On Friday, May 19, 2017 at 2:56:51 PM UTC-7, Andre Jute wrote:
On Friday, May 19, 2017 at 7:23:38 PM UTC+1, Doug Landau wrote:

One stem is better than another...?

Of course. The best stems are the ones I have laid hands on to bless them with my rational magic. If you can't afford one of my magic stems, these, available to committed cyclists with really distinguished purple or platinum cards. are superior to all others:

* Gazelle Switch
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Gazelle+Sw...ai=wJaHClHMaOk
This is a toollessly adjustable stem, which allows you to set the handlebars at any height, and to rotate the handlebars in the clamp. With the handlebars on my Gazelle Toulouse (a luxurious vakansiefiets or holiday tourer, basically an optioned-up Dutch commuter) set as low as they would go and rotated to put the grips on my North Road bars almost vertical so that my back was flat, on standard 38mm tyres I set a ton-up record, truck assisted of course (I'm only adding this obvious point for the benefit of morons like Frank Krygowski, who when I first reported the feat tried to make me out a liar, which is why I still kick that little man's slack arse every time I smell it). My Toulouse is he
http://coolmainpress.com/BICYCLING.html
Uno (Kalloy) makes a crude copy of the Switch that is generally carried by the bigger LBS but I can't seem to find a pic of it. Here's the Satori (made? branded?) version:
http://bicycletimesmag.com/userfiles/untitled-33.jpg

* n'lock
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=3930.0
This stem unlocks the stem from the steerer tube, something like a car steering lock, and makes the bike unrideable, a very effective form of theft prevention. It saves carrying the weight of a U-lock and that tiresome business of bending over the bike and getting your hands dirty in its nether regions every time you lock or unlock your bike. Some n'lock kits come with optional parts to raise the handlebars, and some n'locks are adjustable. n'lock also sells a handlebar with a length of cable attached inside as an added disincentive to thieves, and various other lengths of cable for paranoid owners to lock up their wheels etc. All cables release with a single turn of the key on the stem. Photos of an installation and use at the link if you scroll down.

Andre Jute
Only the best is likely to be acceptable

I'd be afraid of these. Seems like the stem already experiences more than its fair share of failures.