FOMTOR 31.8 Stem 60mm 7 Degree Light-weight Bike Handlebar Stem MTB Stem Suitable for Mountain Bike Road Bike BMX MTB (31.8 x 60mm)

Product Information

Rather than bolting onto the top of a steerer tube, this bolts directly to the fork crown. The result? It’s more rigid, less likely to be twisted in a crash and lighter, too. The Paul Components Boxcar Stem (silver) is the perfect combination of stiffness, strength and reasonable weight and may be the coolest looking stem right now! Both come in a variety of standards, which we’ll come on to. Also, to add to the confusion, the steerer-tube diameter is normally quoted in inches and the bar diameter in millimetres.

FOMTOR Wake MTB Stem 31.8 35 Degree 60 mm Bike Stem Mountain

Rise refers to the angle of the stem relative to the fork’s steerer tube and typically ranges from six degrees to 20 degrees, though most stems fitted as standard on bikes are at the lower end of the scale. The standard size for most modern mountain and road bikes, with typical lengths of between 35mm and 80mm for MTB stems, 80mm and 100mm for gravel bikes and 90mm to 140mm for road bikes. 1 1/4in steerer, 31.8mm bar clampWith a rainbow palette of anodised colours, the Race Face Turbine R stem indulges your creative side. Whether you choose to go mild or wild, the sturdy forged and CNC’d body is stiff enough for the widest of bars and burliest of builds and even comes in a stubby 32mm length if you’re looking for a truly direct steering response. The gapless clamp holds bars securely and spreads loads evenly, while the rounded-off edges of the steerer clamp keep the opposing bolts away from your knees. Interestingly while carbon stems are a thing in the road world, very few have dared creep onto the dirt and even then they’ve stayed firmly on the lightweight mountain bikes. What are specialist stems?

Stems Industry Nine - Stems

The steering response with the Apex is very good and we found it feels solid on the bike. There’s a slight amount of torsional flex, especially when really wrenching on the bar, but on a stiff, carbon-framed e-MTB with carbon wheels, a little bit of flex is no bad thing as it improves ride feel. It’s fairly easy to measure with a ruler or tape measure. It’s usually a discrete number of tens of millimetres (so 80mm, 90mm, 100mm), although really short stems can be 35mm long. The Rose Pro SL routes the cables under the stem and into the headset top cap. Matthew Loveridge / Immediate Media

There’s plenty to consider if changing or upgrading your stem, from its length and angle to the material a stem is made from and compatibility with your handlebar and steerer tube.