We’re visual creatures, aren’t we? There are certain intangibles that transcend basics like how well something functions, or how light it is, or how it will improve your performance on a bike. Such are the products that prevail in the battle of head vs heart – the ones that draw your gaze, again and again.
In many cases it’s not even clear exactly why some objects have such a gravitational pull. Maybe it’s something you really wanted in some foundational phase of your cycling journey, or that a favourite rider was using, or some other ephemeral connection, imbuing an inanimate object with something like a soul. Maybe it’s all about the shape of it: the confluence of curves and edges that create the whole.
For me, there are two parts that spring to mind. One is a magnesium stem made by Easton 25+ years ago that I first saw in a glass bike shop cabinet. An Easton MG60 eventually came into my possession via a second-hand mountain bike my brother bought from an ex-colleague, then gave to me.
I sold that bike's frame about 15 years ago, but other parts of it are still on a singlespeed in the garage. I’ve still got the Easton MG60 stem, even though it’s not really any use to me now: at 110 mm it’s too long for modern mountain bikes, and it’s the wrong bar diameter anyway. But it still makes my heart go pitter-pat – the smooth lines of its central length; the graceful way it transitions into a squared-off clamp at the fork and handlebar; the embossed Easton logo on the faceplate.
Do I care that reviews of the stem back in the day complained about corrosion that looked like “cancerous-looking growths”? I do not. It is, to me, the most beautiful bicycle stem.
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