Ritchey has a well-deserved rep for making strong, light, relatively inexpensive parts. They're never as flashy as Italian stuff, but they're always reliable. Kind of like their marquee rider of forever, Thomas Frischknecht. He's not the most exciting rider, but he's always there. While they have a number of admirable components, their stems seem to stand out from the rest.

The Ritchey WCS 4Axis OS Stem not only has the company's design hallmarks, but is good looking to boot. The polished aluminum stem cap is a nice contrast to the flat black stem body. The two upper and lower bolts are minimal while providing a comforting redundancy and the round contours of both the faceplate and the stem cradle handlebars nicely. Of particular importance is the fact that a bit over half the handlebar rests on the stem itself, not the faceplate, so clamping force is not the only thing holding the handlebars. On the back end, the angled steerer clamp (the slot is diagonal while most make it vertical) helps prevent pinching and scratching of lightweight alloy and carbon steerer tubes.

The Ritchey WCS 4Axis OS Stem is designed to work with 31.8mm diameter handlebars and 1 1/8" steerer tubes. There is a sleeve included with the stem for those running 1" steerers. The stem angle is +/-6 degrees (aka 84/96 degrees). The stem is forged from 2014 aluminum. The four stem and two steerer bolts are stainless steel, and torque specs are printed on the stem for convenience. The finish is bead blasted black with Ritchey logos. 125g (110mm.)