Forum menu
a) The riders of the conventional road bike type have changed a lot in 5-7 years.
and
d) Its like compact frames, the lighter way to get that fit that some riders want is to just flip the stem, the front end equivalent of a compact frame + long post. No real reason to raise the head tube just to have a flat stem instead. It's only convention and fashion that says it shouldn't be pointing up like that. Newer riders will do what seems right for them and aren't hung up on stem-slamming guff.
It's fashion that puts so many people on carbon race bikes. They're lovely bikes to ride in some ways, no reason why not. A lot of car choices aren't that practical either but they're fun. But I'd hire epicyclo if I had a bike company : )
Dont see the problem with it, the logos are printed both ways up on teh stem so they're obviously designed to go both ways non?
Have we done the untouched drops yet? You can't do a nazi stem and ignore the genocide of the untouched drops.
Have we done the untouched drops yet? You can't do a nazi stem and ignore the genocide of the untouched drops.
And they have to be shallow drops because, (surprise surprise), everyone has their stem set too low.
With any luck, today's fat bellied ex golfist will ride whatever bike he buys for long enough that he will become a mere shadow of his/her former self.
I totally agree with PeterPoddy re having the right tool for the job. If someone buys the 'wrong' bike first time round however, they may end up buying a more suitable one when they work out there is something more appropriate out there. Welcome to the world of n+1.
As for aesthetics though....well that's another ball game. It is terribly subjective though and that is why we end up arguing about it all the time.
jameso
...But I'd hire epicyclo if I had a bike company : )
You'd go broke. Deeply unfashionable, I am. 🙂
I make a point of sneering disapprovingly at any road rider whose bike doesn't conform to my mental image of a road bike.
Problem is the stem on my road bike points upwards and I have a pump attached to my downtube so I have to sneer disapprovingly at myself constantly while riding it.
This actually works quite well because my face then looks like those of all the other serious roadies out there, who are taking it all very seriously and doing their best to not enjoy cycling.
Perhaps proper roadies should start showing how serious they are about the whole thing by mounting their stem under the head tube for a proper slammed set-up??
In the old days you'd do this:
[img] 
[/img]
to get the bars at the right height for you, now you can't because of threadless headsets, so you flip the stem. The other alternative is to have a massive headtube or have a LOT of spacers and a long steerer, both of which I imagine you'd sneer at as well.
I'm in agreement with PeterPoddy in that a lot of people are buying [s]the wrong[/s] not the most appropriate bike for their intended use. It's not that manufacturers aren't making appropriate bikes, it's that people would rather buy the flash, fast and sleek looking racer than the tourer or hybrid, but I'd much rather see people adapting the wrong bike to be comfortable and using it than them not using it at all. Differing shapes, sizes and degrees of flexibility in people means that these kind of adjustments are necessary.
In summary, get over yourself and stop being so picky.
Ha ha ha haaaa Stupid wrong stem people. Yeah, what I really HATE though is people that buy cyclocross/gravel bikes and ride them on the road and then post pictures of them lying in a pile of leaves on the internet every 5 seconds. Don't they know
THEY
ARE
CYCLOCROSS
STROKE
GRAVEL
BIKES
(Alternatively I might not GAS)
Could be worse, you seen any of those "gravel grinders", utterly utterly pointless in the UK. Even worse when it's a big brand bandwagon jumper. eg:
[img] 
[/img]
Surely Froome needs to be consulted on this for the correct answer?
After all, he spends the majority of his time looking at them.
I'm looking for zero rise stem for my new bike but they're either massively expensive ( zipp or Easton ec90 sl ) or awkward looking lumpy mtb stems like hope. I won't go the full nazi, it just looks strange on a nice frame.
*chuckles*
If it is your bike do what suits you. FWIW,pro peleton fashion seems to be for stem to be level with ground. Have worked in a LBS previously and newbies almost always found road bars too low after riding MTB machinery so you would flip/raise the stem to suit. When you have had to strip off the bar tape on one side of an old-school stem (no face plates back in the day),to switch stems,often a longer quill to raise handlebars,you appreciate aheadstems even more now!. 🙂
[i]"gravel grinders", utterly utterly pointless in the UK[/i]
For most of the 'B' roads round here they'd probably be ideal 🙁
'Proper' road geometry (not cx) but with clearance for decent tyres and/or 'guards.
30 years ago, a bike company would weld up a load of bikes suitable to flog to joe public, then weld up a bunch of custom frames for the requirements of the pro team. Now they* get frames made job-lot in the far east everyone gets what the pro team needs.
This is slowly changing with the sportive/endurance bike market. Especially now there are other things to differentiate as a selling point such as disc brakes.
* 99% of them
It think far too few people go for road bikes. If it's well set up (yeah that might involve *gasp* flipping the stem upwards) the only real disadvantage compared with a tourer (which is what a lot of people seem to mean when they say "gravel CX bike") is the lack of mudguard clearance - which doesn't really matter if you're a fair weather cyclist.
I know too many people who've been limited in their riding by heavy, flat barred hybrids. These have their place but I'd suggest anything over 5 miles on the road would benefit from drop bars - even if the stem is high - just to give more positions. The alternative is those weird european trekking multi position wrap around bars that belong on an exercise bike.
So yeah, C.
I come to that conclusion as i like the look of a traditional road bike with horizontal top tube and flipped down stem. I do not like the look of many of the new sportive bikes, but that is just my personal preference.
"Sportive bikes" are normal road bikes with about 1cm added to the head tube and 1 degree subtracted from the head angle. The difference is mostly marketing.
I speak as the owner of one traditional steel bike with quill stem, and one carbon bike with racing geometry.
philjunior - MemberI know too many people who've been limited in their riding by heavy, flat barred hybrids. These have their place but I'd suggest anything over 5 miles on the road would benefit from drop bars - even if the stem is high - just to give more positions.
At the risk of enraging GW again, I switched from drops to flat bars because I'd sooner have one comfortable position than multiple, less comfortable ones- I got on fine with the drop bars over short distances but after 20, 25 miles or so I always ended up shuffling constantly from one position to the other trying (and mostly failing) to stave off discomfort.
"gravel grinders", utterly utterly pointless in the UK
how so? i can ride 100 mile gravel loops round here. (hampshire) in fact i have a 150 loop planned for summer over 100 miles off road.
thomthumb - Member
""gravel grinders", utterly utterly pointless in the UK"
how so? i can ride 100 mile gravel loops round here.
Up here in the Highlands you can do the same, and often the "gravel" road is smoother than the chopped up single lane road you had to ride on to get there.
29ers make great gravel roaders. 🙂
[url= https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/14376018696_7117b60192_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/14376018696_7117b60192_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
NB Nazi stem concealed by bars. 🙂
Nazi stem concealed by bars
Collaborators! Fifth columnists!
You might think gravel specific bikes are cool but certain posters on here may have moaned a bit about their bike-industry-trendy-pointlessness. But then bought one.
And then posted a picture and review of it, although to be fair you can't see the stem angle on it.
because I'd sooner have one comfortable position than multiple, less comfortable ones
WOOOOHOOOOOO!
I luv you Northwind!
I was thinking I was THE ONLY person in the world that thought this 😆
Colonel, I still think it's a silly niche/name that was largely marketing driven. Luckily for me, the bike I bought exactly fits what I wanted, regardless of the marketing guff.
Stem is 9 degrees from memory, by the way.
Any pics of you riding? Maybe some of your riding group? Or are they on another laptop.. shame if they are....
I also like the lame defence of this post off the bat. Makes a change from the usual vomit wink.