Weight-focused alloy stems live or die on how much material you can remove without turning the handlebar-to-steerer junction into a flex point, and the Roval Alpinist Stem hits 110 grams in the 110mm length by pairing a 7075 aluminum body with titanium hardware. The construction is 3D forged and then CNC machined, which lets Roval pull material from low-stress areas while keeping the load paths intact between the steerer clamp and faceplate.

The titanium bolts are doing real work here. Steel hardware on a stem this size adds meaningful weight relative to the aluminum body, so swapping to Ti is one of the few places you can shave grams without changing the structural geometry. Ti hardware also resists corrosion and stays workable over time, which matters if you ever need to swap bars or adjust reach down the road.

Fit options are where the Alpinist earns its spot on a build sheet. Seven lengths cover the range most road riders will need, and three rise angles give you room to dial stack without stacking spacers under the stem or flipping it upside down for cosmetics you'd rather avoid. The 31.8mm bar clamp matches the traditional road standard, so it drops into almost any current-generation cockpit without adapters or shims.... Read More