The DMR Defy 35 stem’s squat stance gives it a purposeful look suited to any trail or enduro bike. The wide clamp that locks your bar in a vice-like grip.

>>> Best mountain bike stems in 2019

The Defy stem is a perfect match to DMR’s own Wingbar but has a few features that make it a very attractive package for any cockpit combination. Twin faceplate clamps use a Top-Close clamp design where you tighten both top bolts until they touch the stem body before tightening the lower bolts, ensuring simple, safe and effective bar installation. The 6061 aluminium Defy has a shape that trims down the steerer clamp stack height to create one of lowest on the market. At just 28mm this makes the Defy perfect if you want to play a little more with stem height or have a fork with a less than ideal steerer length. I had to add more spacers to take up the excess steerer. It also has a 5mm rise so you might want to take that in to account when setting up your cockpit.

It’s a little chunky when compared to many stems of similar strength, losing out by almost sixty grams over Renthal’s Apex. But this is really the only issue we have with the Defy. It clamps the bars securely and resists twisting and deflection incredibly well. It also comes at a price that makes it a very attractive option. And to make it even better the Defy ships with a matching DMR branded top cap to keep everything matching.