my thomson 70mm has been great and it doesnt look bad at all if you are concerned that your stem will look unusual at a shorter length

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...5&category=885
deda elementi 26.ox70mm

got that for my steamroller.
got the 59cm frame cuz the height fitted better than the 56cm frame.
however this resulted in a longer top tube.
that stem solved the problem.
solid so far.

Easton has some in those sizes too.

Thompson is 31.8mm right? The bars I want (nitto RB-021) are 26mm, are there adapters that help mate them or does Thompson make any 26mm stems?

sure: http://tinyurl.com/lvxq4g

I think you should just get a 90 and go from there -- common size found on most completes. how are you so certain you'll need such a short stem? if the top tube is too long, you have the wrong size frame.

It's a tad longer than my fit calculator specifies, so I will get a slightly shorter stem. 80mm is the magic number. I found everything I need. Thanks guys!

The thomson comes in 25.4 which fits most 26.0 bars almost perfectly.

The only real disadvantage I've found to having a shorter stem (or in my case, I have weird shaped track drops that I've tilted inward. . . wrong frame size, but looks ok) is that I feel much less comfortable out of the saddle pushing up hills. The bike looses that natural sway. The handling effects are MUCH more noticeable then. having said that, if I keep this bike, it'll get a short stem and some decent handlebars. Fit seems more important for comfort than "feel"

So, what do you guys think? Nitto UI-G5X vs. Salsa?

And seat posts:
Salsa vs. Miche?

I've already decided thompson is too expensive for me. And nitto 80mm threadless in black or gold is hard to find!!