Straitline SSC Stem Review- Burly and beautiful
Featured Member ReviewStiff, durable, fairly light, nice machining, low stack height
Pricey and might be overkill for some situations
Definitely one of the more pricey components I have purchased primarily for looks, but the function surprised me as well. I have always tried to purchase from smaller companies that produced products in-house instead of sending overseas, and Straitline does just that. Working for a bike manufacturer has shown me just how loose tolerances can be on products made overseas and how cheaply they are produced. There is of course is exceptions to this, but generally products made in house in places like the Uk, US, or Canada (like Straitline) use better raw materials, more machining and give you a higher quality product. This does of course normally come at a premium price, but there are numerous times when I have purchased and broken a cheaper and lower quality part and replaced it with the more expensive part I should have gotten in the first place.
To start, I think the SSc stem has it nailed in terms of looks, nice anodizing in lots of cool colors, aggressive machining, burly looks, and finishing that is second to none. I went with the goldish copper colored stem as it matched my bike at the time that had that color accents. It has since been moved to another bike, but I still dig the color, it gives a premium feel to any bike. I would definitely say the stem fits best on a more aggressive bike, although it is fairly light because of the machining, it does have a chunky appearance that might look odd on an XC bike. The stem has never shown any signs of flexing, remains creak free, and the finish has remained scratch and knick free. I do think the price will probably be a bit of a deterrent for most, but if you want a stem that has excellent attention to detail, unique and distinct styling and comes in cool colors this might be a good choice. Awesome stem from a great company.