Suspension headstems

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Alan Walker
I am trying to find a suspension headstem for a road bike - i.e., narrow enough to fit drop
bars, unlike the (otherwise excellent) Softride unit, which is too wide to get around the bends
on drop bars.

I have not had much luck with Google, nor with eBay.

Does anyone know of a shop that still sells them?

Cheers

AW

If you strike out on the narrower fit, could you narrow softride enough by cutting the edges?

Alan Walker said:

I am trying to find a suspension headstem for a road bike - i.e., narrow enough to fit drop
bars, unlike the (otherwise excellent) Softride unit, which is too wide to get around the bends
on drop bars.

My Softride stem (the cheaper steel variety) fits around the bends on drop bars easily. It appears
to be a 25.4 mm clamp, so you'd want bars that are 25.4mm at the center - but the section at the
bends is 23.8mm (13/16"😉 regardless of clamp diameter.

Most non-Softride susp stems were not parallelograms, so the bars tilt while moving down. This is
annoying and to be avoided.

Benjamin Weiner said:

Alan Walker said:

I am trying to find a suspension headstem for a road bike - i.e., narrow enough to fit drop
bars, unlike the (otherwise excellent) Softride unit, which is too wide to get around the bends
on drop bars.

My Softride stem (the cheaper steel variety) fits around the bends on drop bars easily. It appears
to be a 25.4 mm clamp, so you'd want bars that are 25.4mm at the center - but the section at the
bends is 23.8mm (13/16"😉 regardless of clamp diameter.

Most non-Softride susp stems were not parallelograms, so the bars tilt while moving down. This is
annoying and to be avoided.

This is true. The two to look for are Softride and JP. The JP is actually the better of the two,
with excellent hydraulic damping, but quite rare.

Suspension stems work much better than most people realize(d).

Matt O.

"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Benjamin Weiner said:

Alan Walker said:

I am trying to find a suspension headstem for a road bike - i.e., narrow enough to fit drop
bars, unlike the (otherwise excellent) Softride unit, which is too wide to get around the bends
on drop bars.

My Softride stem (the cheaper steel variety) fits around the bends on drop bars easily. It
appears to be a 25.4 mm clamp, so you'd want bars that are 25.4mm at the center - but the
section at the bends is 23.8mm (13/16"😉 regardless of clamp diameter.

Most non-Softride susp stems were not parallelograms, so the bars tilt while moving down. This
is annoying and to be avoided.

Yes. I have the wide aluminium Softride on my mountain bike, and like it a lot. I also have two
other bikes with non-parallelogram headstems, and just got used to the tilt.

Quoted message said:

This is true. The two to look for are Softride and JP. The JP is actually the better of the two,
with excellent hydraulic damping, but quite rare.

Suspension stems work much better than most people realize(d).

Matt O.

I agree, enthusiastically. I have three bikes fitted with them. I did PBP with absolutely no neck,
shoulder, back or hand problems. But suspension headstems seem to have gone out of fashion and I
want to equip another bike with one. Softride no longer list them on their web site and I have never
heard of JP.

Any suggestions where I can get the narrow Softride or the JP?

Cheers

AW

Chris Zacho The Wheelman said:

Suspension stems would be a boon on touring bikes IF they could be removed more easily for
packing.

I was asked precisely that last week by a customer. I asked why he couldn't just slip the stem out
of the bike. He hadn't thought of that, apparently.

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971

A Muzi said:

Chris Zacho The Wheelman wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Suspension stems would be a boon on touring bikes IF they could be removed more easily for
packing.

I was asked precisely that last week by a customer. I asked why he couldn't just slip the stem out
of the bike. He hadn't thought of that, apparently.

Suspension stems came and went before the era of removable face plates. It's a shame they don't seem
to be available with them. In fact I can't understand why it took so long for removable face plates
to come along.

I bet there would still be a market for suspension stems, even if it is quite small, and even if the
selling price were high. The JP was being made (or at least sold) until pretty recently, IIRC. Maybe
it still is...

Matt O.

I was in REI the other day and some of the hybrid bikes had softride
suspension stems on them.
"Alan Walker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Benjamin Weiner said:

Alan Walker <[email hidden]> wrote:
> I am trying to find a suspension headstem for a road bike - i.e., narrow enough to fit drop
> bars, unlike the (otherwise excellent) Softride unit, which is too wide to get around the
> bends on drop bars.

My Softride stem (the cheaper steel variety) fits around the bends on drop bars easily. It
appears to be a 25.4 mm clamp, so you'd want bars that are 25.4mm at the center - but the
section at the bends is 23.8mm (13/16"😉 regardless of clamp diameter.

Most non-Softride susp stems were not parallelograms, so the bars tilt while moving down. This
is annoying and to be avoided.

Yes. I have the wide aluminium Softride on my mountain bike, and like it a lot. I also have two
other bikes with non-parallelogram headstems, and just got used to the tilt.

Quoted message said:

This is true. The two to look for are Softride and JP. The JP is

actually the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

better of the two, with excellent hydraulic damping, but quite rare.

Suspension stems work much better than most people realize(d).

Matt O.

I agree, enthusiastically. I have three bikes fitted with them. I did PBP with absolutely no neck,
shoulder, back or hand problems. But suspension headstems seem to have gone out of fashion and I
want to equip another bike with one. Softride no longer list them on their web site and I have
never heard of JP.

Any suggestions where I can get the narrow Softride or the JP?

Cheers

AW

Alan Walker said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> I am trying to find a suspension headstem for a road bike - i.e., narrow enough to fit drop
> bars, unlike the (otherwise excellent) Softride unit, which is too wide to get around the
> bends on drop bars.

Quoted message said:

Yes. I have the wide aluminium Softride on my mountain bike, and like it a lot. I also have two
other bikes with non-parallelogram headstems, and just got used to the tilt.

AFAIK, Softride stems are out of production - I don't know how it is in Australia but around here
you might be able to find some by asking around, since a lot of people bought them in the early days
of MTB suspension and then went to sus forks. I got mine from a shop that was selling off a box of
miscellaneous stuff.

But, I don't understand why you can't get a drop bar through the Softride clamp. Those I've seen
have a clamp which narrows near the pinch bolt, so you can get it around the bends in the drop by
orienting the narrow part to the inside of the bend. Mark Boyd has a picture of his Softride Al stem
on drop bars: cs.unca.edubike.htmOpen ↗ so it's gotta be doable.