DEITY Micro DM Stem

by Evan Turpen

Anyone in the know about mountain bike geometry can tell you that most bike companies are leaning towards a longer reach dimension of the frame combined with shorter than normal stems. This is changing the way we ride our bikes once pointed down the trail from the older “low and back” riding style to the newer upright and forwards “attack position.” Downhill bikes along with All-Mountain and Enduro race bikes all can benefit from this new geometry concept.

Up to this point Downhill stems hovered in the length range of 40mm-60mm with your gold standard being 50mm. Deity’s Micro Direct-Mount stem is one of only a few available that are 30mm in length. Until recently there was no place for super short stems such as the Deity, the bikes simply weren’t long enough. They would put the rider too far back behind the rear wheel and create some serious handling issues while climbing and cornering although their benefits down the steeps remained.

So how does this stem effect handling? Are there any benefits? Can I just strap one on my current bike for a better ride? Read on to find out!

Highlights

• 30mm Length (10mm rise)
• CNC Machined from Hard High Grade 7075 T73 Aluminum
• BoXXer Direct-Mount Standard Platform
• Only 110 grams
• Available in High Polished Black, Red, Purple, Blue, or Green Anodized Finish
• Lifetime Warranty
• $104.99

Initial Impressions

Out of the box the stem is very light, very compact, yet also very simple. The finish doesn’t ooze high-end appeal like other stems I’ve owned, but of the few 30mm direct-mount stems on the market, this is one of the better looking ones.

Installation

This stem was to be installed on the 461mm reach Large Giant Glory Advanced 27.5 0 that I was already testing. For reference, I am a hair under 5’ 10” in height and before testing this bike and stem combo I was a solid fan of my personal downhill bike’s 445mm reach combined with a 50mm stem. The Giant was a perfect candidate for this stem at my height due to it being a 16mm longer reach than what I was used to.

Installation was a bit of a process...The stock headset spacers were too thick in diameter to fit between the two halves of the stem. I had to track down a thinner headset spacer that fit and once I did I could continue with the process. First only the rearward most direct mount hardware could be tightened then the bar was mounted and fully clamped to the stem to align the two halves of the stem. Then the bars are removed from the stem to access the two remaining direct-mount bolts (hidden below the bar clamp) where they are then fully tightened and once again the bars are reinstalled. It’s almost like installing the stem twice to completely install it.

On The Trail

The shortness of the stem and different handling characteristics are immediately noticeable. It looks strange after spending so many years with a 50mm stem on the front of my bike. It was strange (at first), but within a couple runs I had figured out what I so strongly know now, that you can’t simply slap on a short stem to a long reach bike and expect it to ride well. You have to change your riding style or you just won’t get the proper weight bias for balanced traction. The 30mm stem requires an exceptionally long bike and a forward and upright attack position. Once you re-learn how to ride your bike and get on the front, things really begin to get rad.

The stem is nice and quiet with no creaks whatsoever throughout the duration of the test. It’s also noticeably stiff due to the 65mm-wide clamp stance. Charging through chunky rock gardens and sending drops and gap jumps somehow seems less consequential with this stem. Maybe it’s the position? The attack instills confidence and having so much bike in front of you gives an increased sense of safety and stability while also giving a playfulness to the bike. Some of this could come down to the more direct response between the inputs at the handlebar and how they translate to the front wheel.

Things That Could Be Improved

Headset Spacer Clearance: Either machine away clearance to be able to fit larger (standard aluminum) headset spacers between the two halves of the stem or include thinner walled headset spacers with the stem to make sure there are no compatibility issues.

Installation Instructions: Instructions with detailed pictures of all the steps would be greatly appreciated. It was a little difficult to understand the instructions quickly from its text only format. Also having these instructions available on the Deity website would have been nice for future reference.

Finish: For $105 I would have hoped for a little better looking finish. The glossy surface finish combined with glossy blue anodization and graphics looks cheap to me, but certain people will like it. Maybe I should have gone with black? The hardware (although functional) also looks cheap. With a different finish and hardware I feel like my opinion would change for the better.

Long Term Durability

I have no real concerns about the long term durability of this stem. The only unanswered question is how rust resistant the stem hardware is since this review was done in the summer months.

What’s The Bottom Line?

Over the course of the review I never once wished to go back to the stock 50mm stem on the Giant and unfortunately I now have the dilemma of trying to find bikes long enough to fit my new taste for this short-stem/long-reach combo. If you can look past its few quirks, the Deity Micro DM stem is a good choice for people with Downhill bikes that are either too lengthy for them currently, or those wanting to size up to a longer more stable bike while still maintaining a comfortable cockpit. It is strong, stiff, and light and does it’s job without any hiccups.

Visit www.deitycomponents.com for more details.

About The Reviewer

Evan Turpen has been racing mountain bikes for over 15 years. He raced Downhill as a pro for the last nine years with his career highlight being selected to represent the U.S. in the 2006 World Championships. More recently he can be found competing in Enduro races and having a blast with it. He is an aggressive yet smooth rider who loves to flick the bike around to put it on the fastest line or to smooth out the rough sections. Fast flowy trails and long technical descents (Garbanzo style) are his favorite. With an extensive knowledge of the mountain bike industry and its technologies, Evan is able to take all things in to perspective during a review. He has helped design, develop, and test products for multiple major mountain bike companies and has an attention to detail well above most.