Redshift stem on a road bike?

Is it vibration or position that causes the pain? My shoulder and neck issues were too low a front end. Made worse by venturing on to the drops. A new bike with more endurance/sportive geometry sorted it.

if it is vibration, you could go larger front tyre and tubeless

In the nicest possible way.... if roads are making you sore could it be that your position is not right. Equally is road ridng an occasional thing and it's just lack of muslce memory?
My experience of Redshift is that they fill a tiny gap between going being fine with drop bars off road and needing suspension forks and thus to me pointless. I just ease up.
They may help you but I reckon there are better choices to start with.

It is most likely a bike fit issue but could be how you are riding. If you ride with straight arms and stiff neck it will cause issues as will too long/too low stem, fore/aft saddle amongst other things.

I use them on my road and gravel bikes, but that's because I have knackered arthritic wrists that a bike fit won't fix. I'm now looking towards recumbents, but money is the obstacle.

I know 'healthy' people do find them beneficial on road, especially for very long distance rides, or if your local roads are particularly bad, but that's in relation to hand and wrist pain.

As above, higher volume tyres and checking bike fit may be enough to solve your issues if it's shoulder and neck?

Can you flip the stem, put fatter tyres on and lower pressure?

Bars are too far away and/or too low. How long is the head tube? Shorter and/or flipped stem required. By all means add some cushioning, but over extension is your cause.

Just about all road going vehicles have suspension of some sort and, dont just rely on tyres for comfort and road holding etc.

I've got a dodgy back which is exacerbated if in the same position for ages, just like on a road bike. Off road the redshift stem does take the buzz off gravel stuff and allows me to ride for longer. On road I'd say unless your tarmac is horrific you'll find the feeling of it moving a distraction and weird. If you spend a lot of time road riding you're probably better off getting wider tyres (30mm minimum) setting them up tubeless and playing with pressures.
More in depth review here
https://ukgravelco.com/redshift-shock-stem/
If you do get one, get the pro version, it's a little lighter and the elastomer swap is easier

30 yrs of upper back and neck pain/tension was recently massively improved by learning to do "chin tucks" properly and activating the deep neck flexors . I started a thread about it a while back (and have also owned a redshift btw which didn't impress but many love) . Before discovering the massive importance of isolating and strengthening those muscles I would have found it difficult to believe the improvement in a very short time ...in fact on the first day of feeling the muscles activate and doing 3 x sets of 30 , I felt more relief and optimism than numerous visits to various physical therapists and daily regular massage . I had thought it was chronic tension but it was weak deep neck flexors hence why it kept coming back . Posture also improved. Good luck and remember ...form is everything with chin tucks and I no longer have neck pain/ upper back tension on rides ( so far at least! )

Just because it's free and easy to do for a couple of rides I'd try shifting your saddle back a bit (15-20mm) to see if the change of C of G means you're supporting your weight less with your shoulders/arms. That might relieve pressure on the shoulder and neck muscles.

Bars are too far away and/or too low. How long is the head tube? Shorter and/or flipped stem required. By all means add some cushioning, but over extension is your cause.

I'm not saying you're wrong, I guess it can go both ways - I had shoulder/neck area muscle tension from riding a bike that was too short for me, I was moving my shoulders back and neck fwd relative to my shoulders to compensate and that got to be a literal pain in the neck. With a longer reach I'm more neutral/balanced in my arm and shoulder position.

Thanks for all the opinions. I have tried lots of them including shorter stems, narrower handlebars with back sweep and running lower pressure in my tyres (currently running 28mm, don't think I can go much bigger due to clearance and 75 psi).

Has not been a good year for me physically, with lots of aches and pains and medical issues that have stopped me cycling. Will look into chin tucks and add them to all the other stretches I do every day.

Apologies for the thread hijack, but has anyone tried a Redshift stem with a Jones H bar or On-One Geoff? The Redshift FAQ says it's good for all positions except out at the ends of the bar, but I usually ride with my hands a bit inboard from there.

In my case the problem is pain from arthritic wrists. I've already fitted Ergon grips, and fatter tyres, as well as having surgery on both my hands. It would be good to know if there's even a bit of benefit from a Redshift stem when using the forward sections of the swept-back portion.

I have one on my winter road bike which doubles as a gravel bike. It’s great for long distance off road events but can’t say I notice any benefit on the road