly reduced and you can ride faster with confidence. I got through a 15 mile trail still feeling fresh. This stem would be a huge compliment to your multi thousand dollar gravel bike, cyclo cross, flat bar gravel, full rigid mountain bike, etc., etc. There are different suspension stems out there, I chose this one for the weight difference compared to the competing suspension stems, ease of installation, technical support, and yes looks. It looks like a standard bike stems. The other suspensions stems that I tried were very heavy, were easy to install, but the visual look was not my cup of tea. I wanted to ride not get looks or anything that would be an attention magnet. The redshift stem design is very minimal and would accomplish what it was built to do.

I own both the 30 and 6 degree stems which I use on my gravel bike. One for more upright pleasure riding and the other for more speed rides. The suspension works very well on choppy gravel roads and helps reduce the jolts and chatter. Not 100 percent better but significantly better. The price is high but it's a good solutions for zero suspension bikes like mine. I also own the ShockStop Suspension Seatpost which is a big game changer.

This is a review of the Redshift ShockStop Stem and Seatpost. I purchased and installed both products, and they were complete game changers for my ride. I bought the 27.2 x 350 mm Seatpost, and the 90 mm 6 degree stem. I installed them on my Trek Domane AL5 2025. The Seatpost was a bit longer than stock, but my fit is a fairly high seat, so there were no issues. It easily met the minimum insertion requirements. The stem was +/- 6 degree, my stock stem was +/- 7 degree so it was reasonably close. I installed it as +6 and it didn't change my ride geometry enough to be an issue. For the seatpost, a quick read of the instructions made it easy to understand how to setup the preload. I set the preload slightly soft for my weight, greased the stem, and installed it on my bike. I was careful to follow torque recommendations for tightening the stem in place. Installing the seat on the seatpost was a little bit of a challenge. the Redshift seatpost is a 2 screw mount, they are accessible, but not easily. It is a balance act to tighten both to set the correct seat angle, but with some loosening of one screw and tightening of the other, it can be accomplished. I would say that installing the seatpost took about 45 minutes to get it just how I wanted. I expect changing the preload to take me about 5 minutes, and there are clear markings in cm to aid me in installing the seat to the exact height that it was previously installed at. For the stem, a quick read of the instructions identified that I was at the very bottom of my weight group for what elastomers to install. The next combination down was a significant change. The instructions stated that I could go onto Redshift's website and view a complete list of combinations. This was slightly challenging. On the page for the stem there is no information about elastomer selection. On the support page I did find links to a video and pdf for elastomer selection. I elected to view the pdf, and printed it. Sure enough there were 2 combinations between the 2 options listed on the instructions. I selected the stiffer of the two (just below the one recommended for my wight). I mounted the stem on my bike, and mounted my handlebars. Again make note of the torque recommendations, Redshift has had them engraved on the stem, so they are hard to miss. This also took about 45 minutes. To change the elastomers, I will have to unmount my handlebars and remove a retaining plate from my stem. I do not look forward to my expected 25 minutes or so just to change elastomers. I took my bike out for a nice long ride, 20 miles, 15 MPH, and asphalt. The only downside to this trail, and the reason I bought the Redshift parts, is that there are several points where tree roots have pushed up the asphalt and created some very jarring speedbumps. Without the Redshift products, these were uncomfortable at best, and sometimes made me feel like I was on the edge of controlling my handle bars. This ride, with both installed, the seat was easy to manage, and did not hit hard. With the stem installed, I could still feel every twig and root, but it was very much dampened. You do not feel disconnected from the road, but you are very much more in control. By the end of the ride, I felt less fatigue in my arms and less soreness from the seat. While researching elastomers, I read that there is a break-in period, I would say that by the end of my 20 mile ride, the stem did offer better bump dampening than it did at the start, but I do feel that the elastomer selection I made from the support pdf was spot on. Pros: They do exactly as they advertise Clear instructions (with the exception of elastomer selection) Relatively simple installation More control Less shock Well manufactured Clean looking Cons: Neither of these items are what I would call cheap 2 bolt connection for the seat is fiddly, but manageable Elastomers, the best list is online only and not as easily found as I would have thought The listing for the stem is clear that it is a 6 degree stem, but it is hard to identify if it will install as +, - or both They only come in black, not an issue for me as I was replacing black parts with black parts, but some might like other colors Summary: If you have the money, and want a smoother ride, these are quality parts to compliment and soften your ride.

Started riding again after a 9 year hiatus. Being over 60 now neck and back pains are more prevalent. To help soften the ride of my Giant FCR1 flat bar road bike, I purchased on of the ShockStop Suspension Stems. I've only taken one 18 mile ride since installing it and I'm quite pleased with it's performance so far. It really smooths out vibration from minor road imperfections such as grooves in concrete pavement and the roughness of old macadam. And it substantially reduces the shocks from expansion joints and cracks in any pavement, no more jarring handlebars going over the mismatch between road and bridge surfaces. Now, the ride is not as supple as that of a full suspension fork; that's not what this is. And Redshift makes no such claim; it does what they say it does. I'm a fairly large rider, 6'-2" & 250#, no lightweight. The ShockStop Stem handles me without bottoming out harshly. I don't think it actually bottomed out on the first ride. It is a nicely designed and manufactured aluminum stem. My bike has 1-1/8" (28.6mm) steerer tube diameter and 31.8 handlebar diameter so no shims were needed. It's pricey for an aluminum stem but a decent value for what it does. I couldn't give it a 5 star rating with just one ride. After I put a few hundred miles of riding on it; I'll revisit my review and update it if necessary.

I am a big rider at 235 solid plus race kit I’m easily 255lbs on the bike (water, gear). I gave this a shot because I needed a longer stem and read the positive feedback from others. Purchased the 90mm length 6* degree stem and installed the 90 & 70lb rubber combo for a 70 miler gravel race. I trained hard and never used it in my training prior until the day of the race. The results surpassed my expectations as I placed 1st in my category men’s 30-39 which was competitive. Placed 7th among all males and 8th overall across all categories participating in the course (age, gender). Wow, life milestone achieved and so much more potential to improve. I was able to navigate rough terrain with much less hand/grip fatigue and most importantly a lot more bike control which produced faster and consistent speeds while others couldn’t. Now the only downside of it is the weight because it is the heaviest stem you’ll purchase unless you buy a carbon version of that is offered but I don’t think paying hundreds more is worth it over the base material version at $200+. I still rate this innovative stem 5 stars as the benefits far outweigh the weight & cost. If you need a lighter stem then do it! I’m not a pro where weight matters much as I am already a freak of a Clydesdale. I’m going to defy the smaller riders and beat them in the next race here soon. Big boy season has begun.

These are great and I'd recommend them to any gravel rider. They take out the worst of the road and make riding gravel more comfortable, without being noticeable or detracting from the ride! Just a note - mainly as I made a basic mistake and installed them wrong. Read the instructions carefully and ensure that you install the stem the correct way around and with the correct elastomer inserts or the redshift stem does not have any movement. I'm not incompetent - but the instructions are not simple until you have done it before in which case the instructions make sense!

Love this thing. On hard rocky dowhill with the gravel bike, even with 50s, it is the difference between ending with numbed arms and fresh arms. I have a Grizl but I treat it as an XC with front suspension. I was worried about the angle of flex, but it feels very natural. No torsional flex side to side. Very stable. In fact, you gain stability because the dampened vibrations. You can make small jumps and all. The different elastomers do work. You want to combine them with the tire pressure. If you ride low PSI, you want softer elastomers and vice versa. Good customer service. I broke the plate because I over-torqued the screw, and they sent me a new one for $10 + shipping. You need to contact them directly because they are not available otherwise. In summary, if you like riding hard through rough trails, get one. You won't regret it.