Dru Posted May 26, 2015 Posted May 26, 2015 Just out of curiosity, what are your experiences with using shorter stems if any? Any real/direct benefit for the casual rider, or is this a thing for the pros.Read up a bit on it, and the obvious consensus is it all comes down to personal preference and/or type of rider or terrain one rides, with the shorter stem being preferred when riding trails etc. for control. Just curious to know what your experiences are.
popcorn_skollie Posted May 26, 2015 Posted May 26, 2015 What bike of bike are you on and what kind of riding do you find yourself enjoying most of the time?
watsonr Posted May 26, 2015 Posted May 26, 2015 I changed from a 110mm stem to a 60mm stem the week before Sani2c this year. Probably not the best timing but it made a noticeable difference. I always felt like I was reaching a bit so for the first time I felt comfortable in my "cockpit" on the bike. Apart from the comfort aspect for me, I found the bike to be much easier to handle on single track and switchbacks. It was far easier for me to maintain control of the handlebar and get my back side off the back of the saddle and nice and low. Didn't have a single fall at Sani and never really came close to losing control at all.
velomonatiCT Posted May 26, 2015 Posted May 26, 2015 on an mtb its about controlon an xc bike a longer stem makes the steering more stable on the flatson a all mountain/trail bike which rides more technical trails a shorter stem makes the steering quicker and more responsive on a road bike its all about fit put too short a stem on your steering and you get a horribly twitchy front end in the climbs and an unstable front end on the descents
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted May 26, 2015 Posted May 26, 2015 My experiences, echoed by many. - More direct control over direction changes (no more tiller syndrome)- Easier to position weight where I need it- Easier to manual etc- better control- slight tendency to wander on climbs, fixed by removing spacers and getting more active on the climbs- Less of a feeling of going over the bars in technical sections (weight distribution is more to the middle of the bike as opposed to over the front axle)- More confidence in the tech sections.
NukeproofPeanut Posted May 26, 2015 Posted May 26, 2015 To give the short answer, assuming you have the correct bike frame:Long stem moves your weight forward over the wheel + feels crappy to control (imo) since it is paired with short bars.Short stem obviously moves you back. But thats usually why you pair a short stem with wider bars. This tends to move you more forward again, plus giving you better leverage in corners.
Dru Posted May 26, 2015 Author Posted May 26, 2015 What bike of bike are you on and what kind of riding do you find yourself enjoying most of the time? Titan Trail 29er. Love my trails, ride a lot of single track
Dru Posted May 26, 2015 Author Posted May 26, 2015 Thanks guys! Quite the informative responses. I'm still trying to define my riding style while finding the perfect bike fit, so at that experimental stage where I need to find what works. Appreciate the input.
rudi-h Posted May 26, 2015 Posted May 26, 2015 short stems and wide bars rock. thats all edit: my history of bars and stems long ago i used to ride 620 bars with a long stem (90mm) - it suckedthen I changed to a 50mm stem using the same bars - it sucked a bit lessthen I bought a new bike stock fit with a 700mm bar and 70mm stem - okay...a few months ago I changed to a 40mm stem and an 800mm bar (15 deg riser) - awesome! every change that I made was a huge improvement, especially the last one!
Ryanpmb Posted May 26, 2015 Posted May 26, 2015 on a all mountain/trail bike which rides more technical trails a shorter stem makes the steering quicker and more responsive Tend to disagree with this. A shorter stem with a shorter bar would give you quicker steering. Actually a shorter bar in general provides this. Trail bike frames are being made with longer top tubes, requiring shorter stems to accommodate the extra reach. These are coupled with wider bars to provide a more stable, confident steering.
LazyTrailRider Posted May 26, 2015 Posted May 26, 2015 Watch this: http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Tech-Tuesday-Stem-Choice-Cockpit-Setup-2011.html Changing stem length on its own: No. Finding a perfect combination between stem length and bar width: Yes. The really short answer (pardon the pun) is that a shorter stem needs to be paired with a wider bar.
Ryanpmb Posted May 26, 2015 Posted May 26, 2015 short stems and wide bars rock. thats all Insightful.
Dru Posted May 26, 2015 Author Posted May 26, 2015 on an mtb its about controlon an xc bike a longer stem makes the steering more stable on the flatson a all mountain/trail bike which rides more technical trails a shorter stem makes the steering quicker and more responsive on a road bike its all about fit put too short a stem on your steering and you get a horribly twitchy front end in the climbs and an unstable front end on the descents Thanks. Yeah, will be about finding the perfect fit. I love my descents (who doesn't) so don't wanna compromise of that. Still working on my climbs.
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