BikeYoke Announces New Barkeeper Stem
PRESS RELEASE: BikeYoke
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Barkeeper Stem
We would have loved to describe it as "sustainable“ or "e-bike ready“ or whatever is currently trending in marketing speech. So, no, it’s not particularly sustainable - as is nothing in our oh so glamorous world of high-end mountain biking. We’re talking about luxury goods here. Not a single person on this planet needs a mountain bike (not even a cheap one) in the first place. At BikeYoke we find it strange that companies feel the need to market paper packaging instead of plastic as sustainable. It should be natural for any company to design proper, enduring products, using as little packaging and waste as possible. That’s nothing that should be worth advertising and nothing, that we should have just discovered recently.
So, our Barkeeper is a stem – well, okay, it‘s a very nice looking stem, we think. It’s a stem for 35mm handlebars.It’s a stem that comes in 3 lengths: 35, 45, 55mm. It’s a stem that’s very light: 80g @ 35mm length with Ti-Bolts.
It’s a fairly strong stem. In cooperation with industry leading German test laboratory EFBE, using their EFBE Gravity/DH Bike-standard (GR TRI-TEST) as benchmark, the stems were tested and approved. Each TRI-TEST test program is based on three modules: Fatigue tests, maximum load tests and overload test in various load cases. All stem lengths were successfully tested to exceed the requirements of the strongest possible category for mountain bike components (category 5) of DIN EN17406:2021 and ASTM F2043-13.
![photo]()
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Tested with an 800mm width handlebar, the 45mm version was even tested for 500,000 cycles,before machines were stopped. In this test-setup, only 250,000 cycles were required to qualify for category 5. It is a stem with an almost ridiculous attention to manufacturing quality and detail. For strength reasons, the stem body is firstly forged in a highly complex 3D-forging process.The critical surfaces are then precisely CNC-machined, then shot peened for additional surface strengthening. The logos and markings are then laser engraved into the raw aluminum and last but not least, the stem is anodized, giving its black-in-black exquisite looks. The attention to detail in manufacturing– even on the inside – is marvelous.
Nevertheless – it remains a simple stem, it‘s main purpose being holding a handlebar in place, and BikeYoke knows that the benefits of a one piece design (strength/weight ratio, unique looks) does come with a limitation in handlebar choice. Some handlebars may not fit but it is expected that most handlebars up to 30mm rise should work. Race Face SixC in 35mm rise is an easy fit. OneUp’s popular Riser bar (20mm rise) was a rather easy fit as well.
On the other hand,there may be handlebar, also with lower rise, which do not fit.It greatly depends on the shape of the bend, not mainly on the rise. That’s also why the stem comes with a simple but effective installation aid, a wedge, which allows to widen the clamp opening to 9mm, for even more installation clearance.
Oh, did we mention it comes in a really simple cardboard/paper packaging? How green of us.
Prices: $89 / 89€ / Ti-bolts kit (additional to the included steel bolts): +$25/25€
![photo]()
Topper
Not much to say about a simple top cap, I guess. Even with it is one-piece aluminum design (no steel bolt) and super-light weight (maybe a tad over 5g), it’s mainly there to help adjust your headset play and then just look really good. It’s finely machined all the way from top to bottom, then laser engraved and then black anodized for a very nice touch. It will fit any standard (M6-threaded) star nut in your fork steerer. Price: $14/14€.
![photo]()
Aimy
Aimy is a small but neat little gadget, that is particularly interesting for everyone who likes to wrench on his bike. Taking off the stem and handlebar unit usually makes you wish you had more than just two hands to do whatever you need to do and at the same time keep the fork from slipping down, all the way through your headtube. Rather than just slide onto the steerer tube, like an ordinary headset spacer, Aimy is clamped onto the steerer tube, not allowing the steerer tube to fall through your headset, once you take off your stem.
Handy, right? Other than that, Aimy serves as a regular headset spacer, measuring 8mm tall and weighing in at 8g. Additionally, you can use Aimy as a reference to easily re-adjust your handlebar for perfectly straight alignment in case your twisted your stem for whatever unfortunate reason. Aimy is clamped, and won’t budge, even if your stem does and as long as you had previously aligned Aimy’s clamping slot with the one of your stem, you have a simple but effective indicator for the straight handlebar position. Aimy is machined from aluminum, featuring a stainless steel clamping bolt and will fit any standard 1 1/8“ standard steerer tube. Price: $16/16€.
![photo]()
More information: bikeyoke.de
Barkeeper Stem
We would have loved to describe it as "sustainable“ or "e-bike ready“ or whatever is currently trending in marketing speech. So, no, it’s not particularly sustainable - as is nothing in our oh so glamorous world of high-end mountain biking. We’re talking about luxury goods here. Not a single person on this planet needs a mountain bike (not even a cheap one) in the first place. At BikeYoke we find it strange that companies feel the need to market paper packaging instead of plastic as sustainable. It should be natural for any company to design proper, enduring products, using as little packaging and waste as possible. That’s nothing that should be worth advertising and nothing, that we should have just discovered recently.
So, our Barkeeper is a stem – well, okay, it‘s a very nice looking stem, we think. It’s a stem for 35mm handlebars.It’s a stem that comes in 3 lengths: 35, 45, 55mm. It’s a stem that’s very light: 80g @ 35mm length with Ti-Bolts.
It’s a fairly strong stem. In cooperation with industry leading German test laboratory EFBE, using their EFBE Gravity/DH Bike-standard (GR TRI-TEST) as benchmark, the stems were tested and approved. Each TRI-TEST test program is based on three modules: Fatigue tests, maximum load tests and overload test in various load cases. All stem lengths were successfully tested to exceed the requirements of the strongest possible category for mountain bike components (category 5) of DIN EN17406:2021 and ASTM F2043-13.
Tested with an 800mm width handlebar, the 45mm version was even tested for 500,000 cycles,before machines were stopped. In this test-setup, only 250,000 cycles were required to qualify for category 5. It is a stem with an almost ridiculous attention to manufacturing quality and detail. For strength reasons, the stem body is firstly forged in a highly complex 3D-forging process.The critical surfaces are then precisely CNC-machined, then shot peened for additional surface strengthening. The logos and markings are then laser engraved into the raw aluminum and last but not least, the stem is anodized, giving its black-in-black exquisite looks. The attention to detail in manufacturing– even on the inside – is marvelous.
Nevertheless – it remains a simple stem, it‘s main purpose being holding a handlebar in place, and BikeYoke knows that the benefits of a one piece design (strength/weight ratio, unique looks) does come with a limitation in handlebar choice. Some handlebars may not fit but it is expected that most handlebars up to 30mm rise should work. Race Face SixC in 35mm rise is an easy fit. OneUp’s popular Riser bar (20mm rise) was a rather easy fit as well.
On the other hand,there may be handlebar, also with lower rise, which do not fit.It greatly depends on the shape of the bend, not mainly on the rise. That’s also why the stem comes with a simple but effective installation aid, a wedge, which allows to widen the clamp opening to 9mm, for even more installation clearance.
Oh, did we mention it comes in a really simple cardboard/paper packaging? How green of us.
Prices: $89 / 89€ / Ti-bolts kit (additional to the included steel bolts): +$25/25€
Topper
Not much to say about a simple top cap, I guess. Even with it is one-piece aluminum design (no steel bolt) and super-light weight (maybe a tad over 5g), it’s mainly there to help adjust your headset play and then just look really good. It’s finely machined all the way from top to bottom, then laser engraved and then black anodized for a very nice touch. It will fit any standard (M6-threaded) star nut in your fork steerer. Price: $14/14€.
Aimy
Aimy is a small but neat little gadget, that is particularly interesting for everyone who likes to wrench on his bike. Taking off the stem and handlebar unit usually makes you wish you had more than just two hands to do whatever you need to do and at the same time keep the fork from slipping down, all the way through your headtube. Rather than just slide onto the steerer tube, like an ordinary headset spacer, Aimy is clamped onto the steerer tube, not allowing the steerer tube to fall through your headset, once you take off your stem.
Handy, right? Other than that, Aimy serves as a regular headset spacer, measuring 8mm tall and weighing in at 8g. Additionally, you can use Aimy as a reference to easily re-adjust your handlebar for perfectly straight alignment in case your twisted your stem for whatever unfortunate reason. Aimy is clamped, and won’t budge, even if your stem does and as long as you had previously aligned Aimy’s clamping slot with the one of your stem, you have a simple but effective indicator for the straight handlebar position. Aimy is machined from aluminum, featuring a stainless steel clamping bolt and will fit any standard 1 1/8“ standard steerer tube. Price: $16/16€.
More information: bikeyoke.de
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Yup. I’m a big fan of Syntace stems for this reason. I think Ritchey goes this way too
When I look at all the bulky CNC stems out there, all I see are a bunch of stress risers and soft metal.
Real world testing is different from lab testing.
You have to realize here that there are conflicting requirements. Removable faceplate, strength, & weight. They chose to compromise the removable faceplate requirement (for simple bar replacement), and prioritized weight above that.
Not to mention, when validating or verifying a design using ASTM standard (in any industry) you would be shocked to see how many perfect on paper designs fail.
The following saying will always hold "well it looked good on paper".
The manufacturers who do things right are those who not only have design expertise, but test the absolute shit out of their products, and go above and beyond ASTM standards. There is no proof like a field testing.
what I've noticed over the years is many pop up bike companies, specially catalogue frame manufacturers, have a tendency to rely on their customers as field test dummies!
I'm also not advocating that testing should be driven only by industry standard tests, or that field testing does not hold critical value.
That’s smart!
Tho I bet it’d be a hassle for the fork manufacturers, as there’d defiantly be more tooling involved, since the line would be etched before the steerer was pressed in.
I use a problem solvers headset spacer so that I can keep the steerer tube in place when I change spacers around with my one up EDC threadless carrier that doesn't have the star nut. Never occurred to me to just make sure the PS spacer is 100% straight and then the rest of the time I mess with my bars/stems/spacers I can use the problem solver to align with.
Good idea!!
Obviously this only works if your stanchions are straight and that your bike has two upwards facing and uncovered (so no fork boots) stanchions. So no Trust, no Lefty or Headshok, no USE SUB, no USD fork, no Structure bike, no German A Kilo, no rigid fork. Look I'm sure it sounded like a great idea but if I put it like this I'm sure everyone thinks that you'd be lucky to find a fork where this trick would actually work.
And that's not even getting into the fact that with modern HTA, sag is even less of a valid way to settle on a final spring rate.
And do you really need a calculator to multiply by 15 or 20%?
BTW Its referred to as an air spring, not shaft, which is the stanchion tube it rides inside.
Albeit you are correct about how to settle on the proper rate for a given rider, style and terrain. Hence, once the sag is set to the individual preference, the markings make quick and easy work whenever a pump is attached to increase or decrease air spring rate.
Some people are not good with math when they are at the trail head with a group of buddies waiting for you to re-calibrate your suspension for whatever the reason.
As for increasing travel by changing the air spring, there are markings to indicate +- % of travel to.
Honestly though, without exaggeration I bet there's a hundred other items in everyone's home that could work for this purpose. It's a tough trick to have fail.
As far as saying forks with 2 exposed stanchions to line something up are so rare you'd be lucky to find some...Not sure what you're riding? I was thinking of forks with 2 exposed stanchions like you'd see on any Fox, Rock Shock, Marzocchi, DVO, Manitou, MRP, Öhlins, EXT, etc.
Try it, it works a treat. Surprisingly accurate and easy when you hover above the bars and eyeball the straight edge below in proper lighting.
On the other hand,there may be handlebar, also with lower rise, which do not fit.It greatly depends on the shape of the bend, not mainly on the rise. That’s also why the stem comes with a simple but effective installation aid, a wedge, which allows to widen the clamp opening to 9mm, for even more installation clearance.
If you change a stem, they are usually all different heights which means you usually need to adjust stem spacers. So you would probably need to be taking that Aimy thing off anyway.
Using it for an alignment gauge... I guess so....
Maybe I was dreaming but wasn't there an article at some point about fork steerer tubes with centered notches that could be aligned with special notches on spacers and stems if they were all developed to the same standard? Essentially making it impossible to set up your handlebars crooked. That would be an idea worth pursuing if all manufacturers adopted a standard.... Or maybe that's not a good idea because knowing the bike industry, the notch size would change every two years and you'd be forced to buy new everything to make a build work.
"are you being sarcastic DUDE!?!"
"I don't even know anymore..."
Its not the only stem in existence with those qualities and it won't revolutionize your riding. Pretending otherwise would be the usual marketing wank.
hucktoflat.com.au/product/chimera-adjustable-stem-ti
Here’s a solution I discovered from thinking outside the box (not having enough spacers) I ended up using one of the “backup rings” that you use when installing a quad seal from a rockshox air can, it fits snug and flat when compressed with all other spacers, you take off the stem along with all other spacers and you’ll see that ring holds the fork in place without sliding.
I‘m sure someone will try it soon and the list will be updated accordingly.
There's also this short list of verified-fit bars at bike-yoke.de:
OneUp Components Carbon Riser, 800mm x 25mm Rise
Hope Carbon Handlebar, 800mm x 20mm Rise
Race Face SixC 35 handlebar 820mm x 20mm Rise (maximum allowed length is 800mm)
Race Face SixC 35 handlebar 820mm x 35mm Rise (maximum allowed length is 800mm)
I got mine today, here is the proof
photos.app.goo.gl/Er4p4SDbAtUTCzEe6
I had to learn about the Problem Solver one yesterday in the Forums, and about the one from Reverese, when we introduced our parts to our dealers. Any of these basically serve the same prupose. I even called Peter of Reverse and let him knwo, that we are coming with a basically identical product and we did not know they had somethign similar already. I now imagine there are even other brands offering somehting similar.
One of those 'now why didn't anyone else think of this before?'.
I'd like to see some long-term thrashing before I put one on the front of my bike though......
Here I'd also want some real-world validation.
So once again I'll say-I'd like some real world validation of the stem in this article. I'm sure in the specific tests applied it's done great. It is probably plenty strong. But there is no substitute for actual outdoor beta testing.
Knolly is a good example. Large sized frames have 491/492 reach but just a 103/106 head tube length.
Needless to say it didn’t stay on the bike long, and the Spank stem I replaced it with was utterly trouble free.
Syntace makes good aero bars-and that’s about it.
I’ll pay $40 for it.
Reviews of:
Ultra light stem with no removeable faceplate (They didn't mentioned how annoying this is)
Ultra light dropper, super short travel. Sick!
Spark RC World cup XC
Flat pedals with a power meter! What!?! For people who don't care about seconds, a product designed to measure seconds.
Is that drool from these lust-worthy nuggets? Nope, slobber cause I fell asleep reading Velonews oriented reviews on PB.
Sorry for the judging. I'll shut up and buy me some XC trinkets now