[Closed] why such long stems?

It's just the way road bikes are..

It's spring.

Stems grow in the spring.

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It's just the way road bikes are..

not only roadbikes.

If we're talking road bikes, surely you need a size down if you need shorter than 100mm.

No....I don't know why you kick tyres of bikes.Do you hate bikes? Do you mistake tyres for footballs?

You need to find an Enduroo shop. They'll all be 35mm there 😉

If we're talking road bikes, surely you need a size down if you need shorter than 100mm.

at 6ft 4''................ 😆

anyone know why?

It's probably Brexit.

All of them are you sure, what were you looking at?

However, XC bikes will still have stems of that length in the bigger bike sizes.

Longer stems will make the bike faster - in the same way that 29" wheels will 🙄

It's a while since I've seen a chip on a shoulder dragged so incongruously from one thread to another, Jag 🙂

I'm guessing that the geometry of the bikes is based around longer stems as they're likely to be XC or Gravel bikes.

I'm guessing that the geometry of the bikes is based around longer stems as they're likely to be XC or Gravel bikes.

touring.

Surely a long stem is actually desirable on a touring bike? A short stem is going to lead to more twitchy steering.

+1

Perfectly normal - especially for the larger rider.

longer stem to me means head down rather than heads up riding.
and rememeber, I am well over 6ft tall.......... 😆

Surely a long stem is actually desirable on a touring bike? A short stem is going to lead to more twitchy steering.

Depends on the bike, how loaded it is etc. Most touring bikes have shorter/more upright stems (relatively to racing bikes) so you can sit up and see where you're going. But you don't want to achieve that with a smaller frame as you want the long wheelbase for stability once weighed down with panniers.

e.g Surly Trucker.
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and that is perfect ^^

It's a while since I've seen a chip on a shoulder dragged so incongruously from one thread to another, Jag

Why Thank You Sir 😆 8)

target market? existing market is small and knows what works, target market is people with a couple of quality road bikes (winter and best) that need?/want a bike to ride some rougher stuff and stop off at a pub overnight - long stems look sort of OK, angled short stems says hybrid=no

fashion then really. not function.

Shorter stems have tendency to speed up the handling (geometry depending) that isn't necessarily desirable on a bike to be ridden all day. Also pushing more weight onto your butt isn't always desirable either. End of the day that's why we have different bikes for different jobs.

[quote=dragon ]Shorter stems have tendency to speed up the handling (geometry depending) that isn't necessarily desirable on a bike to be ridden all day. Also pushing more weight onto your butt isn't always desirable either. End of the day that's why we have different bikes for different jobs.

That. Different shaped bikes for different functions. Longer, lower can also mean faster, easier (less aero drag). It's hardly fashion-led given it's been that way since, like, forever.

ton - Member
fashion then really. not function.

we are talking cycling ? 🙄

Old bikes had REALLY steep head angles; so longer stems helped calm down the twitchiness.

What length stems do you think road bikes should come with?

Anything under 100mm is [b]short[/b] innit?

Did you ask the shop if they'd swap the stem for you chosen length?

What chakaping said was more my point, 90-100mm (like the Trucker) is short by normal roadbike standards (110-120mm).

It's short by MTB standards historically too, I remember buying a 'short' 90mm stem for my Switchback!

I hope those bikes with short stems have had a rear tyre pressure boost, due to more weight over the rear. 😉

Without messing about, finding something to use as an equal height platform for one wheel while I have bathroom scales under the other to judge weight balance, ive been guestimating at 40% weight over the front of my Wazoo since swapping the default 80mm for a 35mm.

But it wouldn't surprise me if the front is only carrying ~30% of the weight.

Same goes for my relatively high front ended Cube Attain road bike, I'm guessing at 45% front wheel load when I'm on the very comfortably high drops, but it wouldn't surprise me if this is too high as well.

You're looking at road bikes, keeping all things in reasonable proportion 100mm isn't by any stretch long.

There might be some fashion (well, tradition really) in it, but do you really need or want a wheelbase that's 50mm (or 65mm if you wanna be properly enduro tourer) longer and the associated issues putting things in cars and sheds?

somewhere between 60mm to 80mm with a bit of rise suits my old back.

Well buy a shorter frame (as long as the HT isn't shorter) or fit a 60-80mm stem then...

somewhere between 60mm to 80mm with a bit of rise suits my old back.

That's entirely dependant on frame size though isn't it, if what you're actually saying is that most bikes 'your size' need a shorter stem for you to be comfortable then either you're looking at the wrong size bikes or the issue is one of personal fit being outside the norm/average, in which case the retailer will probably be more than happy to help you adjust to suit.

At your height i'd expect a long stem, 100mm is probably at the short end of stems for +6ft on a road bike...and it's not exactly a big deal to swap if you need to.

TLDR : stop whinging, it's your reach that's too short not the stem being too long 😉

636mm toptube length is quite long....no?

Yes, but isn't that what people are saying? 🙂

My tourer has a 610mm top tube and a 120mm stem, which—while longer than your setup—is probably a more "normal" balance of top tube and stem than 636mm/80mm. Whatever suits you is fine, but 100mm stems on tourers, especially in large sizes, doesn't seem remarkably long to me.

I read recently, and it makes some sense, that it stems (natch) from aero requirements - a longer stem puts the front wheel closer to the bb and gives a smaller "box" - all other things being equal. Meaning you can get your body (the big wind breaker bit) closer to the rider in front which is advantageous in a bunch situation.

That and that's how they've always done it of course and we all know that roadies are progress-phobic. 😉

Meaning you can get your body (the big wind breaker bit) closer to the rider in front which is advantageous in a bunch situation.

This may be true but marginal and if it was for racing, you'd want a great big long rear end to be able to breakaway from the bunch a bit easier/give the guy behind a harder time (unless you were a domestic).

My tourer has a 610mm top tube and a 120mm stem, which—while longer than your setup—is probably a more "normal" balance of top tube and stem than 636mm/80mm. Whatever suits you is fine, but 100mm stems on tourers, especially in large sizes, doesn't seem remarkably long to me.

636mm toptube and 100mm stem make 29''.
that is huge in anyones terms. you will struggle to find csomeone who rides such a size bike.

 

This may be true but marginal and if it was for racing, you'd want a great big long rear end to be able to breakaway from the bunch a bit easier/give the guy behind a harder time (unless you were a domestic).

It isn't marginal at all, getting that much closer has a significant benefit in slipstreaming. And the guy behind you is helping you with aero (reducing the low pressure area directly behind you) so there's no sense forcing them further away.

636mm toptube and 100mm stem make 29''.
that is huge in anyones terms. you will struggle to find csomeone who rides such a size bike.

I've just built a bike with a 620mm top tube and 140mm stem 🙂

But anyway, that wasn't my point. What I meant was that for your reach of about 71cm, most people would get there with something like a 60cm top tube and 11cm stem.

100mm stems aren't large by any means. A 636mm top tube, however (assuming we're talking drop bar bikes), is way off the scale of nearly all off-the-shelf geometry charts. 😉

[quote=chiefgrooveguru ]And the guy behind you is helping you with aero (reducing the low pressure area directly behind you) so there's no sense forcing them further away.

Aye, but you're helping them [i]a lot[/i] more than they're helping you so it would still make sense to be able to drop them.

100mm stems aren't large by any means. A 636mm top tube, however (assuming we're talking drop bar bikes), is way off the scale of nearly all off-the-shelf geometry charts.

xl Genesis tour de fer.

Yeah, I realise it's obviously on at least one geometry chart 😉 Surly and Soma both go that long, too, IIRC. But it's pretty uncommon and it's right up one end of the available range. Whereas a 10cm stem is very common and you can easily get one 40% longer.

Most people would expect to find such a long frame fitted with a rather longer stem than 80mm. That's not too say it's not right for you, it just kind of explains why 100mm stems on medium-to-large touring bikes isn't remotely surprising 😉

i have got a whole load of stems, ranging from 50mm right up to 130mm and in loads of rises.
gonna start on the 65mm and see if i can stretch my back up to 100mm.

cheers Bez. 😀