Muddy Brown's Blog: Fresh Goods Sunday - Ragley Stubbing Stem V2 (31.8mm

4 February 2024

Fresh Goods Sunday - Ragley Stubbing Stem V2 (31.8mm - 50mm Black)

This is part three of a series of components I have swapped / fitted to my Trak Marlin+ emtb hardtail. This week covers a stem swap. There was nothing much wrong with the stem that come with the bike standard from the factory but there is a reason I had to find a replacement.

When I bought my Trek Procaliber xc mtb I removed the Fox suspension forks as I was not using them really and fitted some rigid carbon forks. Then when I bought the Marlin+ the suspension forks that come were not the best to say the least. They were a chaeapo very heavy pair of low end Rockshox.

So I thought I would fit my Fox forks instead. There is just enough clearance for the wide tyre but the steerer tube was coming up approx 5mm short with no spacers in.

I tried ever stem I had in my spares tub but the stack height was too tall. After some googling riders recommended a Ragley Stubbing stem. This has a stack height of 36mm so is lower than standard stem stack height approx 41mm giving me the 5mm I was after.

There was another option of swapping the headset to lower one from Cane Creek but there was none in the country and it was quite pricey.

So the stem landed and was the same length as the one I removed from the bike. I was not expecting much for the price I paid the quality looks really good. The bolts look like good quality and there is plenty of machining out on the stem. I like the suttle graphics on the stem as well. Fitting is simple enough with some good quality allen keys and only takes around 10 mins or so. Now the streerer is a perfect length. The stem is really good value at £28. It comes in a few colours and lengths.

Part four of series is carbon riser handlebars next Sunday.

RRP £39.99 and I paid £27.99 from Wiggle

Manufacturers blurb -

After the success of the original Stubbing stem, Ragley has created this updated V2 model to deliver a range of new features for rock-solid integration with your mountain bike (MTB). It looks similar to its predecessor but now features an updated faceplate to give a wider clamping area, plus additional machining to save more weight. This is also combined with Ragley's ‘Lock-Down’ clamping system, which allows riders to use the two top bolts fully and leave tensioning to the bottom bolts. As a result, it avoids any problems with uneven tensioning across the faceplate and makes for an incredibly stiff front end setup.

To ensure you get the exact correct length for your bike, Ragley offers the Stubbing stem in three length options to choose from: 40, 50 or 60mm, as well as in four colour options. All of the stems have a 31.8mm clamp.

Ragley has also designed the Stubbing stem together with the updated Ragley Wiser handlebars (available separately) to make sure you get a no-compromise set-up that is designed to work as one. To emphasize this, both products feature a beautiful matching finish that's also anodised for additional protection against corrosion and increased durability in all-weather conditions.