The AM/Freeride is chunky and tough looking, but aggressively sculpted and webbed externally to remove excess material — so is also very competitive on the scales.

>>> The best mountain bike stems

For those that geek out on lathe work, there are also groovy cutting tool patterns all over the stem left by the CNC process.

In the shortest 35mm reach (tested here) the AM/FR is zero-rise, but two longer sizes also come with a 20-degree angle to tune handlebar height further.

Hope uses special stainless steel bolts for strength that also have excellent resistance to rusting. All bolts use the same 4mm Allen heads, and oppose one another on the steerer tube for better rigidity and connection on the fork.

The faceplate features the zero-gap design, which keeps things neat and tidy, and eliminates any chance of fixing the faceplate off-centre.

Hope’s no-nonsense stem comes in some cool colours, works flawlessly and some will love the finish, but it’s not quite as solid and responsive as one or two here when leaning hard into corners.