REVIEW
The Farr ST Supa-X V2 31.8 Stem
November 2024
Photos Fifteen BMX / Farr ST
Test bike from Fab Fioravolts
The Farr ST Supa-X V2 31.8 Stem
November 2024
Photos Fifteen BMX / Farr ST
Test bike from Fab Fioravolts
Australian based Farr ST have just recently released their Supa-X V2 31.8 Stem, making them one of only a few brands who are addressing the trend to get your bars lower, without having to turn your stem upside down.
The 31.8mm oversized design only raises your bars by about 12mm (to centre of clamp area of bars), from the underside of the stem, which effectively reduces your bar height by about 0.5”, when compared to the alternative. Why would you want lower bars? Well, other than if you are just small, you can potentially shift your bodyweight, gaining a lower centre of gravity, adding stability, responsiveness … and maybe, snappier gates. It does take time to adjust, and it may not be as comfortable, but when the goal is to go as fast and as low as possible …
The company have but a lot of R & D into the vast number of frames on the market, especially the carbon variety, and have settled on the final production design that they believe will clear most frames without the need a spacer below the stem. Although, we felt more comfortable adding a 1mm spacer on the Prophecy test bike, just for our peace of mind. As you can see from the 3D printed prototypes, Farr ST did initially want to go lower, much lower!
While most stems are machined from 6000 series alloy, Farr ST have opted for the higher-end 7075, which has a higher tensile strength, toughness, and fatigue resistance. It may also shave off a few grams. We weighed our 55mm test stem in at 296g, which knocks about 15 to 20 grams off similarly sized stems on the market … every little bit helps, right.
The stem is slightly wider than most too, Farr ST tell us this helps increase stiffness in the front end of your bike … your gates, and turns, might thank you.
Visually the Supa-X V2 is very slick, or maybe ‘smooth’ is a better description. It avoids all those ridges and groves found on most stem designs out there. Visually it may just be our favourite stem we’ve held in our hands.
Overall, we think this is an excellent option if you’re in the market for a new stem, especially if you want to lower your bars or have been running an upside-down stem … and it will definitely clean up the look of your front end.
The Supa-X V2 31.8 stem comes in 45mm, 50mm and 55mm options, for just a fraction under $90 US.
Find out more on the Farr ST site HERE
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