A few bike companies are shipping new bikes with the “Overdrive” standard stem. This means a 1.250 inch steerer tube instead of the now standard 1.125 inch steerer. It also can mean a 35mm diameter handlebar clamp instead of 31.8mm.

People have been asking us if we will build Overdrive stems and the answer is probably. We will survey OEM’s at Eurobike, Interbike and Taichung Bike Week before we make a decision. The standard may not catch on so we will wait. There is no advantage to the 35mm bar until you get to 780mm widths and at that point only the fatigue life is better, but the stiffness claims are overblown. 31.8 bars can be built very stiff. Stiffness has to be tempered with flex or you will just knock your fillings out!