![]() A concern with stems is often with their flexibility when standing or sprinting.I’ve even taken the Devinci and Shockstop onto a local trail with lots of pump track features, and didn’t find the stem bucking me off. It’s not disruptive and doesn’t affect handling or cornering, it disappears on gravel and is minimal on the drops or tops. The feel is a gentle forward and downward rocking with each pedal stroke. The stem’s bobbing, in contrast, was much more noticeable, especially on smoother roads and on the hoods. ![]() It definitely doesn’t ride as a pogo stick. When riding no-handed, I did not feel anything from the seatpost in terms of appreciable bobble. Probably the biggest concern with any suspension is unnecessary bobbing.Other ride notes about the Redshift stem and seatpost: This was especially evident and appreciated on a fast downhill stretch supplemented with a tailwind. With the Redshift stem/seatpost installed on the Devinci (same psi), the need for any line choosing was pretty much eliminated and I could go full speed. Some bouncing still occurred but nothing enough to detract from an overall fun experience. The need to look for better lines was reduced but not eliminated. With the Devinci and 38 mm tires (28-30 psi), much more vibration damping was evident. I definitely found myself thinking “when is this sector going to finish?” more than once on a recent ride. Even then, I still noticed myself bouncing around. I definitely had to constantly look and move around for best lines and aim for them. With the CX bike and 33 mm tires (33 psi for my 67 kg), it was definitely rideable but not necessarily fast nor fun. A prime example of Grade 2 and how it handles between my two bikes when used without suspension. This is the kind of terrain where a gravel bike shines over a race-ready cyclocross bike and CX tires. Where I think suspension like Redshift can be a good option is with Grade 2 gravel. ![]() If that’s the case, probably the best solution is to first invest in a good bike fit and possibly fatter tires. In my view, if all you’re riding is < Grade 2, suspension is rather unnecessary unless you suffer frequently to on-bike fatigue. Freshly laid gravel makes for a bumpy ride and conscious choice to pick better/best lines. Like 1 but with needing to watch for erosion and potholes. I can ride it fast with 28 mm tires with the conscious line picking. For me, this means the following level of gravel difficulty depending on the time of the year and road maintenance: My standard gravel loop is about 60 km and 2.5 h long, with a mix of about 50:50 gravel:road. Whether you need a gravel bike at all, let alone suspension, all depends on your typical use. My other off-road drop bar rig is my Four5 custom titanium cyclocross bike, with correspondingly steeper geometry and 33 mm tubeless tires. I decided to put the Shockstops on my 2017 Devinci Hatchet gravel bike, which is currently set up with Schwalbe G-One 38 mm tubeless tires. Remember, not only does the vibration cause fatigue, it usually means that your bike/body is bouncing up and down rather than absorbing those bumps and keeping the tires planted on the road laying down power. The Shockstops are not gravel-specific, and may be of interest to any road or flat bar setup because of their potential for taking away road buzz and making those long rides more comfortable and potentially faster. MSRP for the Shockstop seatpost is $229.99. I started off with the overall unweighted saddle about 5 mm higher and 5 mm further forward as a starting baseline, and found that worked pretty well for my 67 kg weight. As with any rear suspension, a bit of playing around is required to set up correct saddle position.
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