PRESS RELEASE: Paul Component Engineering

Technical Information:

When we first set out to make a handlebar stem, our engineers got a bit carried away, we’ll admit it. With so many other brands on the market, we didn’t want to invest the time and tooling unless we felt we could really out-engineer the competition with a stem that would be lighter, stiffer, and stronger than the rest.We started with American 2024 alloy due to its extremely high strength and fatigue resistance, allowing us to machine the stem walls extra thin from the outside and inside without sacrificing durability. 2024 is widely used in aerospace, especially wing and fuselage structures under tension. It’s more expensive and difficult for us to source than 6061 or 7075, but we refused to compromise on this project. We ran our prototypes through 1,000,000 cycles of above normal use stress without a single problem. Our rounded-box shape tested 25% stiffer than the competition, inspiring the name, and giving it a very unique, purpose driven aesthetic. We designed the faceplate to have massive handlebar gripping surface area from edge to edge, eliminating slippage and handlebar stress points, but again using 2024 alloy, which allowed us to keep it thin, light, and failure free.We use over 20 different end mills, drills, saws and taps to make 1 stem, machining to .002” tolerance (that’s really tight for a stem). So yeah, it’s not a rush job, it’s more of an obsession project by bike nerds that just so happen to be engineers and machinists who take a lot of pride in their work.The Boxcar stem has been around for a couple years now, so what’s with this press release? Well, every time we’ve posted the Boxcar on our Instagram account (like the proud parents that we are), somebody would pop into the comments with “How come you don’t offer it in a 35mm handlebar clamp diameter?” When you’ve put this much detail-oriented work into the design of a stem, you can’t just push a “35mm” button on the machine, you have to delve into the programming and make new fixtures from scratch. But the comments wouldn’t stop coming, and we soon realized this new standard might actually stick.So here it is, our first 35mm handlebar clamp diameter stem! The first length we’re offering is also 35mm long, so we’re referring to it as the 35x35 around here, with a 50mm length coming very soon.•The only stem on the market machined from 2024 American Aluminum.• Finish: High Polish or Anodized in Black, Silver or Purple.• Machined in Chico, California by total bike nerds.• Lengths: 35mm Clamp: 35mm (50mm very soon) / 31.8mm Clamp: 35, 50, 70, 90, 110.• Weight: 118-203 grams depending on length.• MSRP: $123-$149 depending on length.• Availability Date: NowLink to product page: paulcomp.com/shop/components/boxcar-stem/