This super shiny shot-peen anodized 35mm stem from Spank offers a short setup, with plenty of support on the bar clamp area and performs flawlessly. It's tough, moderately lightweight and offers good value, though it is only available in a 31.8mm diameter clamp.
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Built from a Micro Grain Refined alloy, which should make the stem harder and stronger, its forged and then CNC weight optimized - which means some of the excess weight is removed post forging. The stem is a four bolt clamp, which has chamfered edges to reduce any load on bars that may result in scratched that can lead to failure. It's 0° rise and 35mm in length(also available in 50mm) and 31.8 bar diameter.
Out of the box, it feels and looks really well made and finished - in it’s silver version its really clean and good looking. There are Black, Blue, Red and Green available. Installing is as straight forward as any other stem, and its the usual job of loading each bolt equally to share the load. The steerer clamps are the same size and with opposing bolts, help keep the stem clamped equally and also stop a slight twist to one side, which can be a pain getting short stems bang on straight.
Compared to my usual stem, it's noticeably more supportive due to the clamp area width and the smooth edges kept my bars scratch free. Its got a really solid feel when riding, and is totally up to harder riding beyond what I can chuck at it. I never had any issues with bar rotation, and it kept everything rock solid and secure. The bolts could allow some fairly hefty tightening, but being mindful of that (using a torque wrench) will prevent that.
Once on the bike, the total height of the stem is pretty low, with total stack 8mm lower than my usual stem, so that's worth bearing in mind if you want to drop your bars down or are used to a higher point. The super short length makes handling sharper, and will reduce cockpit length, but for most modern trail bikes this won’t cause any issues.
The stem comes with its own top cap that is sealed with a rubber O-ring to reduce water ingress - it's a nice touch and finishes the stem off well. Despite the ‘Race’ title, the stem offers a good value option for the shorty 35mm market. Its well built and finished with nice touches like torque readings on the bolt areas. The silver version is quite subtle and as mentioned there are bolder (and more expensive) options available. It’s only available in 31.8 clamp.
