Skip to main content

Hope AM/Freeride stem


IN CHARACTERISTIC STYLE, Hope’s offering is intricately CNC machined, available in a slew of bright colours and beautifully laser etched.

At 156g for the 50mm version, the weight is just on the light side of average, and the 4mm bolts did a decent job of holding it fast on the steerer when done up to the recommended 7Nm torque specification. After taking it off and on again several times, we did slightly damage one of the securing bolts when a torque wrench slipped out – it could perhaps do with deeper bolt heads. When fastened, the gap behind the faceplate is tiny, which looks neat and leaves less room to tighten the stem up unevenly. The wide bar clamp and 40mm stack help it feel nice and stiff on the bike too.

WEIGHT: 156g (50x31.8mm)
LENGTH(S): 35, 50, 70mm
CLAMPS(S): 31.8mm

Price 127$


Popular posts from this blog

ENVE M50 29" Wheels

Utah based company ENVE have been making drool-worthy carbon components for some years now. Despite the fact that carbon rims are becoming more and more common on mountain bikes these days, you can guarantee that ENVE wheels will be a talking point when someone is eyeing off a steed. Instantly, the big bold logos on each rim scream "fast", "light" and to some extent, "expensive" The kids call this 'bling'.

Cannondale Trail SL 29 SS

The fat aluminium tubes are a constrast to the skinny items seen elsewhere in the test, but this rigid Cannondale uses them to create one of the most old-school - and lightest - rides here.

KONA SHRED

With a reputation for no-nonsense ruggedness and a background in the always progressive and punishing riding of Canada, Kona have been building hardcore hardtails for longer than almost anyone else. The Shred is the most expensive bike on test but it’s a proper trail tank.

DRC X-Monitor SP1 lap timer

While smartphone apps such as Strava can be a useful way to keep tabs on your mountain bike rides, sometimes you just can’t beat the simplicity and instant feedback that a good old-fashioned stopwatch style lap timer provides.

Merida Big Seven 100

We've rolled up to our local woods, with a meandering blue trail, some natural wooded tracks and a bit of fire road chucked into the mix to see how the Big Seven 100 tackles trails that entry-level riders are likely to cut their teeth on.