We also want to point out the 3T Status model is one of only a few Racing Team Services' models (with forged aluminum alloy construction) that has a one-piece clamp design and a partially hidden clamp bolt (meaning the clamp bolt is nicely tucked away on the underside of the stem body). We mention this because some of our colleagues believe there may be inherent weakness in stem clamps when the design includes a detachable face plate or is hinged in some manner. The thought here is that anything other than a solid/continuous (one-piece) design using forged alloy materials is going to result in potential weakness at the pivot (hinged) points or anchor points (in the case of detachable face plates). We do not have any hard data to substantiate these claims, but we thought the discussion points were still worth noting. Having said all of this, we do believe (and think most would agree) that a solid one-piece clamp design is at least equal in strength and durability to the other designs available on the market. The drawback, of course, is the inconvenience of handlebar installation relative to some of these other designs (although, as noted below, 3T modified the design of the traditional one-piece clamp with their Status model to facilitate the handlebar install/uninstall task).

It's been our experience that most of these one-piece clamps are only threaded in the main body of the stem. In other words, a clamp bolt will slide through the first section of the bolt-hole, but will not thread until it reaches the the bolt-hole section in the main body of the stem...at which time the clamp bolt will thread and cinch down on the handlebars.

The 3T Status stem is different in that it's bolt-hole is also threaded in this first section. 3T's reason for this added design feature is to aid in the expansion of the stem clamp to facilitate handlebar installation. This is accomplished by completely unthreading the clamp bolt, pulling out the rubber washer/spacer and inserting/holding a coin (or equivalent small/flat metal object) in place of the rubber washer/spacer. Once the coin is in place, re-thread the clamp bolt until the end of it comes into contact with the coin. At this point, continue to slowly thread the clamp bolt and the added pressure applied to the coin (while not allowing the clamp bolt to enter the main body of the stem) will slowly expand the stem clamp opening without marring the finish on the bars or stem. The bars still have to be clean (meaning no tape, cable, levers, etc.) to install/uninstall them...so this feature is still not the equivalent of a hinged design or detachable face plate in terms of convenience. However, we thought the preservation of cosmetic condition during the install/uninstall process with one of these stems was still worth noting...and a nice feature not commonly found on stems with solid one-piece clamp designs.

All of our 3T offerings are in new and unused condition (unless otherwise noted) and this particular stem is new and in it's original retail box. Although, we should mention that some of the boxes have seen better days, but the stems we have inspected thus far look good (and we will inspect each one before it goes out to ensure first quality).