Skip to main content

Straitline Pinch (SSC) stem


ROUND NUMBERS APPEAR to be important to Straitline – our stem weighed exactly 200g and costs 150$. That makes it the second priciest and the heaviest stem on test.

It features our preferred bar clamp design, which requires two bolts to be turned until there’s no gap between the stem and faceplate before the other two are tightened up. But unlike other stems with this design, the bar roll can’t be adjusted once the first two are tight, making it trickier to adjust. Straitline have used 5mm bolts throughout, making fitting easier and allowing a properly tight 12.2Nm torque setting. The bar clamp is wide at 52mm, bolstering the bombproof feel on the bike. It’s available in eight colours, but you’d have to be obsessive about colour matching to justify the cost.

WEIGHT: 200g (50x31.8mm)
LENGTH(S): 35, 50mm
CLAMPS(S): 31.8mm

Price 150$

Popular posts from this blog

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.

COMMENCAL EL CAMINO 3

Commencal are going from strength to strength at the moment and they’ve taken their tough trail hardtail bang up to date with 650b wheels. With its skinny rims, crankset and fork, the El Camino certainly isn’t perfect and it’s the least hardcore bike here. The handling, smoothness, speed and all-round agility of the basic bike still make it a real blast for technical trail riding though, and it’s a great base for upgrading over time.

CANYON NERVE AL 8.0

  S ince their entry into the UK market a few years ago, Canyon have made a name for themselves as purveyors of well-made bikes that exhibit often extraordinary value. The secret (or catch, depending on your point of view) is that the brand don’t have dealers – they ship bikes directly to your door.

GT Zaskar Evolution

While some bike models last just a couple of years, others change with the times to stay at the top of riders’ wishlists. In the second part of this series looking at the evolution of bikes that enjoy enduring popularity with UK riders, we turn to the GT Zaskar – a bike that was at the forefront of our sport for a long time and still has plenty of appeal today.

Axiom Annihilateair G200A track pump

THE AXIOM ANNIHILATEAIR may seem crazily expensive, but this pump is certainly built to last. The sturdy metal base has metal pins to grip your shoes and a large, accurate pressure gauge.