Industry Nine A35 Stem [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

If you are looking to take bike customization to the next level, a fancy new stem from Industry Nine is a great place to start. Their A35 stem can be color matched to your bike, gear, whatever you want! Check out this customer review to hear what Wyatt had to say about his.

Overview

Over the past few months, I have been looking to spruce up my bike with small upgrades here and there. Many of these “upgrades” have been more for appearance than improved performance unless shaving grams is an important factor for you. One of the parts I was looking to change on my bike was the stem. While the stock stem I had on the bike wasn’t bad by any means, it didn’t have the same pop as some of the other cockpit components that are on the bike and that I was planning on purchasing. After looking through the ocean of aftermarket stems in the market, I settled on the Industry Nine A35 stem. I chose this stem largely due to its profile which caught my eye and it’s also manufactured locally in North Carolina which is a big plus.

Arrival and First Impressions

Ordering this stem through Worldwide Cyclery was a great, hassle-free experience and arrived in a timely manner considering it’s a Special Order item. The stem arrived in a nice, simple box that I am reusing for spare parts as Industry Nine recommends. There was no unnecessary and wasteful packing material which was good. In addition to the stem, instructions for installation and product registration were included. While I was expecting the stem to look nice, I was really impressed with how beautiful it was in direct sunlight when taking it out of the box. The black anodizing looked very well applied and I couldn’t see any uneven areas. The laser etching gave a nice contrast to the black color and I thought the branding was not overdone. The bolts appeared to be high quality and even had some grease/anti-seize applied to them. Finally, the machine work and finishing were amazing.

Everything was very smooth and I wasn’t seeing large machine marks as some stems can have. I was very pleased with how everything was looking and was very excited to get the part installed.

Installation

Installation directions were very clear and overall the process was simple. This stem requires equal gap spacing between the main body and faceplate at all four bolt locations. This is a different process than what my previous stem used where the top two bolt locations required zero gaps. I will admit I prefer the latter process as it is a bit more straight forward and the former process gets my OCD going with making sure everything is equal but this is a small nitpick.

Performance

With stems, there is not much to comment on in terms of performance. For myself, I am happy if the stem is not creaking and is keeping hold of everything. So far, I am happy to report that no creaking has occurred and I have not had any problems with the bolts coming loose.

Conclusion

Overall, I am very happy with my purchase of the Industry Nine A35 stem and would definitely buy it again for any future bikes. I would recommend this stem for someone who wants to add some extra pop to their bike or someone who wants a top-tier component with very high-quality finishing and doesn’t mind the higher price tag. While this stem doesn’t offer any performance benefit over more affordable stems on the market, I think many people will be pleased to have this on their bike.