eeSilk Stem

Works Well for me

I am using this 10 cm stem on a Salsa Mukluk that runs 29x2.6 during the summer. It passes as a mountain bike (sort of) around these parts -- I mostly ride gravel. With the squishiest block installed, it has solved my hand numbness on very lumpy single track. Nothing technical in my world, but I can now ride more comfortably when I go on rides with the suspension set.

Comfy after an adjustment period

I bought this along with the eesilk seatpost. I’ve had a thud buster for decades, so I knew what to expect there. But I found the stem moves much more than the post. I had to put the hardest elastomer in to make it more even. The biggest adjustment is needing to ride with more weights over the front end. This allows the stem to settle into its sag, which helps the front end track on gravel. I do feel a significant improvement in comfort now when bombing through rough terrain at speed, but I’ve had to learn to preload the front end sooner than I would with a rigid bike. It’s kind of like learning how to ride with a suspension fork.

Road bike on rough roads

I bought the suspension stem for my road bike because arthritis at the base of my thumb made rough roads very painful even with extra handlebar tape, lower front tire pressure , and less weight on the affected hand when hitting rough sections. I had previously learned with another suspension stem that much handlebar movement and lack of rebound damping were disconcerting and not at all like using a suspension fork. With the standard elastomer shipped with the eeSilk stem, I see the handlebar move only 3 mm or so with a hard jolt, but the reduction in impact force and vibration makes a great difference in comfort. And having once cracked a carbon handlebar simply by removing and reattaching it several times for air travel, I'm happy to know I could replace the elastomer without removing the stem. I have been pleased with the product and would not hesitate to buy again.