I’ve been moaning and groaning about the thought of buying a new bike for some time now, as I slowly see my Colnago C59 get more and more antiquated. I mean, who rides a bike with mechanical shifting and, god forbid, rim brakes?

Well, I don’t have a house to mortgage, so I’m going to try my hand at making the bike at least look modern.

This is the Deda Alanera monocoque stem/bar unit, which costs nearly as much a bike would 20 years ago, but since I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, I’m going for it. I’ve always appreciated the aesthetic and feel of flat-top handlebars, for one, and one piece rather than two appeals to me, too. I suppose there’s aero value there, but I don’t ride fast enough these days for that to matter. And, of course, Deda is Italian, so I can graft this onto the Colnago with little worry of rejection.

Does anyone out there ride something like this? Any reviews?