Profile is one of those brands that produce awesome products that I just can’t stop raving about, so to not embarrass myself by telling you how awesome the Profile Acoustic stem is, I have asked my good mate Russell Brown to help out. Russell has started racing again six months ago, after many years off the bike. He’s a big guy and needs strong products. Without any prompting he loaded up his latest build with Profile gear, testament that the brand has stuck with him even though he took 15 years out of the sport.

I have to start by saying a I’m huge advocate of Profile Racing components. I raced throughout the 90’s where various BMX bikes I ran were always decked out in Profile Racing products. That said, my current ride wears Profile Racing in many areas. My Column Cranks catch the eyes and have often seen people having a ‘double-take’ followed by… “Are they the 22mm Column Cranks?” When I respond with a ‘yes’ and tell people how much I love them, you can see the cogs turning over in their head as they walk off, as you don’t often see these cranks on race bikes. I’m a fairly solid guy and therefore I need to rely on trusted, strong and reliable components. Profile Racing components have never let me down. Let’s not get me started on the Profile Elite Hubs that I’m currently running…

So let’s get down to it and take a look at the Profile Racing Acoustic Stem. Probably not a ‘1st’ option for the BMX racing world, but let’s back up a step, “I know I did.” The first thing that grabbed me was the range of colors available and the sleek design. Basically I’m very fussy with the presentation of my bikes, and color & appearance are important to me. As you can see from the below photos, the gold just ‘pops!’ However this is not the only reason why I looked into this stem. As mentioned I’m a solid guy, and with that comes excessive force on my bike and the parts. When I pull on the handlebars out of the gate, I want as little flex as possible, preferably none. With the Acoustic stem, I cannot get it to budge. As you’ll see from the design, there’s a very solid ‘hollow’ body; that’s right, a hollow body. This feature along with the indentations to the side of the body help minimise unnecessary weight without jeopardising strength. The sleek CNC  machined aluminium & highly detailed design ticks all the boxes. Profile Racing’s well known trade mark up front is a nice finishing touch to a flawless product.

The two Allen Bolts clamp this baby so sweetly to your fork tube, you’ll notice absolutely no twisting or movement. This applies to the front loader also. My bolts are firm without being over tightened and I too, often nose into the back of jumps or experience those awkward landings. At speed the last thing you want is handlebar movement. Again, the stem secures my bars so well, I’m yet to see any slipping, anywhere. Another great feature of the front load stem is the reversible mounting options. As you can see I run mine upside down to what would be considered the norm. This allows so many variations of handlebar height when taking into consideration head stem spacers, you’ll physically struggle to find a handlebar height that won’t suit you?

Features

• CNC Aluminium design
• Hollow body
• CroMo bolts or Titanium upgrades
• Available in 48mm or 53mm reach for 1 1/8 steerers
• Available now in all of our current hub colors: white, deep purple, orange, brown, aqua, new green, polished, black, blue, blood red, and gold.
• Weight
  • 48mm: 272g/9.55oz with titanium bolts: 242g/8.55oz
  • 53mm: 288g/10.15oz with titanium bolts: 258g/9.15oz

So where does this stem rate? Right up there with the best of the best. I’ve run various brands of stems over the years, however the sheer fact that I cannot fault the Profile Racing Acoustic stem speaks for itself.

Gallery

Rating 20/20

Comments

• Profile have ensured a high quality product with a proportioned value that won’t hurt the bank balance
• The Acoustic them is light, but offers additional weight savings with a ti bolt upgrade
• The Acoustic stem is stiff, strong and won’t slip, even with the unnecessary force I naturally apply
• Profile offer a large range of colors, not usually seen with other brands. This stem looks ‘sleek’ sitting upfront, and is the finishing touch to a cool, quality ride.

Profile Racing products are distributed in Australia by Elite Cycle Imports (ECI) www.eciimports.com and available through all good local bike shops.

Reviewed by Shane Jenkins & Russell Brown/bmxultra.com May 7, 2014