Since there are a lot of CAAD10 owners on this forum, I wanted to find out: how did you guys lower your handlebars? The CAAD10 manual says that it is not ok to place spacers above the stem, which means that if you want to lower the stem, you pretty much have to cut the steerer tube. Does anyone know why Cannondale recommends against placing spacers above the stem?

A few questions:

1. Is there much of a difference between lowering the stem vs getting a stem that has a steeper downwards angle (larger drop)? This could prevent cutting the steerer tube too much. The stock CAAD10 C3 stem barely has any angle and flipping it didn't lower the handlebars much.
2. How did you decide on the right stem for you? Any stem recommendations for aggressive geometry at a reasonable price? Don't care much about the weight.
3. Has anyone cut their own steerer tube?

I am going to call a couple of shops tomorrow to find out about this, but it would help if I have some idea before talking to them. One of the threads I read mentioned that shops cut the tube for about $10. That seems sort of low, but at that price I wouldn't hesitate have them do it for me, if cutting is indeed the way to go.

Thanks.