The Ultimate Vyce is wildly different from any other stem on the market. By utilising a unique expanding wedge design to lock down both bars and steerer via a single bolt, USE has created a super lightweight yet stiff stem and gives it a nice clean and minimalist aesthetic. Unfortunately, in its attempt to simplify cockpit setup, USE has complicated things since all adjustments must be made at once, which requires a lot of patience and a steady hand. All things considered, how does it fare among the best mountain bike stems?
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USE Vyce 31.8mm stem - Technical details
The Vyce is a clever and minimal stem from the British component brand USE and it's certainly different from anything else available right now. What sets it apart from traditional stems and gives it its uniquely clean lines is the fact it doesn't have a separate bolt-on faceplate or numerous bolts at all for that matter. Utilising instead, a clever expanding wedge system to simultaneously secure both the handlebars and the fork steerer with just one 4mm hex bolt.
Formed from heat-strengthened aerospace grade T6 aluminium, the one-piece design not only looks amazing, but USE also claims it to be one of the lightest and stiffest stems available and, at a feathery 89g in this 40mm format, it's certainly the lightest MTB stem I've ever used. USE offers the Vyce in three lengths – 40mm, 50mm, or 60mm with a neutral zero-degree rise, and in just one colour, a classic anodised gloss black.
Its stack height is rather tall however at 47mm, so will require forks with plenty of steerer tube to play with. Pictured here is the 31.8mm bar-clamp version but there's also a beefed-up 35mm option available for oversized handlebars, too.
The quality of construction and finish is stellar, with nice smooth edges and some smart low-key laser-etched graphics. While the wedge part itself is made from plastic, it seems plenty durable, although it does detract slightly from the otherwise high-end look of the stem.
USE Vyce 31.8mm stem - Installation
The first thing I have to say about the installation of the Vyce stem is it's not exactly intuitive. I had to consult the included fitting instructions to figure out what went where and in which order – not something I've ever had to do with any stem in the past.
Secondly, with that figured out, getting the cockpit set up how I wanted proved to be quite the task. Installation is a very different process from how you normally sort your cockpit out. You basically remove the wedge part, pop the handlebar into the front hoop of the stem frame, replace the wedge, and then slide the stem onto the steerer. While this may sound simple, in practice, it's rather fiddly.
Since the single wedge bolt is responsible for tightening the stem to both the steerer tube and the handlebars, I had to simultaneously align the stem with the front wheel, centre the bars in the stem and dial in my bar roll all at the same time, and then find a spare hand to nip up the bolt to hold everything in place without one of those adjustments shifting out of place. It took me several attempts to get things right and it's very easy to drop either the wedge or have the bar slide out of the faceplate hoops. Sorry USE, but simple it is not, and what makes matters worse is should you want to make any cockpit tweaks in the future, as soon as you loosen off that bolt you have to go through the whole painful process again.
USE Vyce 31.8mm stem - Performance
Once the initial installation headaches were out of the way and I had regained my sanity, it was time to hit the trails and see if that faff was worth it. During the test period, I ran the Vyce stem with both USE's own Nail 2 Carbon 800mm bars and the DMR Odub 780mm alloy bars that I also had on test, and it performed great with both. The system seems perfect for use with more delicate carbon bars since the wedge provides a nice wide, evenly distributed clamping area to reduce the chance of crush damage.
For such an insanely featherweight stem, there's no sacrifice in torsional rigidity even with my 95kgs hanging off it. Steering accuracy and response are spot on with no vagueness or unwanted flex to report. I also appreciated the smooth knee-friendly form afforded by the wedge system – no sharp protrusions to bash yourself on is always a plus in my eyes. Impressive stuff.
What was less impressive though was discovering that the wedge bolt had loosened off a tad after the first ride – not enough to cause any bar slip or steerer twist but a little worrying all the same since it's the only thing keeping things clamped together. I added a healthy dollop of thread lock and retightened the bolt to the recommended torque value and have had no problem with it loosening since. This is something I strongly recommend doing during installation.
This leads me to my main concern with the Vyce; that single-bolt arrangement just makes me uneasy. With a conventional stem, there are several bolts to rely on to keep things secure, so should one work a little loose or even shear off, it's unlikely to cause any major issues. However, if that single bolt on the USE stem should fail in any way, the whole system would come apart which would be, quite frankly, catastrophic.
Admittedly I've had no issue with it loosening since threadlocking the bolt but due to its inherent design, the potential for failure is there. Consequently, I found it hard to relax fully into my riding with it fitted, especially in more serious terrain where I found myself doing a bolt check after pretty much every run. I just can't help but feel a traditional bolted stem offers a greater margin for error as well as a less fiddly installation.
This is a shame as I love the Vyce for its lightweight but direct steering and clean uncomplicated looks, but that's no good if I can't be confident riding to my full ability with it on board.
Interestingly, the recently introduced Vyce 35 version features a pair of clamping bolts, offering a little extra peace of mind, and is something I'd like to see USE adopt on this 31.8 version.
USE Vyce 31.8mm stem - Verdict
In terms of value for money, at £80 the USE Vyce 31.8mm stem is a decent price for a beautifully constructed British-made tiller. It's lighter than pretty much any other boutique stem on the market with no loss of steering authority for its lack of heft.
For a few pounds more, you can pick up the bombproof Deity Copperhead 31.8 stem. It's a lovely-looking stem with some nice design touches including a super low 30mm stack height making it ideal for shorter steerer tubes. It's also available in an array of lovely anodised colours to add some bling if that's your thing. It's only available in two lengths though, 35mm or 50mm, and it's a good chunk heavier than the Vyce at 135g for the 35mm long version.
Alternatively, if you're happy to splurge a little more, the Renthal Apex is one of the best stems around in terms of strength to weight and is well worth a look. Weighing in at just 118g for the 40mm version it's light enough for XC but fully capable of hitting the gnarliest EWS stages. It's a lovely-looking bit of kit too, adding a touch of class to any bike it's fitted to. At £117 it is top dollar though.
While the USE Ultimate Vyce stem has a lot going for it, namely its lightness, heavy-hitting stiffness and minimalist good looks, it's not without its flaws. Unfortunately, I can't help but feel USE has created more problems than the brand has solved with the expanding wedge design. In theory, just having one bolt to tighten instead of six should simplify installation, however, in practice, it's a proper faff that requires patience and preferably an extra set of hands to get set up accurately. Additionally, it's a little unnerving to rely on just one little bolt to keep things together with no fail-safe if it should fail. Consequently, it's hard to recommend the Vyce when there are so many excellent alternatives available.
