KickStarter becomes reality with Redshift’s ShockStop suspension stem and a generation of greying mountain bikers think back to the iconic Girvin Flexstem.

>>> The best mountain bike stems

If you were around in the mountain bike scene back in the early nineties you’ll no doubt remember the Girvin Flexstem. You may not have had one yourself but you probably knew a mate (or a mate of a mate) who had one on their Proflex.

Well you can now relive your halcyon days by dropping $139.99 on a new suspension stem from an American company called Redshift Sports.

It was originally punted out on crowdfunding website Kickstarter back in 2014/2015 but it’s now an actual real world product that you can purchase.

Check it out. It even uses elastomers as the suspension medium and everything. ‘Unfortunately’ there’s no cable noodle to give it the full Flexstem aesthetic but other than that, it is remarkably similar to the Girvin product of yore.

Is use it offers 6° of suspension movement. Which translates as somewhere between 10 to 20mm of travel depending on what length stem you go for (90/100/110/120mm).

Okay so we’re being a bit silly here. This isn’t a product that’s intended for mountain biking (unlike the Girvin Flexstem which most definitely was).

It’s actually aimed at dropbar bikes such as gravel bikes or even commuter bikes. And, to be fair, it’s an idea that has some merit for such applications. It’s light. It’s simple. It fits on any bike pretty much. It’s easy to remove for rides where it’ll be superfluous. It doesn’t interfere with luggage carrying.

The Flexstem may have been a bit of a dubious idea for mountain biking, but the ShockStop could be just the ticket for some cyclists out there.