Seems that fashion now dictates that unless you are an XC whippet you must use a circa 50mm stem. People who have seen pics of my bike always seem to imply that my bike must be unrideable with a stem like that and I ‘must change it’

For the record its 100mm, in conjunction with a Thomson layback on frames with longish top tubes. Not everyone is gnarr…

Face/Palm

Just because we like it doesn’t mean it’s fashion. I generally find long stems unwieldy. It sounds like the bike is too short for you as you have a layback post and long stem.

However if it works good for you, I assume you have tried a different setup to know that it makes no difference. 😀

Yes, I much prefer a longer stem too – just can’t get on with short stem positioning.

Mine are:
.
100mm
90mm
90mm
90mm
50mm
50mm
Wierd integrated tri-bars/stem combo thingy
.
They work for me.

110mm on my 18″ Five, get to ride plenty of short stemmed bikes, and don’t really like what they do to the handling. Was introduced to mountain bikes when 150mm was the norm for my size bike, so 110mm seems short to me. At the end of the day, it’s your bike, and you’re riding it, it doesn’t affect anyone else, and if you’re happy then why let anyone else affect you (unless, of course, you aren’t, in which case try a shorter one, you may well like it).

I ride a 100mm because it fits,

You can only compare it to xc bikes as there where no trail bikes when 120mm stems where all the rage.

100mm on an XCJaybouy whippet machine.

Loud & Proud.

100mm stem & flat bars that are only 680mm wide.
I even wear lycra, helmet without a peak & usually ride without a camelback.
I’m just so unfashionable it isn’t true! (or possibly I prefer function for my riding over form)

100mm stem & flat bars that are only 680mm wide.
I even wear lycra, helmet without a peak & usually ride without a camelback.
I’m just so unfashionable it isn’t true! (or possibly I prefer function for my riding over form)

Are you making the enlightened point that the function suits your riding or the more typically STW point that anyone doing what you’re not doing is clearly a fashion victim? I use a 50mm stem, 711mm bars, baggies, a helmet with peak and a Camelbak, all for functional reasons.

Next we should all mock some wendyball players and make a sweeping generalisation about people using 6″ skill compensators and turning their bike upside down.

I’m not making a point of anything, just stating what I use for my riding style.
Some people really do need to cheer up a bit in the morning!

I’ve got a wide range of different bikes that are good at different things.
These bikes also have a wide range of different length stems on them.
At one end of the scale a have a 110 stem and at the other i have a 50mm.

Set the bike up how it feels good to you and don’t worry about what other people are doing.

75 and 90mm. It comes down to body and bike geometry, trying different arrangements to find what feels best and nothing to do with fashion. My bikes fit and ride perfectly for me with these stems.

On my road bike, yes.

110mm on my Santa Cruz (my faster bike), 90mm on the Orange (my ‘do-everything’ bike) and 70mm on the Kona (my downhilly one) 🙂

110mm across the board here to make the bikes fit. I’m tall but with a really long back/arms for height so need a bit more length than the average punter it seems.

100mm ish stems on all my bikes (roadie, TT, FS, hardtail, fixed), except Brompton which has no stem. Why? Because it works. The limits on my enjoyment and performance are on the inside of my skin, and the rest is all secondary.

45mm stems on both mine 🙂

Still riding crazy long stems here.
130mm on my marin hardtail with short straight bars – old school
130mm on my SS 29er – coupled with jones bars so feels a lot shorter
120m on my cross bike and road bike
130mm on my old road bike
90mm on my hemlock – and still struggling to be happy with that so short.

110mm on my 20″ Orange 5.

Improved the fit loads compared to the shorter one it came with.