It’s 3D-forged, whereby cold aluminium is squashed until it flows through high stress areas in the stem body, before being CNC finished. Together with a final shot-peening (a surface hardening), this brings excellent strength and fatigue resistance.

>>> The best mountain bike stems

The engineering precision even extends to sculpting within the centre of the steerer section, and aggressively shaped, minimal bar clamps to better direct torsional loads into the stem.

The lightweight, titanium M6 hardware uses a higher 8Nm torque setting for extra hold, and the opposing bolts are cleverly tucked away from knees within cutaways.

With a low stack height, six-degree rise (that can be flipped), and 10mm length increments, there’s a range of bar positions for all frame sizes. In this respect, Syntace really has ticked all the boxes.

It’s hard to believe how rock-solid this stem is on the bike. The steering precision, sensation of control, and lack of vibration in the hands feels perfect.

The Megaforce 2 is mega expensive, but comes with a 10-year guarantee and, if money were no object, would be our first choice.