Originally Posted by
wgscott
I have the redshift stem (as well as their seatpost -- got both as a Kickstarter bundle, but the stem arrived well ahead of the seatpost,
fortunately).
The stem is pretty much ideal. The only negative is a small weight penalty. I currently have it, and the seatpost, on my touring bike, but I have tried the stem on several bikes, and it always has left a positive impression. It comes with several elastomer inserts that are color-coded according to how stiff you want the spring action. I prefer mine on the stiff end, but my wife, who has arthritis issues in her wrists, prefers the more forgiving options. It has really helped her. Unfortunately, it isn't compatible with her current setup, so we are looking for alternatives.
I've also compared it head to head with a Lauf fork, and prefer the Redshift stem.
It isn't a replacement for mountain bike shocks, but with wide tires at low pressure, it is remarkable what you can do without mountain bike shocks (even on a mountain bike).
In case it isn't obvious, it doesn't have dampening, but I've never had any weird sensations of elastic rebound.
I put on a Lauf 30 MM gravel fork 3 years ago to try as a demo and never gave it up. It is fantastic, especially for control on fast descents. No bob, no dive and no stiction. No maintenance either. Personally I believe if most folks try it they also will not want to give it up. The Lauf fork provides true suspension close to the axle compared to the redshift stem which adds "suspension" after the fork puts half of the bumps straight into the frame through the headset. Than makes little sense to me if you really want to dampen vibration; why go half way? For me, the Lauf adds tremendous control enhancement on downhills, while it immediately eliminated hand numbness. Unfortunately it is rather pricey as a big downside, but it is the sort of thing that you can move from bike to bike to leverage the investment.