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Road-2The NRG Stem has a built-in power bank for charging devices on the go, and it's now crowdfunding on Kickstarter
Fledgling component brand NRG has designed a stem with a built in power bank, that can charge your devices with a universal USB port. It's now crowdfunding on Kickstarter, with a £190,000 target to bring it into full production.
Weighing in at 240g, the NRG stem is made out of heat-treated aluminium, and there's an LED light indicator on the top to show you how much charge you have remaining. A rubber cap fits over the top of the USB ports when not in use. Using the NRG stem means you can keep your GPS, lights and phone amongst other things topped up on the go without having to carry anything extra and/or worrying about running out of juice. The reach is 103mm with a 5° angle, and the battery capacity of 3500MaH; enough to give an iPhone a full charge. To recharge the stem itself, you plug in the 2 metres long charge cable into the port on the stem. It's also fully patented, designed and manufactured in the UK.
Although it's the first time we've seen charging via a stem, it's not the first instance of USB integration on a bike: way back in 2011 we reviewed the Tout Terrain touring bike that had a USB port fitted under its headset via a dynamo adapter, and Dave reviewed the Igaro D1 Mod 5 USB converter for dynamo hubs in December - but on first impressions the NRG stem looks like a wire and hassle-free solution, so we'll be following its development with interest.
When we first caught news of the stem a year ago we didn't have pricing info, but a year on NRG have now launched the product on Kickstarter to bring it into full production. They're looking for a total investment of £190,000, and you can get one with a super-early bird backing of £160 (50 are available at this price). The early bird price is £175, and the RRP will eventually be £210. Check out their website here and the Kickstarter here.
*This article was first published in February 2018
Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.
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53 comments
Ridiculous - just buy a cheap torch shape powerbank with a reasonable capacity from ASDA, Lidl etc, and a Twofishlockblock torch holder.
My brain hurts. I'd forgotten that I'd commented on this a year ago. I've just made a new comment, then thought I'd corrected a bizarre error. Now it just looks like I've made a double post with 3 minutes between "Save"s! (I edited the year old post, that's now hopelessly out of sequence.)
The price point for this need to be £50. Any more than that and it will be a failure
I may be a miserable ol b*stard but why can't companies just launch shit these days. It's a bloody powerbank inside a stem manufactured by some children in China. Get 100 made and try and flog them! Kickstarter is a fools paradise!
It's still a great idea - but it's still far too expensive and limited to a single bike.
I'd be far more interested in something I can easily swap between the commuter hack, the road bike and the mountain bike.
In fact, I've just had a fantastic idea for a rival product...
Just to let you all know, we have launched a campaign on Kickstarter: https://kck.st/2TlWdks
Please do let us have feedback
Thanks
Some confusion here:
"The anticipated capacity for the smaller model is 2.9AMP"- surely 2.9AH (AmpereHours)
Elsewhere the smaller stem has "Power Output: 2700 MaH" - 2700 mAh is capacity, not power output.
Jaysa,
Charging output up to 2.1A with a battery capacity of 2700mAh on the short stem and 3500mAh on the long stem.
Thanks
NRGStems
Love the idea of this, as my handlebar camera has pitiful battery life.
But I'm afraid the price is way over what I'd be prepared to pay for it.
Should add that it's also not easily portable between bikes, whereas I can easily swap a power bank and a bit of velcro between any bike in seconds.
LastBoyScout,
Thanks for the comment. Unfortunately the stem has not been designed to be removed as this would fail safety regulations.
Thanks
NRGStems
Modern society makes it a necessity to have power on the go. Head over to our YouTube channel to find out how a hobby turned into a real invention
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGSXSfjc63z3rMv3Pp5P5Tg/videos
So, can you answer whether this features removable batteries or not?
Does the battery element of the stem detach so that it can be taken away from the bike for charging?
Doesn't look like it, which is a shame. I might be interested in a stem that works like a powerbank with replaceable 18650s.
Srchar,
The batteries are a permanent fixture within the Stem.
Thanks
NRGStems
There is mention of using this to charge up your Di2 system - would this just require a special cable or would it need the Shimano USB convertor as well?
Does this stem use standard size lithium ion batteries? i.e. when the capacity starts dropping, can you swap in a nice new 18650? This would also allow a super quick charge by swapping a depleted battery with a pre-charged battery.
We ar enow taking pre-orders for the NRGStem. Available in two lengths. Pre-order today at www.nrgstems.com
Short NRG Stem
Price: £195.00
Length: 93mm
Power Output: 2700 MaH
Weight: 240g
(weights may vary)
Long NRG Stem
Price: £210.00
Length: 103mm
Power Output: 3500 MaH
Weight: 265g
(weights may vary)
i've signed up for this as my garmin 520 only lasted for 4.5 hours last weekend. no good for all day rides!
Hi FanatikJim,
We are now taking pre-orders for the stem at www.nrgstems.com. Reserve your chosen stem today
Thanks
NRGStems
Found out from our CEO how the idea came about
NRGStems Teaser 1.mp4
I've had a powerbank stem on my handcycle for a very long time. It's also a phone holder.
Livall S2 is the one I've got. 5000mAh.
The stem in the video doesn't match the verbage or photo with the indicator guage or accessory mount on the faceplate.
So if I had this on my tour bike (or any bike) - I would have to lug the whole bicycle into my hotel room (if the hotel would let me). I think I will stick to my portable power pack thank you.
I suppose if you could link it to a dynamo hub it might have a place?
A power bank with the same form factor as the new light from Fabric would be ideal, with a garmin mount top and bottom.
Neat idea, for touring, bikepacking especially. Needs a bit more work to eithe rmake the stem flippanble or offer a range of sizes but I guess for a first run, they may not wish to offer it up in multiple options.
Most Exposure lights also offer a charge-out facility where you can use the battery of the light to top up a phone/GPS etc.
My Garmin needed a top-up during the Rapha Manchester to London ride, that was 220 miles in one go. I used a small portable powerbank and just gave it a 40 miunute boost it while I was at one of the feed stations (my particular model of Garmin doesn't turn off when charging). The lights lasted fine. My phone was OK (just) but I had to run it in airplane mode for the majority of the journey just to stop it constantly searching for wifi or trying to sync.
I've done the same on the Dunwich Dynamo and light use was more of an issue on that as well.
Sometimes the logistics of charging a whole load of electrics up almost outweighs the actual ride!
Hi crazy-legs,
Thanks for the comment. The stems will be offerred as options based on length and power output (AMP) to address user requirements. Please join us on Facebook.com/nrgstems and sign up for pre-release information
Jimc101, if you were to have the NRGStem you would've been able to charge your Garmin while on the go and then your phone at your breaks. Win-win
Who has not run out of battery on a longer ride? So, on paper it looks like a neat idea...
On the other hand, how many devices can you charge on the go?
* Older Garmins and new EDGE switch off when charging.
From the 'Older' range, the 200 works fine when charging OTG, the 500 doesn't, although there is a mythical OTG cable supposedly in existence which makes this possible.
The 200 will do 10+ hrs/200km audax time on a single charge, so for most riders, this isn't an issue
Just type "mini USB OTG Cable" into anmazon, there are many available - crucially mportant for Everesting or recording other long rides with Garmins of the 500/800 vintage. It has a missing pin which fools the garmin into thinking it's not plugged in and hence doesnt switch it off. And yes it does work.
This stem is a load of bollocks though
Thanks for the in-depth view!
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