Hope’s been making CNC’d stems from its Lancashire base for years. Its previous generation AM stem felt less solid to me than some competitors when back-to-back testing, but the brand now offers two models to replace it. There’s an even sturdier Gravity stem that adds a few extra grams, and this TR (Trail) model that still claims to be lighter and stiffer than the outgoing one, but only weighs from 123g in the stubbiest 32mm size.

The TR shape is classic Hope, with a sophisticated, sculpted CNC look that shows off the in-house machining it’s famous for. Like some of the best mountain bike stems today, it starts off as a block of compressed aluminium billet – in this case it’s slightly posher 2014 T6 billet. The TR is carved by computer-controlled cutting heads that add in plenty of bevelled edges and the spiralling marks on the central portion. Unsurprisingly, it also comes in all the brand’s signature colours, including this new bronze hue.

The TR uses two individual face plates, and thanks to the zero gap interface it’s much easier to get the bolts evenly tight

Design and specifications

The new design uses two separate clamps instead of a heavier faceplate like the old AM, and a clean no-gap fixing. A gap between stem and faceplate is usually caused when the two sections are cut away from each other with material lost as swarf, so kudos to Hope for engineering a way round this unsightly problem.

The plate is tightened at the top with M5x20 bolts, using custom 6.8-grade stainless steel that won’t rust and tighten to 5Nm. This torque is the same as many rivals, while the burlier Gravity stem tightens to 9Nm. Hope’s steerer clamp uses M6x16 bolts of the same grade steel and tightens from opposing sides. Hope warns against replacing either of these bolts with lesser-strength ones.

The TR it looks much cleaner and modern than the older AM stem

The TR is available as short as 32mm if you use 31.8mm bars, but it’s marginally longer at 35mm in the shortest 35mm size to accommodate the extra diameter of a fatter bar. There are three lengths in total, with the 40mm I tested and a 50mm version too.

Hope’s stem is zero rise and has 56mm clamping width, which is wide but not ridiculous. And while it’s subjective, I reckon it looks much cleaner and modern than the older AM stem.

Hope’s newest stem is much stiffer than the old AM, probably thanks to a better connection with the bar and a thicker body

Performance

Unlike its AM predecessor, there is zero sign of flex of softness here. Whether that’s down to the new shape, with less material machined away from the sides of the band wrapping the steerer tube, or something else, I really don’t know. I swapped between a Burgtec Enduro MK III stem in 42.5mm and a PNW Range stem with 40mm length during testing and found it almost impossible to tell the difference in solidity.

There’s a positive feel at the bars when steering and leaning the bike, and I’ve had no issues with looseness, creaking, or the bars moving in the clamps. The zero-gap connection at the top of the stem also means it’s impossible to overtighten Hope’s bolts at the expense of others and it looks neat too.

Precise tolerances are needed when you’re bolting a carbon bar to a stem, the TR comes up trumps

The whole effect here is one of quality – from the finish and precision in the shape, right down to the stainless bolts that work way better in our damp climate. I’ve seen many stem bolts rust on other bikes in the UK.

The TR stem keeps its shape and integrity perfectly, with no sign of the gap at the back of the steerer becoming pinched over time. This sometimes happens on stems when I switch them between bikes, the repeatedly bolt tightening seems to stretch the stem even when using the correct torque settings. On this TR, neither bolt started poking out of the rear side of the threads any further than when new, which bodes well for the integrity of the main body over time.

What Hope’s all about – beautiful engineering and design