Burgtec's Reverse Stem: Is riding backwards the future?

Every so often, a piece of tech comes along that just looks wrong. The kind of thing that makes you stop scrolling and wonder if it’s a late April Fool’s joke. A prototype Burgtec stem, with a negative 10 mm length, bolted to the bike of a World Champion, is one of those things.

This isn't just a stem, though. It's the most visible part of a radical rethink of downhill bike setup, spearheaded by racer Reece Wilson. According to a deep dive by the GMBN Tech channel, the concept pairs this '-10 reverse stem' with super high-rise handlebars and an unusually long rear end. The stated goal is to achieve a body position more akin to motocross, fundamentally altering how a rider interacts with their bike.

But does it work? Or is it, as Burgtec’s owner Dan Critchlow puts it, just "creating some rage bait out there on the internet"?

The theory: Weighting the front, from the back

On the surface, a shorter stem quickens steering. A negative-length stem should, logically, make a bike impossibly twitchy. But the stem isn't working in isolation; it’s part of a system designed to solve a specific problem: how to keep weight on the front tyre for grip on steep terrain, without pitching the rider over the bars.

The theory, as explained in the video, is that the combination of the reverse stem and high-rise bars (the test setup used a 40 mm rise bar) allows two things to happen at once. The goal is to let the rider weight the front wheel for grip, while simultaneously shifting their centre of mass backwards to avoid going over the bars. As the presenter quoted, "It feels like it pushes the front end real easy like, almost my weight's behind the front axle and it and it pushes the front wheel away from me."

This is complemented by another seemingly contradictory adjustment: a very long chainstay. Wilson is rumoured to be running a 470 mm rear end, a significant jump from the conventional 440-450 mm. The idea here is to move the rider's mass further forward relative to the rear axle, creating a more centred and powerful stance between the wheels.

It’s a holistic approach. The high-rise cockpit also allows the rider to run lower fork pressures and more sag. This increases suppleness and grip, while the tall bars prevent the front end from feeling too low despite the softer setup, attempting to decouple suspension performance from rider position.

The test: A million miles away

To test the theory, the GMBN Tech presenter built up a bike to mimic the setup. Using what he says is the first prototype -10 mm reverse stem Burgtec made for Reece Wilson, he paired it with 10 mm of headset spacers and a 40 mm rise bar rolled forward. He also extended his bike’s rear end to 460 mm.

His first impression before even hitting the dirt? "The front end right now does look a million miles away from where my bars are." It’s a visually jarring setup, and one that feels just as strange initially.

On the trail, the feedback was mixed. In tight, technical corners, the front end felt like it was pushing or washing out—a sensation he wasn't used to and a clear negative. On faster, flowing bike-park-style trails, however, the setup felt good.

The suspension theory seemed to hold up. The bike was noticeably supple, with the presenter noting how it "just seems to eat that up" over rough roots and rocks. But there’s no free lunch in bike setup; the trade-off for that plushness was a feeling that the bike was diving more under compression than his typically stiffer setup.

The verdict: A pro-level tool, not a public revolution

So, is this the future of mountain bike geometry? Based on this first look, no. At least, not for most of us.

What we’re seeing is an incredibly specific solution developed by an elite athlete to solve an elite-level problem. The results for Wilson’s team, as Burgtec owner Dan Critchlow notes, "speak for themselves." But he’s also quick to point out that rider skill is a massive factor.

This setup appears to demand a very active, precise riding style to exploit its benefits while managing significant drawbacks, like the front end pushing in slow, tight turns. It’s a fascinating, holistic approach, but one purpose-built for the razor's edge of World Cup racing, not the weekend warrior.

For now, the reverse stem remains a pro-level curiosity. It’s a brilliant example of the sport's constant evolution, but unless your days are spent wrestling a bike down World Cup tracks, you’re probably better off with a stem that points forwards.