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Nukeproof's Neutron AM stem is a no-frills bit of kit that does exactly what it’s meant to. The Neutron is chunky, stiff and well-priced, though on the downside it's a bit weighty and there's nothing to help you adjust bar alignment.

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The Neutron stem is cold-forged from 6061 aluminium, then CNC-machined to trim away a most (if not all) of the excess fat. It’s a thick, angular thing built to withstand gnarly downhill trails while staying light enough for general trail use.

Installation is easy enough, but it could be made easier if there were any kind of markings on the stem. Being picky about how my bars are set up, it’s a bit of a let down not to have any markings from the factory, though easily remedied with a bit of masking tape and a pen.

For me, it was a straight swap from my original stem without needing any extra spacers. Overall stack height is 40mm.

Get it bolted on and you're rewarded with a very solid-feeling cockpit. This is thanks in part to the wide clamping area, but all that material is reassuring too – there’s certainly a feeling of security in having such a bulky stem keeping everything together. At 185g (claimed), it's a fair chunk of weight to add, but the payoff in stiffness, strength and potential crash survivability means it's a fair trade-off.

Although it’s not the prettiest thing out there, the Nukeproof Neutron AM is a solid choice if you’re on a budget and regularly push your trail riding to your limits and, potentially, beyond. Your options are limited – it's black and grey or black and white – but the 35mm and 45mm length options are ideal, and it's available to fit 35mm bars as well as the more usual 31.8mm.

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