So, I’ve got some nice new forks to put on my Parkwood frame. From riding with the old forks, I’m sure I’ll want the stem as low as possible.

Should I just cut the steerer to fit without spacers? I’m not running a particularly low stack stem at the moment, and I reckon if I change frame at any point I wouldn’t want to raise the bars anyway, but I wouldn’t want to limit my choice.

(Looking at, say, specialized camber and OO Codeine frames, the head tubes in my size frame are a little shorter).

So do I dare cut it exact and not allow for future longer head tubes?

cut it long and run a few spacers above the stem.

^^^^ This ^^^^

Or cut it long run a couple under and a couple over.
See how it rides, adjust again to suit, but maybe leave a spacer above for future adjustment?

Definitely leave it long. I was glad I had when I added an angleset to my bike which meant a change to an external upper cup and shortened the forks at the same time, both of which required extra steerer length.

Just chop it, show some commitment man!

Well I’m definitely not going to want to run the stem higher, I know that for sure from the forks I previously had on it. I know I could get 10 or 15mm out of a different stem too, and I don’t plan on putting an angleset on it.

I’m just off out to the garage, I may be some time.

Cut it so you have enough for a couple of spacers and a reasonable height stem clamp then use a riser stem if needed laterly

I’ve just put some new Pikes on my Solaris. I’ve put about 10mm of spacers above stem, which leaves it way longer than i should ever need it to be.

Better safe than sorry though!

good advice here

Take the stem and all the spacers off, cut the steerer 4cm too short, sit and have a little cry. That’s what I do.

It’s written somewhere by somebody clever that if you run the stem directly on the top cap it increases shear force on the steerer by 23.86756446777789 % ( this figure might be wrong )
So you want at leas a 5 mm in there apparently