Rod at Blue Mountain Bikes was kind enough to send us one of the new Po1nt (Point 1?) Split Second standard-mount (not direct-mount) stems to check out, and boy have these guys put some effort into this stem. Weighing in at a mere 138g with steel hardware, this could well be the lightest stem on the market, and with its nickel finish and clean lines it’s also one of the sickest looking.

 

 

The selling points of the Split Second stem basically go as follows:

- Super light weight at 138g including all hardware, possibly the lightest available.

- Reduces chance of damage to bars/stem/fork/frame in a crash as compared to any direct-mount stem.

- 50mm length, zero rise/drop.

- Titanium bolts as stock on the limited edition nickel stem.

- Integrated top cap.

- Supposedly super stiff, but in all honesty nobody really complains of flex in 50mm DH stems.

- Looks cool. Very cool.

- Claimed to be highly refined using finite element analysis (FEA), with impressive and intricate machining.

- Attaches your bars to your fork, enabling you to adjust the direction the front wheel is pointed in by simply moving the handlebars with your hands. Nifty.

 

All sounds good right? Puts your bars where they’re supposed to be and is light weight – seems like a good combination to me. However, upon actually installing the thing you learn there is a price to be paid for such light weight – the integrated top cap. This basically means that you have to cut your steerer tube down precisely (accurate to within 3mm)) to length, which means that if you end up wanting to raise the stem back up a bit, you can’t do it because the stem won’t actually have enough steerer to grip properly. Fair enough if you’re willing to commit to it, but if you want to change your stack height (new frame, headset or spacer setup) later on then your fork steerer may need replacing. The second issue with the stem is that it uses 4mm hex head bolts for everything – these are more than enough for the handlebar clamp but, in my experience, not quite enough for the steerer clamp. Even following the user’s manual to the letter, going to the extent of degreasing the steerer before installing the stem, it was always necessary to do the bolts up so tight I was worried the little 4mm heads were about to round out, just in order that the stem didn’t slip too easily if the bars got knocked. Greasing the steerer later didn’t help either.

 

In fairness though, with the bolts cranked up super tight it did hold reasonably well, and the biggest reason in favour of running a conventional stem instead of a direct mount anyway is the fact that it can slip to prevent damage to other components. There is no question though that there are plenty of cheaper alternatives that use 5mm heads which are much harder to round out, generate a lot more clamping force and are considerably harder to knock out of line. It’s a bit disappointing that such an expensive stem will slip relatively easily compared to much cheaper (though heavier) options, but this seems to be the price you pay for light weight. Taking a step back though – this is a $200 stem, and for that kind of price you’d expect nothing short of perfection. All it has to do is hold your bars in place, if it’s not doing that as you’d expect it to, then it’s not really doing its job.

 

This beautifully manufactured and finished stem is best left to serious gear heads who are concerned about first and foremost about weight, as well as damaging bars/frame/fork in a crash and don’t want to go for a direct mount option, and who are also willing to deal with the lack of margin for error when it comes to height adjustment and steerer tube length. If you’re one of those people, this stem is fantastic, because it is just that light, super bling and looks great. However if you’re that much of a gear nut that you’d consider dropping this kind of coin on a stem in the first place though, you should probably be considering the Split Second DM (direct mount) instead – it’s 10g lighter including all hardware, won’t slip, is claimed to be one of the stiffest and strongest on the market (which is a big deal since stem flex and breakages are pretty common problems, right?), isn’t likely to end up with you swearing your head off at a rounded out bolt and doesn’t require you to cut your steerer tube down. Its only disadvantage compared to the standard mount stem is a higher risk of damage in a crash.

 

 

PO1NT Racing Split-Second Limited Edition Nickel Stem

Reach: 50mm

Steerer clamp: 1 1/8”, pinchbolts

Bar clamp: 31.8mm (oversize)

Weight: 138g including steel hardware

 

Split Second, black, 31.8mm (138g) or 25.4mm (125g): $200.
Nickel versions with titanium bolts (126g): $260
Direct Mount, black, 31.8mm (128g) or 25.4mm (122g with mounting bolts, 99g without), $200.
Nickel versions with titanium bolts (113g including mounting bolts), $260.

 

Blue MTN Bikes

02 4782 5599