MTB Handlebar Stems
Stems designed for mountain bike use will be very similar in design to their road counterparts, but tend to be strengthened to cope with the demands of off road riding. With the geometries involved they also tend to come in smaller measurements, in some cases as short as 50mm. This means that positions on the bike can be adapted for different disciplines and styles of riding. However, for XC riding where the position can be similar to that adopted on the road stems they are produced up to 140mm.
Shortened Stems
For some disciplines such a down hill racing and dirt jumping, manufacturers produce stubby, over engineered stems that can withstand any impact so that wherever possible the rider can ride out of the jump without the stem intact.