What was your thinking behind the custom stem? Looks pretty nice but is there more to it than that?

There’s only 1 reason to choose the “straight” riser + ahead stem instead of the “curved” all-in-one custom-built by Bike Friday after returning them the adjustable one. The reason is the handlebars’ clamp diameter.

Bike Friday’s curved system is 26 mm. They also drill, cut and sleeve the handlebars so you can split them when packing.

The handlebars that work best for me now are the FSA Omega Compact. They come only in the 31,8 mm oversized version. Non-anatomic, 125 mm of drop, 80 mm of reach. I ride in the drops most of the time and have what is considered “medium to small size” hands. So, to get these handlebars on the Bike Friday, you need an oversized clamp, and so the straight riser is the only option. Unfortunately, Bike Friday don’t cut and sleeve 31,8 mm handlebars, but you can still pack them after unscrewing the stem plate.

Both the curved combined and straight riser + stem have the same amount of flex.

Tim LINK of Bike Friday was very helpful to explain all the stem issues: big thanks to him.

What is your total weight with this set-up?

As mentioned above, it’s approx 10 kg with all accessory mounts. The electronic scale was reading 10 050 g. I’m still working on details, so it’s not definite. I could of course reduce the weight to 9 kg, but then I’d have to switch to carbon fiber for components and weaker wheels.

Nice photos of the bike – of course a professional I know but they are really striking.

Thanks! I really appreciate your comment, because it took me about 2 days to make these 3 pictures. Clean the bike, move almost everything to the kitchen (1-room flat), wait for the perfect outside light as I still lack the pro neon lighting I have in Paris, shoot, develop the RAW files, adjust all 3 pictures to match almost exactly color-wise despite cloud and sun movement…

I have a similar bike coming to be built out of my previous PR. but with 105 shifters/brakes/derailleurs, ultegra hubs, and a chris king headset, Alex rims.

What is your total weight with this set-up? Nice photos of the bike – of course a professional I know but they are really striking.