Redshift Shockstop stem seems to work only when you are on hoods...
 

I am still looking for ways of improving comfort on my Jamis Rengade steel. I have Panaracer Gravelking SK 43c tires, Combined with Ergon CF3 Pro carbon seatpost rear of my bike is very comfortable. But front still lacks in that department so I have bought 90mm shockstop stem from Redshift. To be honest - it is not a magic solution to my problems. When you use combination of elastomers recommended for your weight the suspension effect is only slightly visible but only when you ride on hoods. When on tops it does not move almost at all. So I changed the elastomers as if I was less that 50 kg in weight. In that configuration you can feel stem moving more but still when on tops the effect is less than desirable. The next step will be to change to one elasotmer (recommended to flat bar) but I fear that having elastomer only on one side will make handlebar less stable. But we will se.


The bottom line is this: from my initial tests it looks like that when you (as me) are riding most of the time on tops the shockstop stem will not work like you wanted it to work and you will achieve greater results just by having bigger tire set up tubeless with least possible pressure. The other option seems to have a double decker Canyon handlebar where tops are very flexible and works even if you do not put much weight on them (which is necessary for shockstop stem to work properly).


I am curious if other users of this suspension stem have similar experience with it?

Perhaps the comfort you seek lies in lower air pressure in the front tire. What is your weight and what tire pressures are you running?

I am running gravelkings SK with tube but still use pressure around 30 psi, sometimes even lower. I weigh 84 kg. I was seriously considering going for 50c Soma Cazadero tire for front but there will be too much issue with toe overlap that is why I went instead with this shockstop stem. Like I said I will try a combination with only one elastomer and see if it works for me.

I've got about 750 miles on my ShockStop stem and I like it a lot. I'm not looking for a "boing-boing" sensation. I would be extremely disappointed if it did that. I just want the stem to take the jolt out of hard edged rock/gravel/chipseal. It does that extremely well. Does it move? I don't know and I don't care. What I do know is that it takes the jolt and vibration away. The elastomer wedges are designed to absorb those bumps, not to bounce me back. To my mind, that's perfect!

If you're looking for more bouncy movement, I might recommend one of the systems designed to do that -- Future Shock or Isospeed or one of those old fashioned forks with the exposed spring.

I use it on a stiff setting. I find less is more with this thing. I have it on a drop-bar 2.8" 27.5 plus steel-framed rigid bike. The tires are fairly squishy.

Try a Lauf fork.

You already have 43mm tires running really low for your weight, a carbon fork(i assume), and a suspension stem. If you want even more suspension/vibration damping, then you could either go to an air suspension fork or get a quality handbuilt steel fork.

- an air suspension fork will give you the most suspension and vibration damping possible. Itll also be expensive and heavy.
- a quality handbuilt steel fork will flex more than your current carbon fork(i assume) and still be plenty stiff enough to do anything you want. It will not hold you back in any way, despite popular internet claims that an uber stiff 15mm thru axle carbon fork is needed on gravel bikes now. A quality handbuilt steel fork will give you the proper rake and trail to ensure the easiest possible setup for rolling over the road vs bouncing down it, and it will flex more for comfort.


Where do you ride that requires even more suspension?

My guess is that riding in the tops shifts your weight back some, and having your hands closer together (in tops vs hoods or drops) also doesn't 'leverage' or activate the stem like you were hoping. I will admit I have never tried a Shockstop stem before.

I have a ShockStop stem, 11cm. Yes, the effect is more noticeable when in the hoods. There's more leverage that way for the shock to be felt. It seems odd you are placing so much need for shock absorption when on the tops. I ride the tops when on fairly smooth pavement/no need for shock absorption. When you start hitting gravel, bouncy, or sketchy areas, most people move to the drops, don't they? I read over and over riding in the drops is recommended for control in sketchy portions. And that's when the shockstem come more into play. Or the hoods, as i do. that's when you need the shock absorption effect, no? Maybe you should reconsider your handlebar tape or gloves.

I have my RedShift ShockStop stem set with 2 elastomers for riders from 185-205lbs. I weigh 205. I also have a steel gravel bike, a Norco Search XR 105, with 650b wheels and 47 wide tires tubeless at around 40psi. Again, I'm not looking for the full shock absorption effect when i'm riding on the tops. When it starts getting gnarly, i move to the hoods. Full effect in that position.

I'm really liking my new stem and the shock absorption if offers when i need it. And i don't even notice it when climbing out of the saddle.

eric/fresno, ca.

First questions first:
- Your weight.
- Are your tires set up tubeless?
- What PSI are you currently running?

Those were answered earlier.
84kg
Tubes
Around 30psi

eric/fresno, ca.

Gah, I'm dumb. But at least I was asking the right questions.

OP:
As was mentioned, 30psi tubed is pretty dang low.
What are the problems you're experiencing that you're trying to alleviate with more cushioning? Because at this point I'm not 100% you have the right bike for your needs.

I ride recreational a lot on typical flat gravel roads (often washboard) and most of the time I am on tops to be more comfortable. In more challenging terrain I use hoods but this is max 20% of my ride. I look for the most cushioning possible to avoid neck and shoulder tiredness. I like my gravel bike and I like having a multiple hand position on a drop bar to avoid hand numbness so I don't intend to go back to hybrid bike with classic front suspension especially because of the weight of that solution. From my research and experience I believe that there is two solutions left for me: 650b 50c tires set up tubless or lauf grit fork. The second one is very expensive and will change geometry of my bike quite significantly which concerns me. The first one also presents drawbacks: mainly lower bb height and it is not that good for maintaining speed due to the smaller wheels.

I am very happy with my Redshift Shockstop stem, 90mm. I did find that the effect was less than I wanted when I first set it up at the setting recommended for my weight, so I changed it to the next lower combination and it has been fine. I attribute my experience to the fact that I set my bike up with the bars higher relative to the saddle than most people, thus putting less weight on the bars. This effect is even greater when gripping the bar tops as the rider is more upright and the weight that is being applied has less lever effect being closer to the steerer. I would try a softer elastomer combination as well as even lower air pressure in the front tire as long as you don't get sloppy steering or flat tires. Tubeless would help with that.

You may be looking for more shock absorption than this stem can deliver. I find it very effective at taking the edge off of potholes and rocks, but less so with washboard. From what I've experienced and read, I'm not sure anything really works well with washboard.

Exactly what I was going to say. There's no making washboard better without a full suspension mtb.

Have you tried bunny hopping from the tops/hoods? Thats were I noticed the most difference with my carbon bars compared to aluminums so I'd guess the same for the redshift stem. To confirm at least that its working as advertised for your weight and setting

For now I tested my redshift shockstop stem when riding on hoods and it really improves the overal riding comfort (https://gravelbikes.cc/tests/redshift-shockstop-stem/). But now I will try the same with riding on the tops to see if there will be still an improvement.