Introducing the VO Aft Stem - Backwards to the Future
At Velo Orange, we’ve spent two decades obsessing over geometry. We’ve refined trail, toyed with wheel flop, and perfected the "neutral" handling that makes a loaded touring bike connected to the rider. But lately, we started asking ourselves: Why are we always looking forward?
Today, we are thrilled to announce our newest fit component: The Velo Orange Aft Stem.
Front-Loading the Future
Modern offroad bike design is obsessed with "reach". That is, longer top tubes, shorter stems, more aggressive stances. But for the refined Chilleur and the dedicated Basket-Bike, the industry has hit a wall. When you’ve already reached the shortest possible stem (0mm), where do you go?
By reversing the extension, the Aft Stems brings the handlebars behind the steerer tube and has some startlingly good results.
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Balancing Act: By bringing the bars closer to the rider’s center of gravity, the belly-button (for those of us with belly-buttons), the overall balance of the bike and rider is more in sync, making for a more stable and connected ride.
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Anti-OTB: By moving your weight distribution further back, the risk of going "over the bars" is replaced by the much more exciting risk of an accidental wheelie - which is far more siiiiick 🤘.
- The Talk of the Town: I mean, your bike just looks so much cooler, so more people will talk to you and about you.
Technical Specifications
Our engineering team developed a bespoke architecture for the Aft Stem out of brand new 67 series aluminum alloy.
“It’s like power steering, but without the power. Or the steering.” - A tester who wishes to remain anonymous.
Looking Forward er....Backwards
After a few prototypes, we’ve reached the final production sample complete with Velo Orange logos. They're currently in production and we anticipate them to be completed the 1st of Octember.
We're also in the prototyping stages for an Aft Quill Stem, so be on the lookout for that!
The Velo Orange Aft-Post Stem: "To go forward, sometimes you need to lean back."
Reminds me of when I decided to reverse my brake levers so that now my left hand triggers the rear brake and visa versa. It shaved off 2.25 ounces and my crit time impoved by the same number of seconds.
Butterfly Handlebars will provide that hand position and a lot more.
Will it work with a joystick instead of handlebars?
The way this loads the steerer is completely different, are you introducing an Aft-compatible Headeset too?
So brilliant! I like the idea of a ‘set forward’ seatpost to complete the set. I just checked and I too have a belly button so I’m in. Now I’ll go out and see about riding with my arms crossed.
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