Easton

EC90 SL Stem

The EC90 SL Stem is one of the lightest on the market, but that's a pleasant by-product of Easton's design principles. They set out to produce a stem that can handle the rigors of CX and XC racing. And, even after focusing on strength, this sculpted carbon stem just happens to be light enough for today's ultra-light road bikes.

This makes the EC90 SL a perfect choice for broken pavement, gravel roads, and cobblestone-strewn race courses. Easton uses the same TaperWall carbon construction as its highly respected handlebars. This is not just more material in some areas for strength and less in other zones for weight reduction. It promises a void-free, perfectly clean carbon laminate throughout -- which is the only way to avoid fracturing caused by faulty carbon construction.

Along with TaperWall, Easton adds Top Lock, which immobilizes the face plate against the surface of the stem once the top two titanium faceplate bolts are threaded and torqued properly. It's designed this way so that the stem cannot place uneven pressure on the handlebar. To finish the installation procedure, simply torque the bottom two bolts to spec.

An even distribution of loads to the handlebar is one advantage of Top Lock, another is the faceplate cannot flex around or vibrate when you ride over rough roads. A faceplate that doesn't vibrate cannot wear against the handlebars -- which greatly reduces the chance of weakening your favorite carbon bars.

The Easton EC90 SL Stem is made of Easton Carbon and uses titanium hardware for the faceplate and steerer clamp. It's available in lengths from 80-130mm in 10mm increments. It's sized for 1-1/8" steerer tubes and has an oversized 31.8mm bar clamp diameter and 0° rise. It comes in a Matte Carbon finish.