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If I fit a longer stem to lengthen my effective reach, will I need to shorten my bars to compensate?
And vice versa, if I shorten my stem, will I be better to have slightly longer bars?
The bars on my new gravel bike are a bit wider than I'm used to so yes, a shorter stem is on the cards
If I fit a longer stem to lengthen my effective reach, will I need to shorten my bars to compensate?
Depends what you want to achieve? A longer stem with a narrower bar or a shorter stem with a wider bar can keep your upper body in roughly the same position when seated. The bike will handle differently though.
Depends what you want to achieve? A longer stem with a narrower bar or a shorter stem with a wider bar can keep your upper body in roughly the same position when seated. The bike will handle differently though.
Long story short, I’m experimenting, and have moved my bars across from one bike to another (with a slightly longer effective reach) and they feel a bit too wide. I’m also thinking about putting a slightly longer stem on my main bike too.
If you have a bike with what feels like slightly too long a reach - what would be the best setup here?
Would it be 50mm stem / 760mm bars
35mm stem / 780mm bars
Depends what you’re mainly using the bike for?
It's a mountain bike, so a mix of climbing and descending natural singletrack and some trail centres.
A longer stem and narrower bars is generally better for climbing (and threading through tight gaps in trees etc), whereas a shorter stem and wider bars tends to be better for descending.
However it also depends on the reach measurement of the bike. If the reach is on the shorter side, a shorter stem can make it feel cramped, and make it hard to put pressure on the front wheel.
For general riding, I think most would recommend the slightly longer stem and narrower bars.