Zipp 145SL stem

It's certainly not cheap, but this carbon fibre masterpiece will beef up and beautify any cockpit. We’re often worried about the integrity of carbon gear, but Zipp’s stem is created from no fewer than 50 separate pieces of carefully hand-wrapped carbon fibre.

The six titanium bolts for the faceplate and rear steerer clamp are sourced from the same supplier as Ducati’s Moto GP programme too. The result is an impressively light (136g in 100mm) oversized diameter thin-walled shaft that feels rock solid on the bike, however hard you corner or wring its neck when climbing.

The chunky alloy faceplate gets a polished and engraved logo around the centre hole and it comes in a snazzy silver tin. Zipp also include a carbon steerer cap and removable alloy shim so it’ll fit one-inch aero bike steerers.