First look: FSA VAS stem for gravel rides
The component comes with three elastomers to chose from
Just ahead of Saturday’s Unbound Gravel, FSA is launching, officially, a stem for gravel bikes that’s been making appearances for months. It’s the VAS, which stands for Vibration Absorbing System. It features an interchangeable polyurethane elastomer that covers your handlebar and is held in place by the stem itself, two face plates and an additional bolt. That elastomer is designed to mitigate vibrations that are transmitted from a rough road, up the front fork, to the bars and ultimately to your hands and wrists.
The stem only fits a steering tube with a 28.6-mm diameter. As for the handlebar, it needs to have a clamping area with a 31.8-mm diameter. If the bar has holes in the clamping area for running cables, then it won’t work with the VAS stem. Also, FSA states that you can’t use bars wider than 460 mm. A 42-cm-wide aluminum FSA AGX handlebar is a good choice.
So if you have the right setup for the FSA VAS stem, you then have a decision to make: what elastomer to install. There are three to choose from:
| FSA VAS elastomer colour |
Designation | Approximate riding hours |
Mileage (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | Race | 1,000 | +/-20,000 |
| Dark grey | Sport | 500 | +/-10,000 |
| Grey | Comfort | 100 | +/-2,000 |
As you can see from the mileage column, those elastomers are consumables: they’ll wear down and need replacing.
The stem comes in 80-, 90- and 100-mm lengths. Each costs US$112. (FSA has yet to release Canadian pricing to Canadian Cycling Magazine.) The weight of a 100-mm-long VAS stem is 287 g without an elastomer. The grey and dark grey elastomers each weigh 28 g. The black elastomer seems to be one gram lighter. Yes, I weighed them all. You’re welcome weight weenies.
The VAS stem is fresh out of the box here at Canadian Cycling Magazine. Stay tuned for a test. The big question is whether the elastomer is worth the squeeze? Are you ready to put another item on your bike that will need to be replaced (like a tire, chain, handlebar tape, and eventually the cassette and chainrings)? For a serious boost of comfort on gravel…well, maybe?
