Cirrus Cycles announced the launch of its newest product: The Kinekt Suspension Stem, a revolutionary stem designed to reduce arm, wrist, and shoulder discomfort. Adjustable, compact, and built to last: this stem is the “Ultimate Upgrade™”.
“We have heard it from cyclists everywhere: I loved riding my bike but… my hands go numb, my neck gets tight, my wrists get sore, etc. We’ve all been there, and between the potholes, rough chipseal pavement or dirt and gravel roads, the surfaces we ride on are rarely smooth. Recent studies shown that the constant exposure to these bumps and vibrations transferred by the bike into the rider is the #1 cause of rider upper body discomfort and fatigue. So we set out to find a solution unlike anything currently on the market.”
“With our active suspension seatpost (Gravel Cyclist has one of these in for review) already easing back pain for tens of thousands of customers around the globe, we decided to tackle the front end of the bike next.”
“We’ve taken our tried and true Active Suspension System™ and fine-tuned it to work under your handlebars, smoothing out those gravel grades, chip seal roads and rough surfaces. Our engineers created a patented parallelogram design to deliver vibration isolation through 20mm of active travel to keep the rider comfortable and in control.”
Whether used by itself or together with our active suspension seatpost, the Kinekt Suspension Stem will revolutionize your ride.
The stem launched has launched on Kickstarter. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the stem will be available to the public late spring 2020.
Stem Features
Bike parts shouldn’t be complicated to use: we want every cyclist to enjoy this stem. So, we designed the stem to be easy to install and adjust. All it takes is an Allen wrench to swap out springs. Every Kinekt Stem comes with three spring options (soft, medium, and firm), so you can quickly tune your ride based on the terrain, your bike, and your preferred riding style.
- 20mm of travel for comfort and control.
- Significantly reduces high-frequency vibration felt through the handlebars due to uneven terrain.
- Adjustable spring rate and preload to suit the needs of individual riders (includes 3 springs Soft, Medium (installed), and Firm).
- Compatible with most handlebars (shims may be required for some bars).
- Balanced so weight is not noticeable.
- Control and steering are not compromised.
- Much lighter than a suspension fork.
The Kinekt Stem in Action
I must say, if you feel it necessary to purchase one of these, you need to think about your position on the bike and how it affects your riding. A proper posture would see very little weight on the hands to begin with – if you need more than just normal bar tape, you are not engaging your core enough and are instead leaning on your hands. Try some Yoga for better flexibility and doing more core strengthening and you’ll be in riding la-la land. Enjoy!
Derek, I greatly appreciate your insightful comment. Yours truly has never had a need for a suspension stem.
I must say, you’re completely missing the point of a suspension stem. It definitely isn’t to compensate for poor bike fit.
Hmmpff… I don’t think I said it was to compensate for poor bike fit Radek! 🙂
I’m an experienced rider, and I felt the same way until I tried the Redshift Shockstop stem. I’ve got it set up on its stiffest setting and don’t notice it 90% of the time, but it really does help on long 100+ mile gravel rides when my core strength and conditioning are pushed to the limit and my form suffers. Maybe fatter tires or a different bike would be better (I ride my CX bike for gravel), but a that stem was a lot cheaper and really does help.
I reviewed the Shockstop stem a while ago here on the site, it definitely offers an advantage to those looking to lessen a little gravel road buzz. And, weight and price are very reasonable.
How would you compare the two stems?
Ken, I have not reviewed the Kinekt stem, I cannot offer any feedback. But looking at the two designs, the differences in how they work are pretty clear.
It’s easy to say “Just do some yoga” but back problems, age, weight, family and jobs all compete for our time and limit our abilities relative to others.
A friend used to ride slammed racing bikes until he hurt his back doing something unrelated to cycling. He had to switch to a Diverge for the extra compliance – can still outsprint 99.9% of us but he does it on a bike with a bit of suspension, that’s all.
My point is that for some, a gizmo like this might mean the difference between riding and not riding or between enjoying it or hating it.
“I’ve never needed one” is measuring everyone else by our own abilities. I try to remember that every day is a gift and there is always someone better than me.
-Tim-
I used to ride a slammed position most of the time, then I broke two of my vertebrae in my neck in bollocks crash 🙁 Since then, lost some flexibility, up came the front end a smidge, no more -17 stems, -6 now… still have an aggressive position, but as you say Tim, products like this can help people. They’re not for everyone, but I’m glad there are options!
Understood Tim – and I’m not arguing. Just pointing out that many cyclists will comment on numbness in the hands and not realize it can be corrected with a different posture on the bike. Someone may read my comment here and go “Really,” hop on their bike, try engaging their core more and go “Wow, he was right!” That’s all. Happy riding.
Will this stem work with Giant’s Conduct Hydraulic Brake system?