This top-of-the-range Easton aluminium alloy stem weighs less than the firm's EC90 carbon composite model. As an added bonus it is stiff, very stiff.
Quality is first rate, performance is first rate and the ease of fitting and quality of the instructions are, you guessed it, also first rate.
Everything is as it should be on a near-perfect stem, although we would like to see domed-head Allen bolts on the steerer clamp rather than the cap-head ones fitted as standard.
The price is a little high compared with the likes of the Hope, Syntace and Thomson offerings, but there is no mistaking that this is a remarkably light, high-performance stem. And it’s backed up by a five-year warranty.