N2deep

I'm thinking about buying one of the two available suspension stems to help smooth out those washboard roads and the expansion joints that clutter up most of the old roads around here. I ride a surly straggler with 700x35's but still need a to mitigate these bumps especially on longer rides. Years ago I had one on a mountain bike and it helped soften the ride. I would love to hear about your experiences with suspension stems on a true gravel bike.

Rolla

A buddy of mine has the Redshift Shockstop on his aluminum Trek Crockett. He doesn't use tubeless tires, and he likes it a lot. I took it for a spin and it certainly does what it's supposed to. IMO, it makes sense if you're running narrower tires and/or tubes; not sure I'd feel the need for it on a bike with wider tubeless tires; depends on the surface. I do like that it looks like a normal stem. With its seemingly no-risk trial period, it's worth trying.

chas58

+1 Redshift. yup, I've heard nothing but good for redshift.

My bike maxes out at 38mm, but I can easily put a 50mm on the front, so I do that - at about 27psi it is pretty absorbent.

I find with a properly fitted bike, I put no weight on my arms and hands, so a rough front in isn't a problem.

cyclezen

Redshift stem - Awesome! Love mine! running on a Poseidon X with upgraded wheels, tubeless front 42 mm, 32-33 psi
makes a huge difference in better handling - better control on really chunk sections and where an mtb might be at home.
The small amount of gravel and packed dirt I ride feels as though I'm on road.
also takes the sharp edge off the constant bumping... makes longer rides way more fun.
I use the 2 softest elastomers of the supplied 5, and find no lack of control (actually better than solid stem) and really don;t 'feel' any movement until I might have a large hit or drop.
makes riding most anywhere, except the truly knarly, possible and fun.
a bit pricey - but I'm gonna get a lot of use and many more miles than a solid stem.
Ride On
Yuri

Kapusta

I remember well the awful mtb suspension stems of the 1990s, and was skeptical when I saw them pop up again recently for gravel bike.

But a friend got one (I believe a Redshift) on her bike and on the short spin I took, I was impressed. It did what it said it would, and was fairly unobtrusive in terms of extraneous motion.

Its not for everyone (I’m not tempted), but it seems like a legit option.

Polaris OBark

We have both (on two different bikes). My wife has some significant wrist issues, and both have been very helpful. You can't really go wrong with either. The only negative is the weight penalty.

dwmckee

We have tested the Redshift stem at our shop for a few hundred mikes. It works very well. Not as well as the Lauf fork, but as a lower-cost solution it is pretty good. Definitely sucks up most of the roughness of some roads.

mstateglfr 

^ Plus the redshift stem is closer in appearance to a traditional looking stem than a Lauf fork is to a traditional looking fork. Appearance isnt everything, but its definitely something.

Fentuz

I’ve done ~ 6000miles with my redshift with either 45-622 or 50-584.
i ride mostly xc trails and it works well. The elastomer blocks are still in good shape.

On some off road terrain, i would not ride as fast without this stem.

pipeliner

Redshift…best money ever spent on my gravel rig.

Polaris OBark

I tried the Lauf fork (connected to a Lauf bike) on my favorite off-road ride. I definitely prefer the Redshift stem.

Camilo

I've used a Redshift on my gravel bike for several years To me, the benefit is not necessarily for big bumps, but for the buzz of rough roads and gravel.