Good Vibrations- by John Ingham
[adrotate group=”1″] When a former colleague asked me what I had been doing in retirement, I confessed to cycling and racing on gravel roads. He replied, “Sounds terrible!” He imagined, I suppose, bone-rattling vibration and excoriating crashes. It was a brief encounter, not a conversation, so in self-defense I merely said I was having fun. He seemed unconvinced.
Some vibration training might be good for us, then again, too much isn’t a good thing. The author at Riotgrrravel

Larger volume tires like these WTB Resolutes help mitigate vibration, but we still may need more help in this area.

The Redshift Sports ShockStop stem is a favorite amongst the RidingGravel.com contributors. Image by MG

Guitar Ted’s Ti Mukluk with his BodyFloat installed. Note the dual springs and the accessory no-tools preload adjuster (a $20 option). Even without the knob, preload is easy to adjust with a 4mm allen wrench.
1Marín, Pedro J & Matthew R. Rhea. 2010. Effects of Vibration Training on Muscle Strength: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 24(2):548-556. 2 Filingeri, Davide, Monèm Jemni, Antonino Bianco, et al. 2012. The Effects of Vibration During Maximal Graded Cycling Exercise: A Pilot Study. Journal of Sports Medicine 11:423-429. 3 Cardinale, M. & J. Wakeling. 2005. Whole Body Vibration Exercise: Are Vibrations Good for You? Journal of Sports Medicine 39(9):585-9. 4 Samuelson, B., L. Jorfeldt, & B. Ahlborg. 1989. Influence of Vibration on Work Performance During Ergometer Cycling. Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences 94(1):73-9. 5 The Redshift ShockStop comes in different lengths, and the Cirrus Cycles offers a Body Float with a slightly lighter carbon post. 6 Weight reductions in pounds, of course, are another story, but shedding body fat is another option, and a whole lot less expensive than carbon. 7 See Guitar Ted’s review in RidingGravel.Com.

Been riding my Redshift stem for 6 months and wouldn’t be without it. Loaded or unloaded, it smooths out the annoying washboards and vibration that take a toll on longer rides. Worth every penny.