Saffron Frameworks Dream Bike

must follow this thread/frame

@Glws welcome to the party!

Quick question:

What are my options for 10-12 degree stems with thinner tubing diameters (ie not beefy sprinter-style / spaceship things)?

The angle on the Deda isn't going to work aesthetically with the geo we're going for. Suggestions from Matthew are Extralite Hyperstem and Pro PLT:

Extralite seems to pushing the boundaries of how little material you can have before it snaps, which makes me a little nervous. And they're fucking expensive, which doesn't help.

And the Pro PLT is really well priced for what you get but just seems a little... meh.

Are there any other decent options?

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PLT has nicer graphics. Yes that's important. Lol. Clamp bits a bit OTT though.

Of course it's important! : )

Although tbh unless they're already stealthified, I'll be attacking them with acetone / paint anyway.

the deda superleggera is the best looking 12 degrees that i know of, but you seem to have discarded it ?

s-works stem comes in 6 and 12 options, believe this photo is of the 6.

I know! Deda looks sooo nice!

Internet says it's 82 degrees for the Superleggera... I'm (literally) new to this so I have no idea what that means in relation to this 10-12 degree search... but I presumed it was equivalent to 8 degrees?

It's Matthew who's discarded it... I'd probably design the frame around the parts if I was left to my own devices (and it would look like a dog's dinner) but I defer to him in these matters cos he knows what he's doing a lot more than I do!

Oooooh, this looks very promising, cheers.

Unless I've completely misunderstood what angle I'm supposed to be looking for, of course.

-7 degrees:
Fizik stems

-8 degrees:
Deda superleggera/other variants
Giant Contact

-10 degrees:
Pro Vibe
Pro PLT
Pro Sprint
Thomson X2
Ritchey Chicane

-12 Degrees:

Sworks SL
Extralite Hyperstem
Enve Aero stem (with shims)
Specialized Pro set (with shims)
FSA Afterburner
FSA SLK
Zipp SL Sprint
S-Works Venge Stem

Not a complete list, but I've been hunting for 10-12 degree angle stems for ages.

This is exactly why I love this forum!
Cheers @Acliff, that's amazing : )

no you are completely right ! i am mistaken. of course superleggera is 8, in my head it was 2 degrees one way or the other from 10.

that's annoying because the best looking ones are all in the top. thought the sworks is pretty nice

Stealth points awarded.

Interesting that you need a 10-12 on a custom bike. I don't see that very often. What's the thinking there? Curious to hear about Matthew's fitting process.

If you're having a frame brazed, why not have a stem brazed as well?

If you go for a more horizontal top tube, a 10-12 degree stem would look better?

He likes to have the top tube angle and the stem at about the same angle, just for aesthetics. When we were playing around on bike cad, the angle of the Deda looked a bit off.

To begin with this was going to be a traditional horizontal tt frame, then we changed it to 3 degrees, which is subtle enough to more or less look horizontal but gives you a bit more seat post... then we decided to go with 1 1/8th HT and carbon forks, at which point the traditional geo got left behind and we started playing around with a more modern compact design.

All my retro cravings will now be piled into my other bike so this can be more up to date.

I might have got the required angle wrong - he said either Extralite or Pro PLT. I think PLT is 10 degrees but Extralite comes in a few different options so not sure which one he was suggesting.

Basically, the main source of inspiration went from the black bike to the yellow one:

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I did think about it but the weight penalty and the extra cost put me off.

Clearly a custom welded stem is the answer.

Good choice. Looks better with a bit of slope IMO.

Nitto have non custom TIG welded and brazed options available. I have a TIG'd Nitto Sim Works Rhonda and it's a beauty.

I think both Extralite or the S-Works would look grand. Less so the PLT.

I do have safety and price reservations about Extralite but the S-Works appears to solve both of those.

A custom welded stem (from Saffron at least) would cost even more than the Extralite and add a lot of weight. If we can get the correct angle with something cheaper and lighter it would seem disadvantageous to go custom.

Btw, I'd be interested to hear what people say about the Extralite in terms of safety. I'm not a massive rider so maybe I'm worrying over nothing... but those clamping areas kinda give me the fear!

Worth it for the little love heart alone!

@Black_Rainbow_Project ?

Dunno but they're the same price as a custom stem. I'd go that route on aesthetics but that's just me.