Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

forum
road.cc bike forum

60mm stem.....will I die?

by slowclimb
Wed, Mar 02, 2016 11:08
7

Basically the issue I have is I need to get the fit on my winter bike and CX bike as close as I can to the Retul fit I had done on the Merida or the pirformis sydrome rears its ugly (and painful) head again!
Its been easy enough on the CX bike - 90 mm stem and a set of short reach compact bars has got me within millimetres of it.
On the old Giant its not been so easy

Scultura 
415mm saddle nose to middle of headset
500mm nose of saddle to middle of stem
615mm nose of saddle to back of brake hood (top)
Winter bike
460 headset (450)*
565mm handlebar centre (c550)*
Saddle to back of hoods 670mm
Hoods to middle of bars 125mm

The Giant has a 100mm stem on just now and longer reach bars, you can see with getting a 60mm stem I would get the reach down to 510mm and with compact bars the hoods would be closer too, I think 10mm here and there will be fine, I'm not an inflexible cripple yet...
On that note I think I could cope with a 70mm stem if you think the handling would be mad with a 60mm.

* these figures are with the saddle as far forward as it can safely go.
 

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

Add new comment

7 comments

Avatar
drjohn | 8 years ago
0 likes

It will give you slower steering, but be more steady at low speed. What also matters is where your weight is relative to the headset. If you set everything way back (like a sit-up-and-beg) the steering slows down because you are no longer "on top" of the steerer tube.  

But first, what about the position of the saddle nose relative to the botton bracket? I replicate that setting before I try to fix the distance from the nose to the bars. Otherwise, I just naturally sit further back or forward on the saddle and my body position changes.

Avatar
slowclimb | 8 years ago
0 likes

Yeah you're right chaps the winter big has a way too long top tube, I think the combination of age and injuries has made it more noticeable, it used to be fine (like most people it's my old good bike, a giant tcr) 

i just want to get some use out of it to save my good bike. I didn't really realise what long legs and a short back I had until I had the Retul done 

I'm just trying to adjust it close to the Retul as I can.

Avatar
CXR94Di2 | 8 years ago
1 like

After a few miles you will of adapted to the different steering feel, job done ☺

Avatar
dottigirl | 8 years ago
1 like

First instinct is as YW says above - the frame is too big. Putting the saddle so far forward will affect your pedaling too - part of the bike fit should have included fore/aft saddle position.

Regarding steering, as long as your bars are still 40cm+ width, it shouldn't be too twitchy.

Avatar
Yorkshie Whippet | 8 years ago
2 likes

Sounds like the winter frame is the wrong size. 

Avatar
rnick | 8 years ago
2 likes

I've switched from a 100mm to 60mm...and am still alive.  Can't say I notice this as being unduly twitchy and certainly not life threatening.  I don't think an inch or two makes a differencewink

Avatar
matthewn5 | 8 years ago
1 like

It will be fine, if you have bars with a longer reach then you can afford a shorter stem. In fact you can run the stem backwards and it will still work - true!

That's because it's the rake and the trail which actually makes a bike sharp or slow to steer, not the stem, though you'll certainly notice the difference between a very short or a very long stem.

Latest Comments