OneUp Components made it into our Most Wanted guide last year with their neat EDC (Every Day Carry) tool, which fits inside your fork’s steerer tube (or one of the brand’s mini pumps) for quick access and easy packless riding. When it was launched, you had to cut threads into the steerer tube in order to still be able to tension your headset. That’s no longer the case, thanks to OneUp’s new stem, which uses a hidden wedge system to remove play instead. Even without that, the stem is a worthy standalone piece, with a zero-degree rise, a neat trick to make sure your bar is centred, and a choice of 35mm or 50mm lengths.
It’s also the perfect complement to the brand’s new bars and grips. The carbon bar is particularly worthy of note – OneUp set out to make the “best-feeling” bar on the market, and we think they’ve done a pretty damn good job. While some 35mm-diameter pipes can feel too stiff, increasing hand and arm fatigue, OneUp have ovalised the area around the rise to add a bit of compliance without losing steering precision. At 800mm wide and 220g, with a 20mm or 35mm rise, it ticks a lot of boxes.
Pricing: US$138 bar, $115 stem, $25 grips, $59 EDC tool ( postage)
Buy it from: https://int.oneupcomponents.com
Read Ed Thomsett's full review of the OneUp EDC stem on BikeRadar
For the January issue of Mountain Biking UK magazine we put together a glossy guide to our Most Wanted gear for 2020, containing some of the most incredible, highly desirable mountain bike kit on the market. It seemed a shame not to share it with our website users, so now we’re posting each category online too.
The selection process wasn’t easy. We were determined to pick products that genuinely stood out, so just narrowing down the categories was hard. Then our test team discussed the pros and cons of each bit of kit that had been shortlisted – and had some heated debates over which should make it in!
You can rest assured that all of our Most Wanted gear has been given this accolade for good reason. It’s either performed amazingly in our tests (in which case we’ve provided links to the original review) or, in the case of just-released kit, has wowed us on the trails during initial rides and shown huge potential.
Cast an eye over the gear and you’ll notice that a lot of it doesn’t come cheap. That’s because these are our Most Wanted products, and not necessarily the parts and accessories that represent the best value for money. We know that not all readers will be able to afford them, but think they’re worth showcasing. Firstly, because they show just how far MTB kit has come. But also because innovation and improvements at the top end of the market inevitably trickle down to lower price points within a couple of years, for the rest of us to enjoy.
