Originally Posted by absntr
I'll add another alternative to the list - a Salsa SUL stem. The cromoly ones. Superstiff and strong and with a thin look (non-bulky/bulgy) which make them a perfect match for the thinner look of steel frames. Not sure if you can get em in silver but they look good with a Soma:
They are thin. That's a good thing. But it does need to be silver. My take on lugged frames is that they need silver parts (rims excepted- they can be silver, black, gray or any blend of the three
), unless they're Richard Sachs frames. And even then, the Campagnolo Pista gruppo he'd spec is still silver- only the modern Campagnolo road componentry has gone to mostly black.
Hey, are you the guy with the Soma with the Phils and Cinelli Alter stem? What made you change it out? Maybe I'm thinking about another bike.