Farr has launched its first mountain bike product with the retro-inspired Headspace 35 stem.
After a positive reaction to their gravel/bikepacking Headspace stem, Farr has created a shorter and burlier version that has a stronger focus on mountain biking. The Headspace 35 comes in a 50mm length and despite what the name may suggest it will fit both 35mm and 31.8mm bars. Although if you want to use it with smaller 31.8mm bars, you will need to buy Farr's shim set which will be available separately.
The 50mm Headspace 35 has a zero degree rise and a 40mm stack height. One thing you will have to keep in mind with the Headspace 35 is the wide clamping area; because of its wider design the stem will need a clamping are of at least 85mm.
The Farr Headspace 35 uses a forged alloy and CNC construction with a claimed weight of 142 grams. Farr expects the stems to be available from March for $105 and you can find out more
here.
Huge stress riser
If you put e. g. a bolt in a stressed area, you creat stress because of the reduced cross section and even more stress depending on the shape of the hole.
The design is shit, no f*cking idea why you even want that except for mounting something there and trying to kill yourself...
The steerer clamp looks much like lots of other stems on the market.
southerndistributors.co.uk/product/nitto-b901-bull-moose-handlebar-2
Ritchey makes a carbon version:
www.nashbar.com/ritchey-wcs-carbon-bullmoose-handlebar-stem-black-11-8-740mm-width-3045611701-p/p848191
Only $266 for the carbon one...
Nitto USD $219
867g
Rickey USD $266
285g
@PinkyScar:
The wide clamp could offer good roll-axis stiffness, which is what most important in the cockpit for a feeling of control (as opposed to bending stiffness in the bar, which is more closely related to comfort than a sense of control).
Pricing isn't higher than the norm for high-end stems.
If the strength and durability are there - thickness around the drillings looks questionable - there's a chance it could offer something worthwhile ... providing you can find a bar with a wide enough clamp area.
You would hope they did some lab testing of various stems, but I've seen too many products go to market with only the legally required strength testing to be confident of this.
The real reason for the width is that it integrates with Farr's aero extensions.
https://bikerumor.com/2020/11/13/farr-headspace-stem-adds-retro-off-road-style-to-modern-ultra-endurance-cockpit-setup/
Still one of the worst designs to accomplish this from a engineering perspective. would not trust this stem at that that weight for any money