Originally Posted by RiddleOfSteel

Aside #2: What's the big deal with using quill stems on race bikes to get the needed height? Most race bikes at the 63-64cm size and taller run 74° head tube angles. Compact-profile drop bars a la Highway-One have a 26.0mm clamp diameter. The majority of surviving or decent-looking (aka traditional) 26.0mm clamp stems are Specialized or Nitto or a very nice copy of either. There was likely a 73° Specialized stem at some point (and I may have one or two), but many (and all modern Nittos) are 72°. If I need to get bar/hood height up via quill stem and compact drop bar, this effort is negated on two fronts, primarily an aesthetic one. A 74° HT angle combines with a 72° stem to produce a very noticeable 2° downward angle. Not a problem if using traditional profile bars or Noodles, but a death knell for the aesthetics when using a compact bar. The last thing you want is a "mountain range" or "hill-valley-hill" look with your cockpit setup, if you care to avoid it. I am not going to have a--from a side view--downward-angled stem, a level-set handle bar, and an up-angled brake lever. A horizontal top tube bike is best complemented with a horizontal and/or slightly sloping cockpit (but only one "movement" or direction--up or down). This is why bikes around year 2000 looked so awful up front--traditional-angled frames with awkward-looking stems that jutted up out of the headsets, attached to "ergo" drop bars that pointed at the ground (almost like sunken shoulders), with STI levers that were cranked to the sky. A chaotic visual--no order, peace, or theme. Back to my frames: the Allez SE and Impulse have 74.0° HT angles and are thus solution-less at the moment. My Paramount (73.0°) and Expedition (73.3°) have HT angles that allow for a number of stems to be used with compact-profile bars, but it needs to be a 73° stem. I will still notice a 72° stems' downward angle on my Paramount. It's subtle, but with compact bars, it drives anyone's OCD sensitivities a little crazy.