This part was a pretty easy choice. It’s the stem that we spec on most of our bikes because it is light, available in the right lengths and bombproof. No problem with tiny bolts that break or strip out, the only thing I really want from a stem it that it doesn’t cause me any problems and this one doesn’t.

Especially when you travel a lot, it’s important that the bolts are 1) all the same size; and 2) able to tighten and loosen often. With the Ti bolts in the 3T Arx Team and the Alloy grade used in the stem body, that all works. Beyond that, it’s just a stem.

Oh, and it has a red stripe, which is nice with the red stripe on the frame (the eye wants something too), although I think I would actually like a white stripe (from the Arx Pro) better. Maybe that’ll be a “vanity upgrade” later on.

Although I ride many different bikes throughout the year, I don’t often get a new bike really for myself. My stable currently consists of a 2004 SuperProdigy and a 2009 S3.

For my new bike, I had to stick with an aero frame (I’m so slow I can’t afford to lose any watts to drag). So I went with the most beautiful Cervelo frame of 2011, the WHITE S2. It sports what may be my favorite technical feature of all time, the ICS-3 system. Internal cables without the usual drawbacks of heavy internal housing, high friction or cumbersome routing. You just insert the cables at the top and they pop out at the bottom (for those who don’t have much luck doing this, make sure the frame is level, don’t hold it upside-down). Anyway, there is step 1, I’ll slowly build up my S2 on my blog this month.