When I started thinking about replacing my bars to find something suitable for touring, I needed to find a stem which was the correct length and angle. I had decided that I wanted flat bars. That was what I was used to and my foray into drop bars, even with a compromise by using surly corner bars turned out not to be as comfortable as I had hoped.
While I was researching bars and had decided on the Kona Denham, I started looking at suspension stems. As I had already decided on these bars, suspension bars were not something I was going to consider so I only looked at stems.
There were a couple of different styles to choose from. The Redshift Rockstop and the Vecnum freeQUENCE.
The Redshift looks more like a traditional stem and the freeQUENCE is a bulkier option though it is not much more so than my Hope MTB stem. The Redshift works by springs at the steerer end and because of this has a tilt in its operation. The freeQUENCE has a parallellogram linkage, dampened by elastomers. This means it does not tilt when it is under compression.
This made it the more attractive option but also more expensive. Over a hundred pounds more! The Rockstop retails at about £169 and the freeQUENCE around £299 although I managed to buy it on e-bay for a bit less (£285).
The difference the suspension stem makes is really noticeable. It’s not a soft as the suspension forks on my mountain bike but it takes the jarring effect out of potholes and works well on tracks away from main roads. The biggest improvement is when I’ve got panniers mounted on the front. Touring on my MTB with a rack on the front was not the ideal set-up. The suspension was too wobbly especially when pulling away from a stand-still. Travelling down hill at speeds also gave me the fear and I often felt so uncomfortable I needed to brake. The suspension stem helps to retain the stiffness in the forks but also give some cushioning through my arms.
I have the stem adjusted to the medium setting which was the one it came set to. Adjustments are made by using an allan key to give more or less travel. This gives a maximum travel of 30mm, split into 20mm positive and 10mm negative.
In the UK the only official supplier is ProjektRide in Edinburgh.
Vecnum freeQUENCE web site
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