SIC Classic Stem and Chase Handlebar
Super Innovative Concepts (SIC) from Maryland is a small company producing hardcore accessories for all you boys and girls. If you haven't heard of these guys yet then you're not up on Ironhorse bikes or the East Coast riding scene much. SIC has gone from a small company that not a lot of people have heard of to being plastered across the Northeast and featured on Ironhorse's high-end DH bikes. Their first product was a stem but have recently been working on adding a lot more to their catalog. And what product best compliments a top end stem? Handlebars!
Recently, SIC has been putting a serious effort in to getting the rest of the world know about their products, including Marty of SIC sending us a Classic stem and Chase handlebar to test. First, I'll go into a few background details about the products themselves before I get to the review itself.
The classic stem is fully CNC machined here in the USofA. It has a very low stack height - one of the lowest stack heights on the market - which allows you to run a short steerer. Definitely a good option for the person that accidentally cuts his steerer too short or swapped frames only to find out there's a drastic difference in headtube length. The stem comes equipped with M6 stainless steel bolts - a nice touch (I hate rust!). Who wants to lay down a lot of coin for a nice stem only to have the bolts oxidize (rust) eventually and look like crap (I could name a few manufacturers here...)? The ballmilling of the logo into the stem cap is a nice discrete way of putting your logo on something without being too obnoxious.
SIC recently began offering handlebars to accompany their stems. These handlebars, like their stems, are specific for the DH racer, freerider, and street rider. The bar sent to us from SIC was the Aaron Chase signature handlebar. This bar has a 2" rise, 4 degree upsweep and a 13 degree backsweep (also available in a 3" rise). You might say, "wow, what a swept back bar!", but it is an ergonomically friendly bend - remember the days of Bontrager crowbars that had a 12 degree backsweep? The bar is your standard issue aluminum bar of normal weight, nothing overly heavy.
This review covers the stem and handlebar used in a downhill setup and we'll cover the street/park setup at a later time. I mounted the stem and handlebar n my SGS. At the time I mounted the bar, I was recovering from a broken lavicle from a wreck during a DS race. Little did I know that I had also injured my wrist in the same wreck. This became apparent when I began to ride the bike again. All my bikes had handlebars with around 9 degree backsweeps and all of them irritated my wrist. The first thing I noticed with the Chase bar was that my wrist did not hurt! The 13 degree backsweep really helped to keep my wrist in a neutral position. For some riders, the geometry will feel strange at first try but you quickly become acclimated to the bars' geometry. For DH, I tend to like to have a low front end - the only issue I had with the Chase bar was the height of the bar. A street/park test will probably lend to a different perspective about the rise.
Stems are a hard component to write a review on. It is the kind of part that it either works or it doesn't - you either pay attention to it or forget it is on the bike. This stem installs with little effort and slides down the steerer well so they kept their tolerances well on the steerer interface. The large stainless bolts are easy to tighten and cause no worries about stripping the heads. One thing you notice is the ultra low stack height - switching from another stem, you have a lot of exposed steerer. Now if you are a gram counter, the SIC stem is not light, but it is very overbuilt. That being said, it is a part you install and forget - it doesn't move.
Other than the height of the bar I really liked the geometry of the bar and how it felt. I think SIC should really consider making a low rise version of this bar. I for one would be first in line to purchase one! The stem is a fine piece, although heavy, and is well made with good parts and great machining. There is nothing worse that fighting, breaking out the BFH, and cursing to get a stem installed on a bike because the manufacturer used sloppy tolerances when making the part. SIC kept their parts low key - no flashy graphics, stickers or flame job (save that for cars!), just straight and to the point. It works. Two thumbs up Trevor and Marty!
Stay tuned for part two of this review which will cover street/park/DJ setup with this stem and handlebar.
Posted by Brady on September 24, 2006 05:53 PM
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