Kirk Pacenti has been quietly innovating mountainbike products since way back in 1989. He was pioneering the 650B wheel as the perfect size for off road riding well before it went mainstream and produced the first commercially available tyre design (the Neo-Moto) in this size. Pacenti has since focused on getting more from your tyres with wider and lighter rims being a recent addition to his range (and seen built onto Chris King hubs here in the Dirt 100). And now this the Pacenti P-Dent Bar/Stem System.
“By dimpling the bar Pacenti could make the stem as short as required while keeping the handlebar low; the P-Dent system seems without compromise”
With the recent movement to refined frame geometry, many riders are upsizing to achieve better balance, stability and control. A longer wheelbase, slacker head angle and lower bottom bracket height are becoming common-place and we can now run shorter stems for better dynamics without compromising reach. There are a few key players who are forging ahead with progressive geometry (Mojo’s Nicolai Geometron and Mondraker’s Forward geometry being notable players) but stems have shrunk to a minimum of 30mm, unless you are going add compromise with increased height. Mondraker offer 10mm lengths but the stem sits on top of the steerer and certainly doesn’t suit all riders. We can’t get shorter without getting higher it seems. Or can we?
Kirk Pacenti has been in agreement with this progressive thinking and a look at his website shows that he has been a believer for some time.
