Once general compatibility is determined, stem length is arguably the most important decision when choosing among various bicycle stems. As for handlebar clamp diameter, 31.8mm is the most common (and accounts for nearly all road bike stems), but you’ll also encounter plenty of 35mm options, especially for more demanding applications such as enduro mountain biking. Carbon bicycle stems, on the other hand, will shave a handful of grams off your bike’s overall weight, but also cost more. The former is typically a touch heavier, but also less expensive. In all but rare instances, bicycle stems are made from either aluminum alloy or carbon. The other primary considerations when starting your bike stems search are construction material, bar clamp diameter, and steerer clamp diameter, which is 1 1/8” for the vast majority of alloy road stems and mountain bike stems, outside of direct mount stem offerings, which are used almost exclusively for downhill mountain biking. Generally speaking, bicycle stems are divided into two primary categories: road and mountain, with the latter typically being shorter, more robust, and comparatively heavier. And while this is certainly the most important function of this critical component, bicycle stems also plays a crucial role in overall bike fit and handling, which is determined by stem length and degrees of rise - or if flipped upside down - degrees of drop. At first glance bicycle stems have a simple job: securely attach your handlebars to your fork’s steerer tube.

Silver stem