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The Redshift Shockstop Stem is one of the most exciting products we have brought into the UK. Having sold 100's of stems, we felt that we needed to answer your questions, talk about the installation and ask one of our customer's to review.
If you haven't heard of the Redshift Shockstop Suspension Stem then watch Redshift Sports' official video below when they were launching their kickstarter campaign:
Redshift Sports are genuine innovators. Their first foray into cycling component design was the clip-on aerobars and dual seatpost for triathletes. Essentially these products were designed for the beginner triathlete aiming to simply and easily convert their road bike into a triathlon bike position in only a few seconds (there are some images below of these products).
After solving this unique problem for triathletes, they turned their attention to suspension and anti-vibration stems and seatposts. At the time of writing the seatpost is being crowdfunded, but the stem has been available for quite a few months, and we wanted to give you our low-down on the product.
Redshift Shockstop Seatpost (above) to be released early 2019 (contact us for the latest update: info@kitradar.com)
Made of 6061 T6 aluminium (a carbon version is in development), the patent-pending Shockstop Suspension Stem smooths out road imperfections, reducing fatigue and strain on the hands, fingers and wrists. It does this by using 5 swappable elastomers of varying densities. The reason there is 5 is so that you can swap according to your weight, riding style, terrain and bike type. Generally a heavy, road cyclists who use drop bars often (more detail to follow).
The elastomers naturally dampen the feeling of the road or gravel, creating a smoother ride. The effective suspension travel is up to 20mm on a drop bar road bike and up to 10mm on a flat bar road bike.
There are many situations where a Redshift Shockstop stem is useful, but the primary reason for the design was to help those cyclists that suffer from:
Whilst there are a plethora of reasons for getting the above, the shockstop provides a mechanical aid to make symptoms better. We have to be truthful and say that a bike fit is a much better option to get to the route of your pains on the bike, but if you have had a bike fit, or can't afford a bike fit, then we believe this is the best option out there today.
In terms of road versus mountain bikes, we have used the shockstop on both without any issue, and it worked equally well on both terrains.
The shockstop has been designed to fit most road and mountain bikes, including road, gravel, CX, commuter, hybrid, and even non-suspension mountain and fat bikes used for road/trail riding.
But let's go through how to check if it fits your bike:
If either of these aren't standard then you may consider using steerer or handlebar shims. Handlebar shims are easy to source and Redshift supply their own 25.4 mm and 26.0 mm shims (which can be purchased from Kit Radar).
If there are lugs (like Specialized Sirrus) or a quill stem, then unfortunately the shockstop stem won't fit (without bike modification).
One thing to note is that you will need 40 mm of steerer to attach the stem (steerer tube clamp stack height is 40mm).
The stems come in a variety of sizes (all with the same steerer and handlebar clamp diameter):
Generally the more upright and shorter the stem the more neck and hand comfort the user requires. In this case you will want to flip the stem (if you buy the 6 degree version, see option B below) to give you as much height as possible (and likely choose the 90 mm length)
There is a rider weight limit of 135 kg (300 lb or 21 stone).
Redshift have never claimed to be the inventor of a suspension stem, but they are certainly the most revolutionary. Many times have we heard people say:
"I had this in the 90's, it was terrible"
Well fortunately Redshift have updated the suspension stem for something more reliable, lightweight and adjustable.
To understand more, Redshift Sports have answered critics in this post.
With the ShockStop there is no need to change your approach to riding. The suspension is “pre-loaded”, meaning that it will not start to move until a certain amount of weight has been applied, so there isn’t a “squishy” feel as you start to apply weight to the stem. Because of this and the inherent torsional rigidity of the pivot design, the feel when climbing or sprinting is going to be nearly the same as with a rigid stem.
The ShockStop comes with 5 different elastomers to choose from so everyone can dial in the perfect feel. Redshift provide lots of great guidance on elastomer selection in the instructions you get in the pack.
We have created a handy video to help you install the shockstop stem.
All Redshift Sports components are tested to the latest ISO 4210 standard for Racing Bicycles. These standards typically specify "Static Strength" tests (i.e. one-time application of force) as well as "Fatigue" tests (i.e. repeated application of force) for different bicycle components. Redshift Sports also run our own independent tests to better understand lifespan which typically involve cycling well beyond the specifications in the ISO 4210 standard.
Even though all Redshift products pass the ISO 4210 tests with margin, all aluminum components are subject to fatigue failure over a sufficiently long period of use. Hours ridden, riding conditions, and rider weight are all significant factors that make it impossible to declare an exact lifespan for any given product.
Redshift recommends periodic inspection of aluminum components for hairline cracks or other signs of damage. Any indication of part degradation is grounds for stopping use of the product immediately. This includes visible cracks, creaks or other sounds while riding, or a change in the amount of movement during use.
Redshift Sports spent a significant amount of time on the pivot design focused on torsional stiffness and durability. The pivot is constructed using very high tolerance full compliment ball bearings (like the ones used in mountain bike rear suspension pivots) and a high tolerance custom pivot bolt. And we are not just clamping at the pivot we are also press fitting everything together to eliminate the possibility for wear. Without wear the pivot will stay stiff and will not develop play over time.
Typically, temperature does affect elastomer stiffness (as temperature drops stiffness increases). In ShockStop, we use a special material for our elastomers such that slight stiffening would only begin to occur well below freezing and the material remains flexible well past -40 deg F. So, while you would see some stiffening at very cold temperatures we expect it to be minor and only slightly reduce the magnitude of shock absorption. In general, we would not recommend riding when the temperature is below -40 deg F.
The elastomer life depends on a number of factors including rider weight, riding conditions, and how much you ride. In general we expect the elastomers to last more than 3-5 years under "normal" recreational riding conditions. The material that we use for our elastomers enables them to holds up really well in harsh environments (moisture, oils, temperature change, compression cycling, etc.). We see very little degradation and no discernible change in how much they compress under different loads after a very large amount of test cycles where they are compressed and released which gives us confidence that they will stand up to years of use.
If premature elastomer wear occurs we will happily provide replacements free of charge. In addition, we sell replacement elastomer kits.
There are two different mounts available: the bike computer mount, and the utility mount:
The Bike Computer Mount is an integrated mount that is compatible with your Garmin, Powertap/CycleOps Joule, CatEye, Mio, or Magellan computer.
Review by Paul Bailey. Still feeling younger than I look - Gravel bike rider.
A week or two after receiving the Red shift shock stop stem from Kitradar I received an email from Bryan wondering if I would like to do a review. Well this is one piece of kit that warrants a good review as it by no means main stream.
So here goes, having made the decision to buy the stem I could be a little bias so I’m going to be deliberately critical to ensure you all get a good balanced idea.
It all started a couple of years ago when I started doing serious gravel riding events. Starting out on a full carbon cyclocross bike it soon became clear that the pounding my body was getting was becoming the limiting factor (maybe an age thing as well), after finishing the Dirty Reiver 200 km gravel event in Kielder forest in 2017 I started looking at all ways to limit the pain.
What is the answer? Well I went for a titanium frame, fatter tyres and the thought of suspension at the front. By the start of 2018 I had a near perfect build minus the front suspension.
I’ve now done a repeat of the Dirty Reiver on the new bike but had still not solved my desire for some more give at the front. This is where the shockstop comes in. I think I first read about the stem on a gravel bike forum, anyway after reading a few reviews I decided to treat myself.
Typical slate gravel, this is the type of surface where the stem excels.
The ultimate set up now?
Two days after placing the order the parcel turned up (a real fast delivery).
Unboxing the stem the first thing I noticed was the quality of the packaging and the actual stem with etched logos, the torque settings for the bolts is also etched on which is a nice touch (that’s always a sign that the details have been thought about). It looks pretty much like a slightly boxy normal stem. When showing my new secret weapon to a few friends it took a couple of minutes for them to notice it on the bike which shows it is fairly inobtrusive.
For looks, quality and attention to detail I will give the stem 9.5 out of 10 (.5 lost for the boxy look)
Looking good
View from the top.
Installation was very easy, if you can fit a normal stem then the only thing to think about are the elastomers, I’m 70kg so went for the blue/orange set up which was already fitted. The instructions are very clear, in fact pretty much idiot proof so long as you read them properly (RTFI) Read The Flippin Instructions.
The stem came with the elastomers fitted for a 6 deg rise, to reverse and get a 6 deg drop you also need to move the elastomers to the top, no big deal and this is made very clear in the instructions. Also fitting the stem to the bike before playing with the elastomers was made clear and made it very easy to refit the wedge.
For ease of fitting and instructions it can only be 10 out of 10.
The road downhill from my house ends up on a rocky lane, a great test for shock absorption. The stem felt normal laterally with a nice amount of downward give just taking the sting out of the rocks. The first test passed with flying colours. A day of so later I took the bike for a proper ride out with a 25mile mixed terrain ride. Climbing in the saddle there is nothing different from a normal stem, out of the saddle there is just the faintest bob which after a few miles became unnoticeable. On the flat and downhill the stem starts to do its business soaking up the vibration and rock hits.
First ride impression, it did exactly what I wanted it to do 10 out of 10.
Do I have to go home?
I’ve covered 150 miles and about 15000 ft of climbing (as what goes up must come down, the same descent).
I’ve noticed no difference in the feel of the stem, if the elastomers have softened up as the instructions suggest then it is very subtle. The only noticeable thing is that the stem is not noticeable until you need it, on a rocky trail or broken road it instils more confidence, less long-term strain and so more fun. As they say ‘it doesn’t hurt less you just go faster’ which is true in the case of the stem but on a long ride where you don’t necessarily want to go faster it definitely does hurt less on the arms and shoulders.
Marks for performance so far. 10 out of 10.
Well so far, it is still very new, over time there are only a couple of things to think about. 1) The bearings. I suppose ridden in the rain over years there is a potential to get water in the bearing, but I’d be surprised based on being high on the bike and hardly rotating. 2) the only other concern is the life of the elastomers but if these do wear out over time they are a doddle to change.
Based on any other suspension device that I have ever owned I can only give this 10 out of 10 for its simplicity.
One thing that a lot of suspension reviews get hung up on is the term ‘beyond its limit’ well in my book something that is beyond its limit is broken and won’t perform what’s designed to do anymore. I think a better term for things like this are ‘limit of effectiveness’, let me explain….
My stem being a 90mm long probably has about 15mm of travel. On minor lumps say 10mm high it moves a few millimetres so maybe absorbs 30% of the shock but as it’s a small shock its hardly noticeable.
As the hit gets bigger so does the travel so at a 30mm shock the stem is probably at its maximum and closer to the 15mm of travel so let’s for arguments sake say it absorbs 50% of the shock for 100% of its travel. As the hit gets bigger still the amount of travel stays the same, yet the percentage of shock absorbed gets less so at 100mm it is only absorbing 15%, at 200mm its 7.5% etc. At no point is the stem beyond its limit (so long as it doesn’t snap) just less effective. However at most reasonable drop heights you can still fell the damping effect.
Pros: This stem is most effective on small bumps like rough gravel, broken roads etc but still has a place to play on the bigger stuff as it still performs a level of shock absorption. It does exactly what it is designed to do. It is subtle in its looks with no lateral movement and the faintest bob whilst climbing out of the saddle.
Cons: Cost, I’m sorry to say this on one area that can’t be over looked. In raw material alone, it does not justify the cost. Based on the stem a couple of bearings and a few elastomers the cost should probably be nearer £70 - £80.
But pure cost is not the only story here, R&T costs will have been high and then the saving grace is cost v benefit. To get a bike that soaked up the gravel vibrations I have spent well over £3000, to transform that bike from a really good gravel bike to an excellent gravel bike I have spent £139. That in my book it worth the investment.
So overall marks out of 10. Well I give the stem a really solid 9.5 out of 10. With only 0.5 mark lost for the boxy look with every other aspect full marks.
.......
That's it!
At Kit Radar we ask our customers through our ambassador program to trial everything in store. We have two customers trialling the Shockstop Stem at the minute, and will report back on this blog.
If you are interested in buying the Redshift Shockstop Stem, then please click below:
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