Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted October 19, 2015 Share I see you run a very short stem on your bike, what will the affect be in handling? I have a 90mm stem and flat bar on my Merida full susser, had a raiser handlebar on with the 90mm stem, but put it back on my ht for wife and son who uses it now mostly, I felt much more comfortable with that setup. I'm thinking of leaving the flat bar on my full susser but to put a shorter stem on, no longer than 50mm. I like a more upright riding position because of lower back operations I had. I need advice because it it seems to me that you've got quite good experience.Howdy BSG, The stem on there atm is a 50mm jobbie, that comes standard on the new Reign. It's paired with a mahoooosive 800mm wide bar, also standard equipment with the Reign. My initial impressions coming from a 40mm stem / 780mm bar combo (same rise, different sweep) on my old bike (30mm shorter on the top tube, 45mm shorter on the reach) were initially along the lines of "HOLY CRAP, this is WIDE!" Given that I'm still in the testing stages, it's still too early to tell what direction I'm going to go, but initial impressions are that I want to shorten the stem in order to get a slightly faster steering response, given that I do not want to cut the bars just yet (as that's irreversible) Ideally I want a steering response somewhere between where it is at the moment, and Iwan's Hungry Monkey hardtail (which is RAZOR sharp) without spending north of R15k for a good carbon wheelset, which also contributes hugely to the steering response. But back to your question. And yes, I know: TL;DR My experience is limited (yes, I'm a *** rider) but I read a metric ****-ton of stuff online which is written by people who know a shedload more than me. Essentially, a shorter stem will sharpen steering response, which is why a move to a shorter stem is traditionally paired with a move to a wider bar, which more or less balances the steering response out. Without knowing how wide your current setup is (it would help to know) I would recommend starting with the 50mm stem, which will lessen the load on your back whilst also positioning you slightly further behind the front axle when out of the saddle, which consequently improves your handling on the rough stuff as your weight is no longer as far over the front of the bike. I'd pair that with a wider bar to begin with, as you may find the handling is slightly too quick / skittish at speed with the shorter stem but same width bar. I don't know how much length you have on your steerer, but a good place to start on the wider bar journey is with Rapide components, who do a FANTASTIC 15mm rise 780mm bar with a reasonable (9 degree) sweep, for only R 309 delivered (actual price R229, delivery charge of R80) HERE If you have enough space on your steerer to jack that up a bit, and place spacers underneath it, then it's a good option. However - if you find that you NEED more rise than that bar offers, when paired with the shorter stem, then I'm afraid that the exercise becomes a bit more expensive as there aren't any other bars that come remotely close to that option ito price. You may, however, find that the 15mm rise is enough when paired with the shorter stem For the stem, I'd recommend the KCNC Bear Claw, which can be found for approx R300 or so, or the Ryder stems, which are also around that figure... FWIW - every single person that has changed from a long stem / narrow bar to a short stem / wide bar has been absolutely amazed at the difference it offers in terms of handling and confidence in the rough stuff. It's something I would advocate for every single person who isn't a race snake. Even then, the benefits of moving to a short / wide setup significantly outweigh the potential weight penalties. BSG, Robodog, NicNacDH and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanD Posted October 19, 2015 Share you're going to love that combo...Hope so, went on your advice seeing as though last time it worked our really well:) Captain Fastbastard Mayhem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarHugger Posted October 19, 2015 Share Howdy BSG, The stem on there atm is a 50mm jobbie, that comes standard on the new Reign. It's paired with a mahoooosive 800mm wide bar, also standard equipment with the Reign. My initial impressions coming from a 40mm stem / 780mm bar combo (same rise, different sweep) on my old bike (30mm shorter on the top tube, 45mm shorter on the reach) were initially along the lines of "HOLY CRAP, this is WIDE!" Given that I'm still in the testing stages, it's still too early to tell what direction I'm going to go, but initial impressions are that I want to shorten the stem in order to get a slightly faster steering response, given that I do not want to cut the bars just yet (as that's irreversible) Ideally I want a steering response somewhere between where it is at the moment, and Iwan's Hungry Monkey hardtail (which is RAZOR sharp) without spending north of R15k for a good carbon wheelset, which also contributes hugely to the steering response. But back to your question. And yes, I know: TL;DR My experience is limited (yes, I'm a *** rider) but I read a metric ****-ton of stuff online which is written by people who know a shedload more than me. Essentially, a shorter stem will sharpen steering response, which is why a move to a shorter stem is traditionally paired with a move to a wider bar, which more or less balances the steering response out. Without knowing how wide your current setup is (it would help to know) I would recommend starting with the 50mm stem, which will lessen the load on your back whilst also positioning you slightly further behind the front axle when out of the saddle, which consequently improves your handling on the rough stuff as your weight is no longer as far over the front of the bike. I'd pair that with a wider bar to begin with, as you may find the handling is slightly too quick / skittish at speed with the shorter stem but same width bar. I don't know how much length you have on your steerer, but a good place to start on the wider bar journey is with Rapide components, who do a FANTASTIC 15mm rise 780mm bar with a reasonable (9 degree) sweep, for only R 309 delivered (actual price R229, delivery charge of R80) HERE If you have enough space on your steerer to jack that up a bit, and place spacers underneath it, then it's a good option. However - if you find that you NEED more rise than that bar offers, when paired with the shorter stem, then I'm afraid that the exercise becomes a bit more expensive as there aren't any other bars that come remotely close to that option ito price. You may, however, find that the 15mm rise is enough when paired with the shorter stem For the stem, I'd recommend the KCNC Bear Claw, which can be found for approx R300 or so, or the Ryder stems, which are also around that figure... FWIW - every single person that has changed from a long stem / narrow bar to a short stem / wide bar has been absolutely amazed at the difference it offers in terms of handling and confidence in the rough stuff. It's something I would advocate for every single person who isn't a race snake. Even then, the benefits of moving to a short / wide setup significantly outweigh the potential weight penalties.Thanks Prof. Yours grateful, Hibernating Lizard Edited October 19, 2015 by BarHugger AlanD and Captain Fastbastard Mayhem 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted October 19, 2015 Share Thanks Prof. Yours grateful, Hibernating LizardLOL. I can babble on a bit, given enough time. BSG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSG Posted October 19, 2015 Share Howdy BSG, The stem on there atm is a 50mm jobbie, that comes standard on the new Reign. It's paired with a mahoooosive 800mm wide bar, also standard equipment with the Reign. My initial impressions coming from a 40mm stem / 780mm bar combo (same rise, different sweep) on my old bike (30mm shorter on the top tube, 45mm shorter on the reach) were initially along the lines of "HOLY CRAP, this is WIDE!" Given that I'm still in the testing stages, it's still too early to tell what direction I'm going to go, but initial impressions are that I want to shorten the stem in order to get a slightly faster steering response, given that I do not want to cut the bars just yet (as that's irreversible) Ideally I want a steering response somewhere between where it is at the moment, and Iwan's Hungry Monkey hardtail (which is RAZOR sharp) without spending north of R15k for a good carbon wheelset, which also contributes hugely to the steering response. But back to your question. And yes, I know: TL;DR My experience is limited (yes, I'm a *** rider) but I read a metric ****-ton of stuff online which is written by people who know a shedload more than me. Essentially, a shorter stem will sharpen steering response, which is why a move to a shorter stem is traditionally paired with a move to a wider bar, which more or less balances the steering response out. Without knowing how wide your current setup is (it would help to know) I would recommend starting with the 50mm stem, which will lessen the load on your back whilst also positioning you slightly further behind the front axle when out of the saddle, which consequently improves your handling on the rough stuff as your weight is no longer as far over the front of the bike. I'd pair that with a wider bar to begin with, as you may find the handling is slightly too quick / skittish at speed with the shorter stem but same width bar. I don't know how much length you have on your steerer, but a good place to start on the wider bar journey is with Rapide components, who do a FANTASTIC 15mm rise 780mm bar with a reasonable (9 degree) sweep, for only R 309 delivered (actual price R229, delivery charge of R80) HERE If you have enough space on your steerer to jack that up a bit, and place spacers underneath it, then it's a good option. However - if you find that you NEED more rise than that bar offers, when paired with the shorter stem, then I'm afraid that the exercise becomes a bit more expensive as there aren't any other bars that come remotely close to that option ito price. You may, however, find that the 15mm rise is enough when paired with the shorter stem For the stem, I'd recommend the KCNC Bear Claw, which can be found for approx R300 or so, or the Ryder stems, which are also around that figure... FWIW - every single person that has changed from a long stem / narrow bar to a short stem / wide bar has been absolutely amazed at the difference it offers in terms of handling and confidence in the rough stuff. It's something I would advocate for every single person who isn't a race snake. Even then, the benefits of moving to a short / wide setup significantly outweigh the potential weight penalties.Whow that's a mouth full, I really appreciate your input a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mental Mamba Posted October 20, 2015 Share letting my dark side out with the new set of darkhorses... Edited October 20, 2015 by Mental Mamba Steven Knoetze (sk27), Donovan Le Cok, Eon du Plessis and 11 others 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterj Posted October 20, 2015 Share Bought this 2nd hand Zipp Carbon wheels from my lbs for only a R1000. AlanD, gummibear and BenReaper 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rouxtjie Posted October 20, 2015 Share Just finished building my dream bike...can't wait for the first ride tomorrowbig congratz mike....very nice hoor oompie se *** is in die pos nou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyZee Posted October 20, 2015 Share Just ordered A set of Rotor QXL (4 bolt 53/36) chainrings from velotech services. I sincerely hope I get it, given the state of our postal service Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopkop Posted October 20, 2015 Share IMG-20151002-WA0014.jpg letting my dark side out with the new set of darkhorses...DUDE...HOTT!!!!! congrats mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Knoetze (sk27) Posted October 20, 2015 Share Bought this 2nd hand Zipp Carbon wheels from my lbs for only a R1000. WHAT!!!!! Thats such a good deal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximis Posted October 21, 2015 Share Big thanks to Ed from DA BOMB for meeting me on two occasions to have a look at his stuff. I bought this saddle from him today, cant wait to try it out later! Ed really has some awesome stuff, great quality and well priced stuff! NicNacDH, BenReaper, AlanD and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rock Posted October 21, 2015 Share Bought this 2nd hand Zipp Carbon wheels from my lbs for only a R1000. I assume they are fake right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odinson Posted October 21, 2015 Share I assume they are fake right? Stolen or they're from 1993. Captain Fastbastard Mayhem and Steven Knoetze (sk27) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gummibear Posted October 21, 2015 Share Bought this 2nd hand Zipp Carbon wheels from my lbs for only a R1000.Are the hubs and spokes white or is it just from the flash? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eon du Plessis Posted October 21, 2015 Share IMG-20151002-WA0014.jpg letting my dark side out with the new set of darkhorses...I really want that wheelset... Plus a Bogus paint job to make my frame fit it better. Edited October 21, 2015 by Eon du Plessis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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