ENVE MTN Stem - Review
ENVE uses unidirectional carbon fiber to manufacture their new MTN stem in their Ogden, Utah, factory, and the result is a stunning 96 gram weight for the 55mm length that's reviewed below. With most stems of similar length weighing between 130 and 150 grams, and some around the 200 gram mark, the MTN stem is roughly fifty percent lighter than a lot of what's on the market - that's a big figure for a relatively small component. It's not just for those who wear plum smuggler suits on every ride, either, as it's available in 85, 70, 55 and 40mm lengths, and those shorter sizes are sure to end up on bikes that get ridden hard. ENVE says the stem has been run though the usual fatigue, impact, max load to failure, and lateral stiffness tests, and their findings show that it has the ''best strength to weight ratio of any all-mountain stem on the market,'' which may or may not be enough to convince people that carbon is a good material choice for a stem.
It isn't entirely carbon fiber, though, as ENVE decided to go with aluminum for the faceplate material due to balancing the cost vs weight ratio. ''Alloy is a very efficient material for a faceplate,'' ENVE's Jake Pantone explained when question as to why they didn't go with a full carbon approach. ''It requires less torque/tension to prevent the handlebar from slipping compared to a carbon faceplate. In order to make a carbon faceplate work as well as the alloy one, it ends up being heavier. Alloy was the right material for the job.'' Four M5 titanium bolts with 4mm hex heads are used to clamp the handlebar in place, and two of the same are used to squeeze the steerer tube.
The MTN stem is available with a 31.8mm bar clamp - there's no 35mm option as they say that they are ''better able to tune the stiffness and ride quality in our our current 31.8mm bar/stem combination'' - and the stem's stack height sits at 37mm. It also sports a +/- 6 degree angle to it, so you can flip it upside down if you're trying to lower the handlebar height on your 29er or if you're a shorter rider. MSRP $265 USD www.enve.com
![ENVE Mountain Stem review test]()
![ENVE Mountain Stem review test]()
![ENVE Mountain Stem review test]()
![ENVE Mountain Stem review test]()
Pinkbike’s Take:
It isn't entirely carbon fiber, though, as ENVE decided to go with aluminum for the faceplate material due to balancing the cost vs weight ratio. ''Alloy is a very efficient material for a faceplate,'' ENVE's Jake Pantone explained when question as to why they didn't go with a full carbon approach. ''It requires less torque/tension to prevent the handlebar from slipping compared to a carbon faceplate. In order to make a carbon faceplate work as well as the alloy one, it ends up being heavier. Alloy was the right material for the job.'' Four M5 titanium bolts with 4mm hex heads are used to clamp the handlebar in place, and two of the same are used to squeeze the steerer tube.
The MTN stem is available with a 31.8mm bar clamp - there's no 35mm option as they say that they are ''better able to tune the stiffness and ride quality in our our current 31.8mm bar/stem combination'' - and the stem's stack height sits at 37mm. It also sports a +/- 6 degree angle to it, so you can flip it upside down if you're trying to lower the handlebar height on your 29er or if you're a shorter rider. MSRP $265 USD www.enve.com
The 55mm long MTN stem weighs just 96 grams on our scale.
There's a +/- 6 degree angle to the stem, so you can flip it either way to adjust your fit.
ENVE says that the MTN stem's alloy faceplate is actually lighter than what they would have been able to do with carbon.
Two opposing titanium bolts are used to clamp it to the fork's steerer tube.
Pinkbike’s Take:
 | Fancy components often require care when it comes to installation, and the ENVE stem is no different. First, ENVE says that you'll need to place a spacer above and below the stem, even if it's a thin, 3mm spacer, in order to ensure that the clamping surface is all steerer tube and not dead space. Second, you'll absolutely need a torque wrench in order to snug up the stem's six titanium bolts to the required 5.5Nm torque rating. Now, I'm not going to get all pretentious on you like some guys and say that I use a torque wrench for everything from installing my water bottle cage to carbon fiber stems, but I most certainly did use one for the latter. The ENVE stem goes on just like any other stem with the exception of those two points, and the final step is to make sure that the gap is even at the top and bottom of the face plate. I bolted up ENVE's new 267 gram HDH handlebar that sports a grip-adding surface finish to the clamping area, but ENVE's Jake Pantone did say that it's fine to apply an anti-slip compound to both this spot and the steerer clamp surface, which I did do to the latter. So is there any noticeable changes when it comes to how the bike's cockpit feels? No, but I also wouldn't expect anything to change on that front given that my test stem is just 55mm long and therefore feels just as rigid and flex-free as any other short option out there. No perceived benefits when it comes to damping, either. That said, the MTN stem does do one thing that many riders are going to be a fan of: it drops a comparatively large amount of weight relative to the numbers that we're used to seeing associated with stems. I mean, the 55mm option weighs just 96 grams on my scale, which is fifty percent lighter than a lot of (much less expensive) stems on the market, and that's a big percentage when you consider how small a stem is. Sure, dropping 50ish grams off your bike isn't that big of a deal for many riders, especially those with a more freeride and downhill oriented riding focus, but don't forget that there are plenty of people out there who own high-end machines that have had their parts kit carefully selected with weight and reliability in mind. There's also the ENVE name and the made in the US element that some are sure to gravitate towards. I only have a single gripe about the MTN stem, and that's that it did twist on my fork's steerer tube on three occasions when I crashed. This occurred regardless of if I applied any carbon anti-slip compound, and I wouldn't say that any of the spills were excessively large, so I was surprised to see it move. And yes, it was torqued correctly. As far as reliability goes, there was nothing else to note. No noises, and the hard finish resisted any scratching or marring. Pantone said that a quick call to ENVE would be in order should a rider manage to cause any noticeable damage, which is always the general rule of thumb when it comes to any damage on the front of your bike, regardless of material. The carbon fiber construction and relatively steep price tag means that the MTN stem clearly isn't going to be for everyone out there, but then what component is? ENVE's stem is a high-end item that requires some extra care when installing it, but I see those who already own equally fancy bikes and components being the type of riders who will not bat an eye at the stem's price once they learn how little it weighs. - Mike Levy |
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(apparently a $1 bill is about 1 gram)
Balancing cost to weight ratio. Hilarious.
One of the problems I see today is that people espouse these ideas or want certain things but they are not willing to be financially impacted or are greedy and only want what's best for oneself and f' everything else. It's not all about you, it's also about the dude down the street or the guy a couple towns over making a quality product for maybe a few bucks more. I don't see a pinkbike member "plus" next to most of you asshats whining which tells me you're probably a selfish prick that won't even support the site that allows you to voice your shitty malformed opinion. (I'm a plus member because I like a portion of the content not because of anything else.)
(I'm on my cell so I apologize for any incomplete/incoherent statements not that it matters since I'm guessing this will be down voted into oblivion once the tards see it.)
Peace
My statement "I'm a plus member because I like a portion of the content not because of anything else." was meant to say that I essentially donated/gave money to pinkbike because I like some of the content they produce (e.g. race coverage, product announcements, etc.) not because of whatever benefits one might get from being a "Plus" member. (I think Plus members get discounts on schwag and maybe some other various things like videos.) I do this because I it's important to support things one believes in not for the "cool" Plus logo. (note sarcasm about the cool logo.)
Your statement: "But in the same was as you presume many people aren't plus because they're selfish, it's fair to imagine that many might see plus as just some premium bullshit for 'asshats' who want plus next to their name." & "How have you become plus by liking content and others must 'support' the site? What have I missed? "
Response: I don't think a rational being, one that regularly uses this site, can say someone is an "asshat" for having a "Plus" next to them. I'm willing to be the majority of us don't do it for the logo, nor do we care if we had any recognition, and many like me would prefer not to have it, we do it to support the site. (There are of course a small number of exceptions to my statement.) So if someone is a non-plus member whom thinks "Plus" members are "asshats" for supporting a site they regularly use then it's reasonable to assume that non-plus member is selfish and (insert other negative adjective). If one regularly use the site then why would that person look down on others that want to help sustain it? (I think you can figure out some of the answers.)
Also, I'm not saying that one has to be a Plus member. I am identifying that most people on here complaining about the price and talking shit about those that would buy said product also do not have a "Plus". As a result of this I'm making the assumption that these people do not support causes that don't directly and immediately impact/reward them. (I don't think the leap in my assumption is that large.) Let me clarify: non-plus members are NOT bad or selfish people, but there is a smaller subset of that group that is filled with selfish asshats. ;-) Look at the comments, many of them do not add any value, which would be fine if they were neutral, but they are not. Many are negative and bitter, e.g. dirtyknobbies comment "You're either A: A doctor/lawyer/ceo/equivalent white collar profession. B: Trust baby C: Still lives with Mom and Dad..." This kind of stuff makes people not want to participate. Maybe you're fine with that, but some of us would like better.
Rant of why it's important to support websites: I occasionally read the comments for bike/product reviews and people claim that the reviews are biased. Well why would they be biased? Maybe because the content creators want/need to make a living? If you don't want biased reviews then help them make money without taking money from manufacturers. People have this notion that just because something is on the internet then it didn't cost anything to produce. If you have ever had your own website you know this is false and that content creation takes a lot of time and work in most cases. I do realize that not everyone has the financial means to support every site or cause they like, I certainly don't, but I don't begrudge those that do.
Hope that helps! (edited to fix typo)
@bliznyuk I didn't say that the consumers, as a marketplace, aren't a factor for a product. If that's what you interpreted then you misunderstood me. In all honesty I probably won't be getting the stem, but I don't insult those that will.
Thanks guys for the comments, but I will probably not be responding after this point. At this point I just see this turning into a time suck because most do not want to have any real conversation or be open to those that disagree.
Also, being a PLUS member isn't the only way to support the site - buying their movies is supporting the site; answering the polls is supporting the site; reading this article is supporting the site as this post is an ADVERT. I think people have the right to 'bitch' about these kind of products because the 'reviewer' has nothing to say about the stem other than it's ENVE and it's a little bit light but probably no more light than you could make a stem out of any other material.
To each their own.
And bonus : it spins on the steerer tube.
It seems to me that Enve failed this time.
That stem looks the same as the original stem on my son's £200 carrera blast
Gimme an Easton/Renthal and change for a call girl anyday..
A ridiculous scale to refer to when purchasing bike parts surely, but that's unfortunately the reality of the costs these days. 1000 grams = 1000 extra dollars (or often more).
During a time where no one in their right mind's going for longer stems than 50mm?
^ 85g 55m stem here for £45
If you don't believe me, I urge you to watch these videos.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcSqTlkvkj0
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xreZdUBqpJs
You are obviously not a mechanical engineer and that's fine. But if I were you, I would not waste my time arguing about a topic without using knowledge and facts.
Here's the cloth bit. The rest is glue!!