Chris Lipnickey posted on October 05, 2010 11:25
As I was on my usual day-off ride I found myself fixated on my stem. Not because it was creaking or slightly off center, or any other weird distraction that can change your focus. Instead, I was blown away by just how solid the Rotor S2 feels and performs.
All stems should hold your bars securely, look good, and be light and stiff right? And they should also reduce stress on your steer tube and handle bar.
My S2 Rotor stem has all the cool engineering one could want and all the other features a bike racer or weight weenie demands! First off, it is light, lighter than the traditional aluminum stem. Next, it is stiff, and the tapered design helps reduce flex and looks good too.
And it features crazy engineering. Besides the complicated machine processed used to create the tapered stem, the bolts have two thread pitches on them. So, on the Rotor S2 the bolts thread into the face plate and the stem body. This means that stress on your handle bar is evenly distributed and it is held securely. And on the steer tube you have the same thing; the stem pulls around the tube, not one side being pushed like on most stems.
When I ride now, I don't really give my stem a second thought. The S2 had been a great platform for handlebar stability!