Ive used the Redshift stem for a few years and it’s great on long rides and ultra racing - stops you losing sensation in your hands which I really suffered from after a few long days. A stiffer elastomer will fix the issues you’ve had as I don’t get any bobbing, but it still takes the edge off the bigger bumps.

I’ve got the stem and it makes me so much faster on rough stuff and bumpy descents, gives me the confidence to forget the brakes. Fun fun fun 😎

Thanks for sharing your experience with this set up. It's nice to hear something l someone tell it like it is. And congrats on the QOM!

Great video! I have the stem and found that a stiffer elastomer combination (than recommended) does the trick for most groad conditions.

Nice first impressions... answered what I wanted to know. Thanks

Great video, thank you. I run the same set up and completely agree with your pros and cons. I believe I've got the stem fine tuned for the routes I ride, however not so much the seatpost. More miles needed and a lot more tweaks. Look forward to your next post.

Just ordered these for my Ritchey Ascent. Can't wait to try them out.

Fun is the right word! Maybe not so much racing but I love this set up on my burly steel 650b gravel rig. 🤙🏼

Just got both of these a week ago and ive been able to ride EVERYDAY pain free since. 1000x worth it and kept me from buying a new bike.

"...best options for your gravel bike." Yes, please.

Nice review - you had lots of different segments to test on so I think you got the best out of the seat post and stem. Yes let go for broke and do a round up of everything, suspension seat post, stem, Kaufman fork, 650B and 700C - mash em and serve! 👍🔥🚴‍♀️

great video and im loving that bike juliet

You really do a great job with reviews.

Just had my first ride with the Redshift stem...65k of gravel. Absolutely loved it. Might even try it on my road bike.

Every time I see a suspension stem it reminds me of the Softride stem of the 90's. There were two different iterations; one was a simple pivoting stem with an elastomer. The other was a parallelogram style with a spring.

I've always wondered why these suspension seat post and stem makers don't incorporate a locking pin so you can completely stiffen them up while riding on the road, but let them do their jobs when trail riding.

Morning 🖐️, what a comfy ride with that ...🤟

Great review with nice scenery

I’d love a comparison or best options video as I’m looking into buying my first gravel bike for a knarly commute to work. Cheers Dave

Morning! Glad you got the sag figured out. Yes! What are your thoughts on the Redshift Seatpost versus the Kinect? Looking forward to it.

I went for my first ride with the suspension seatpost today. It's excellent. The suggested preload setting for my weight (64 kg approx) is 2.5 , but I found I had to set it to nearly 4, to achieve the 20% sag position.

I found the stem really cuts out vibrations and bumps but I have the toughest elastomers and no seat post suspension (bit pricey). Haven’t noticed any bob on tarmac or going up hills. Maybe you should try the stem on its own with slightly tougher elastomers?

The host is brilliant! Great review.

Love your videos. Hope to see you on a ride some day soon.

one of your best videos, well put together, fun music. It would be really good rating all the extra suspension bits. you could do it in a venn diagram with different categories.

Stem reminds me of the old proflex elastomer stems. I think its ideal for gravel. The seat post is only 200 to 300g heavier which is couple of bananas worth of weight penalty.

I’ve got both. The stem for almost two and I got the seatpost a couple of months ago, although I only managed to ride it a few times outside before the lockdown. Since I ride mostly on road I set the stem a little firmer than recommended for my weight. The seatpost I just swap quickly with a few turns of an allen key and I keep a separate saddle on this one and my lighter carbon post.

that looks BRILLIANT enough flex to take the edge off and improve efficiency not too so much flex that it feels mushy

I recently bought the shock-stop stem. I have a fairly upright sitting position so not much weight through hands, I therefore needed to reduce elastomer resistance, because the recommended set up was rigid. I kept going down a level until I could feel the bob you experienced, and then went back up a level. Result - perfect, not really aware of movement just makes the ride a lot more comfortable. I conclude you have too soft elastomers set up; increase one level at a time until you don't really notice movement. Love the videos. Jonathan, in New Zealand

Nice. Been waiting for that one for two weeks. I'm one paycheck away to order my Headlands 2!

This is a very good review: I really like the way you describe your experience, very hands on. You’re good. I guess the stem would me good for me as I have issues with my hands hurting after a while; and as I’m not an agressive climber anymore, I probably would not have the issues you’re having.

As always GREAT video. Maybe down the road you should try just the stem by it self with out the seat post then try seat post without the stem. To get a cool comparison. That would be really cool. Please be safe & have a AWESOME weekend with the family.

yes please to more vids!

Great vlog, reckon its one or t’other. Not both? Keep ‘em coming!

Lovely Video Juiliet, about the seatpost i have to say....., i drive a XC Marathon Hardtail beause of the Terrain feedback................

Great vid as always, what is the little saddle bag you have, cheers ...looks cool

Great review, love the honesty... tyres look massive for a Gravel bike (prob 'cause I'm used to my 32mm cross ones) so Happy to see.. Not a black saddle bag.. what was it? I'm looking to get a happy one too!

Juliet, I really enjoyed The Zero Lemon podcast featuring yourself and Dave being interviewed by Chris Hall. It was excellent.👍

Really enjoying these reviews of suspension options on gravel bikes and would welcome an overall review. My Slate with front suspension has a lock out which stops the bobbing you mentioned on this setup. What I'd really like to know if you had to choose between 30mm suspension in the front or 30mm in the rear which would you go for. 🤔

When she messed up the name of the seat post and stem in the first few seconds, I clicked the like button.

I had a stem for a while and found out that harder elastomers work better than ones Redshift suggests. You get less bobbing and actually a softer ride when you don't bottom out.

Change the elastomers for a stiffer ride, that will help with road bobbing. As for bottoming out, probably the same solution, I've never had that on either bikes.

Good night indeed!

Been using the stem since 2017; ridden headache inducing stupidly rough stuff on 33C's, with the _stock_ insert and I'm up at the upper end of the supported weight range - honestly, I can't say I have ever noticed the stem bottoming out. Like others here, I think it'd be worth giving an even firmer elastomer insert a try *. Thanks for the vid, have fun. * My take is that the RedShift elastomer recommendations are really just a very rough starting point. The downward leverage each rider exerts on the bar varies so much depending on the individual's strength, bike and bike fit I can't see how it could be anything other e.g. more upright position, shorter stem or hands on tops will give less leverage which needs a weaker elastomer to counteract. Conversely more aggressive, on the hoods, down in the drops, bobbing seat post, harder elastomer. Which is all before rider preferences starts to factor in .... ;-)

Since you are bottoming out in the rough stuff and bobbing on rode I think you should test a harder setup for the stem.

I always wanted a flexstem in bright yellow.

I’d like to see you review the Lauf fork. My gravel bike is a Bianchi Allroad with a Shimano GRX 600 group set and GRX wheels and I’m thinking of adding the Lauf Fork.

great video!! ride looked so fun!! what tires are on your bike? i have a Trek Domane for road riding which i LOVE! i bought a Trek Checkpoint for gravel riding, mostly old rail road beds. i noticed right away i needed some suspension in the stem....my neck ached on longer rides. I just purchased the Redshift stem!! i plan on using the stiffest rubber elastomer in it as i weigh about 185. i am hoping it makes the ride more enjoyable. i run Panaracers GK SK 38cc tires at lower pressures for more comfort as well.

Wow. I’ve been waiting for this review. Thanks Juliet. How’s this compare to Diverge future shock?

Bit late to this party. You told me everything I needed to know which was super important. I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on both components. I think my wife will really dislike you now!!

This was great! very interested to see a comparison of all the different types of suspension and damping stuff.

If you are frequently reaching the limit then some firmer elastomers might be useful... but yes... it is "buzz/high frequency" vibration dampening, not "suspension"... :) I like the idea. I am considering it for my touring bike... I do light gravel on it... Oooh, yes, a comparison would rock... especially the lauf vs the redshift stem.

Juliet, thoughts of the relative value/weight/complexity of suspension versus simply running 650b’s at a lower pressure?

I've tried all that stuff on my gravel bike and I hate to say it, but a £600 entry level mtb hardtail out performs it in every way off road. With the greatest respect to you and your great channel.

Hi Juliet! Been watching your content for at least a year now. None gravel bike related but.. I want to maybe do some vlogs or at the very least record my rides. What camera/action cam do you use in vlogs and during your rides and how do you set them up? Cheers! 🇵🇭

Having owned and used a number of rigid and various suspension seatposts, as well as various gravel and cross-country hardtails, a softtail, folders, etc., I feel I'm authorised to speak of the RedShift seatpost from a comparative vantage point to most suspension (or rigid, for that matter) counterparts. Below are my findings: - The RedShift ShockStop, despite its on-paper rather modest (at 35mm) travel, sports the most efficient suspension action of all currently available suspension seatposts, including the manufacturer-specified 76mm travel ThudBuster LT G3 and the manufacturer-stated 90mm travel ThudBuster LT G4. - Unlike elastomer seatposts, the ShockStop has little to no sag in a loaded, but unsprung state. The only other as efficient seatpost I have used to date - is the (on paper) 50mm travel, much heavier and somewhat cruder, although significantly more affordable - SunTour NCX seatpost. The €159,- by.Schultz G3 LT comes somewhat close, depending on the spring installed. In terms of mechanical engineering, the ShockStop has the best design of any suspension seatpost to date. I cannot stress enough: the ShockStop seatpost has the best suspension action of all (or almost all) suspension seatposts on the market. The suspension linkage design is absolutely excellent, the best on the market! Its rebound is very fast and positive as well. It absolutely trumps elastomer seatposts on the effective sprung travel, on rebound speed and all the other metrics that define suspension quality. - Its weight-to-suspension quality ratio is the best on the market. There are significantly lighter "suspension" seatposts - Cane Creek eeSilk, Canyon S14 VCLS 2.0 CF / Ergon CF3 Pro, etc. - but their effect is virtually imperceptible in comparison. Even the roughly equally as heavy as the ShockStop seatpost, ThudBuster ST G3 feels essentially (despite the stated greater suspension travel) rigid in terms of its suspension. Same is the case with the heavier ThudBuster ST G4 (supposedly, 50mm of travel). I have both, and have used them with various grade elastomers. The by.Schultz G3 (both the LT and the shorter version) are a lot heavier, as is the ThudBuster LT. - The ShockStop has as little as no lateral wobble. The ThudBuster ST G3 & ThudBuster LT G3 have ca. 2-3 millimetres of lateral wobble. Even the ThudBuster ST G4 & the by.Schultz G3 Lt (both rated to 150kg load) have ca. 1-1.5mm of wobble. That says a lot about the RedShift ShockStop's engineering excellence. Very tight tolerances, combined with the best suspension currently available. - The RedShift ShockStop is rated to 110kg max. load only. That's unfortunate. On paper, that's the ShockStop's Achilles heel. Most suspension seatpost have roughly about the same load limit, but some sport a better max. load spec. Examples: Cane Creek ThudBuster ST G4 and by.Schultz models: these are rated to 150kg max. load (but both are significantly heavier and aren't as effective in terms of the suspension). Upon the other hand, the lighter (and much less efficient!) CF3 Pro Carbon Setback and the Canyon's counterpart are only rated to 100kg. load. With all that said, RedShift Sports sell stiffer springs for heavier riders. Plus, RedShift says they simply haven't tested their suspension seatposts with greater loads. I'm currently a tad over 120kg (My weight fluctuates between 84kg and 126kg, depending on whether I am in shape or not) - and so far so good (tough wood!). - While the ShockStop suspension seatpost is beautifully designed, I personally am not the biggest fan of a sandblasted finish, and much prefer both carbon and CNC-machined aluminium. But that's a trifling issue, given how much better than the competition the ShockStop is on counts that matter most. Summary: You want the best value - settle on the SunTour NCX: it works remarkably well (better than many a four times as expensive suspension seatpost) and is particularly fairly priced. Its real weaknesses is its weight. You want the best of the best - go for the RedShift ThudBuster. You are a heavier rider - the by.Schultz is the way to go. It's heavy, but has a higher load rating and does work better than most of the counterparts. There are some new affordable designs from Satori Animaris, etc., but I have no experience with them. I surmise, if they have well-executed internal spring designs (like the ShockStop and the SunTour) - they're probably good, too, and an excellent value. Also, take into consideration when contemplating a new purchase - that springs, combined with a suspension linkage will [almost] always beat elastomers on suspension mechanics, but will usually weigh more instead. A note of caution for beginner riders: avoid suspension seatposts with straight cylinder design stanchions: such suspension does not react to road bumps properly, because a bicycle is an object that moves on a horizontal plane, and straight up-and-down suspension won't work right with one. Also, such design tends to become very wobbly very fast.

Can I ask what saddle that is? Looks like a Brooks C17 carved but not quite! I love your enthusiasm by the way and how you always put emphasis on how you enjoy the landscape around your rides:)

Wildcat.....love it ..oh and the vid !

I have both and it’s at least 30-40% better ride than stock. I tried Kinect, Trans-X, and some others. Redshift was the best one.

Try just the stem without the seat post. Wonder if. It takes some of the bobing feeling away. Great reviews. Thank you. 😊

Some of those trails at the beginning seemed quite narrow, not significantly wider than your tires. Impressed you stayed on course. That looked like a tough ride.

I have both the seat and stem on my lugged carbon bianchi 928 road bike and steel vigorelli road bike and usually after 4 hours on the carbon bike, my butt was done because there was no give at all, but with the redshift, omg so much better (for me), the stem works too. I have gator skins 23 mm, super hard tires at the proper psi, and the weird thing is that the front tire feels flat. Needless to say, I don't regret paying extra for 2 sets, I can ride both bikes all day long without discomfort.

So... you would recommend the stem for something like Dirty Kanza?

Which tires are you running there? And how does it compare to the Lauf fork for the handle bar?

Didn't you use to ride a Specialized Diverge? Is it similar to the the future shock on that?

I am thinking if this setup is good for ride on bad tarmac. How it feels uphill?

Stem sound's like a gravel bike Girven flex stem on my 80/90s mountain biking just change of elastomer types

What tyre option have you got on this setup? Thanks in advance

The suspension stem appears to be a modern take on the old Girvin Flexistems, which died a death after a few years after launch, probably due to the falling costs and increased capabilities of suspension forks. What goes around, comes around. 😁

Would you judge these two will reduce fatigue and help long off-road bicycle trips lasting several days ? Factor in the added weight.

Fair Play Juliet 👍 Love these reviews of new components and guess the specialised (Diverge ) future shock works better then 🤪 Question. On a gravel bike then what’s best road gearing or off-road gearing or is it just a personal thing Another great blog 👍👍👍

Seems to me an answer would be for Redshift to somehow create a lockout for the stem that you could use on smooth roads. That might add undesirable weight to the component though, so there would be a trade-off. BTW, that looks like a Brooks Cambium saddle with the carbon rails. How do you like it?

what's that handlebar that you have in use on this bike please?

I’m confused on the flat bar having 10mil and drops having 20mil? 🧐 are there 2 different stems for bars? Because travel is measured by the post to stem not overall reach of bars.

I think you would do very well with oval chainrings, it would make the bop disappear. Possibly make you more efficient on the climbs.

How does the stem compare to the Specialized Diverge 2.0?

Is that Yorkshire? Looks like a James Herriot book setting to me.

I think suspension parts on a gravel bike are perhaps more suited to the sporty type of rider, such as yourself and Dave. For myself who doesn't/couldn't ride as quickly as you do! then 47mm tyres on 650b rims give all the suppleness I need, especially when running low pressures that going tubeless enables.

Would be interesting to know if anyone has tried a suspension stem with clip-on bars for a long ride.

My an air suspension seat post like the PNW Coast were you can very fine tune the bob on the seat?

Bobbing is one thing but bottoming out really seems to be a clear indicator that you should try the stiffer elastomer imo.

Have you ever considered trying drop bars on the MTB just to see what experience you get? Top vlogs recently, really bringing out the geek in me

Yes round up! ... However kinda thinking you should do some real base miles on these things, like do a century and then review ;)

Beautiful scenery! What size tires/tyres are you running?

Have you tried the Cannondale Topstone? It has micro rear suspension + SAVE seatpost .. Greetings

The antici... ...pation for this video was real!

Thanks for the video. I'm looking at getting a suspension stem or a seatpost, or both.... If you had to live with just one, would you go with the suspension on the seat post or the stem? Which one works better?

The Redshift stem on my non-Future Shock Diverge made me want a Future Shock version which I now have. The future of gravel is suspended in some form or another.

Does this bike come already assembled?

Is not better to but a nice mtb hardtail?

bonjour cette potence a plusieurs élastomère en mettant les plus dure sur route ont retrouve pas un peu de rigidité ?

What saddle is that?

How does it compare to the Specialized future shock system?

Hi Juliet, I am considering buying a specialised diverge but don't quite have the bucks yet for the version with future shock would you recommend the shock stop over the future shock as this would suit my budget? Thanks Chris

Road into gravel, and back into mountain again.

Hey Juliet, just wondering what shorts you are wearing? Cheers :)

have a Canyon Grizel with fron t suspension. Do you think this stem would be over kill? I'm 72 so any anything that will help is a plus

Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore

Great vid as usual , but can't you just put drop bars on a Mountain bike ?

I was thinking about adding those to my gravel bike, what are your favorite tires and sizing for gravel?