BikeYoke is best known for its dropper posts, but the German component maker has revealed a new 35mm bore stem – the Barkeeper.

A single-piece stem without the traditional faceplate, BikeYoke’s Barkeeper will carry the approval of those obsessed with industrial design.

The Barkeeper reduces weight by doing away with the stem faceplate and an additional set of bolts. But thanks to meticulous fabrication, using a 3D-forging method, it does not sacrifice strength with the corresponding weight reduction.

Read more: the best mountain bike stems

Barkeeper rigorously tested

BikeYoke produces the Barkeeper in three lengths: 35, 45, and 55mm. It is targeted at riders on progressive geometry bikes, with lengthy reach numbers.

To prove the toughness of its new stem, BikeYoke exhaustively tested a prototype 45mm Barkeeper. With an 800mm handlebar clamped into position, the Barkeeper cockpit was subjected to 500 000 load cycles. To prove its durability.

Low weight and a smart top cap

As one would expect from a German mountain bike component, the Barkeeper features exquisite finishing. And it’s light. Very.

With titanium bolts, the 35mm version is only 80g. Even the top cap is a clever instance of weight-saving design called the Topper. Instead of having separate components, this one-piece construction fuses the bolt and top cap. BikeYoke’s Topper weighs less than 5g.

An issue with single-piece stems can be their incompatibility handlebar shape. It can be between tricky and impossible to thread a handlebar with lots of rise and end-to-end curvature, through a stem without a detachable faceplate.

BikeYoke claims that most handlebars up to 30mm of rise, should work with its new stem.

Confirmed handlebar compatibility includes the OneUp Components carbon riser (800mm with 25mm rise). Hope’s 800mm carbon handlebar, with 20mm of rise. And RaceFace’s SixC 820mm width handlebars, in both 20 and 35mm rise.