Easton parts are found as original equipment on lots of bikes, but that’s no reason to overlook them an upgrade option. The EA70 stem is tidily forged from Easton’s aluminium alloy, with subtle shaping and relieving cutting weight. The finish is particularly good.
While the front end looks like a regular four-bolt faceplate clamp, it's actually more subtle that that. Rather than aiming to get all four bolts tightened evenly with equal gaps between faceplate and stem top and bottom, Easton’s Top-Lock clamp locks down completely at the top, with the bottom bolts doing the clamping.
Similar ideas are around, but Easton’s is particularly slick and the faceplate can be mounted either way up. This is one of the few stems that's available in low and high rises, giving you lots of fitting options. The shortest length is 70mm, though if you need shorter Easton offer the Haven all-mountain stem.
This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine.