Yes, a stem is only one piece of hardware. But to the discerning eye of the old-skool track rider, a track stem is one of the defining details of the bike. The stem is the focal point of the bike, one of the first places the eye will settle. The eye naturally looks for the stem to drop below horizontal, leading graciously down towards a beautiful set of pista bars. And the stem should be sleek, narrow, and not bulbous. Longer is better too. Comfort be damned!

We're talking esthetics here, not functionality or comfort. Functionally, bullhorns beat pista bars on the street and the stem can angle any which way. And when it comes to comfort -- well, many, er, old-skool riders have stiffer old-skool vertabrae which might prefer a shorter, rising stem. But who cares if my back hurts, we're talking about a thing of beauty, an image of speed, grace and elegance. Esthetically, there's just no substitute for the drop angle. Not only does it accentuate the downward slope of the front of the pista bars themselves, but it gives the whole bike an aerodynamic, go-fast look.

The stem itself. A right-angled, 90-degree bend is not enough. When you factor in the backward lean of the head tube angle, the stem needs to be much more acute than 90 degrees to achieve its below-horizontal drop. So you'll see angles in track stems varying from 65 degrees in the newer Cinelli stems, 65 and 58 degrees in contemporary Nittos and TTT's, to even steeper drops of up to 45 degrees in the older Cinellis. In this, smaller is better. Some stems have the drop with an adjustable length, such as on this 1941 Schwinn Paramount at Bike Works. (When you get to that page, scroll down for a closeup of the stem.)

I'm not sure why track stems traditionally have more drop more than road stems. I do have a theory. One reason is that the drop lowers the angle of the rider's torso by getting the hands lower. (Lowering the torso also accounts for the greater drop in the curvature of pista bars compared to road bars.) The other reason might be greater strength. The track racer supposedly spends more time accelerating and sprinting, which create forces that pull up and back against the stem. If the stem were to lean upward, the rider's up-and-back force would be out of line with the stem, and could contribute to bending it. But with a drop stem, the rider's pulling vector is more parallel to the line of the stem. Just a theory.

This is an old-skool esthetic we're talking about. These days it's different. New-skool track stems are mostly threadless, and may have a horizontal or even upward angle, given the wide variety of track frame designs. Strength is not an issue -- stems will take whatever the rider can dish out. The stem's job is easy. Not to look beautiful, but to help achieve a cockpit position for the rider that's comfortable, aerodynamic, efficient, and in harmony with the frame.

Enjoy our gallery of old-skool track stems. Some are newer, some are older. But all have that drop. And if you have one to send in, please do. You'll see it here!