This morning I passed someone riding a bike with the stem facing backwards

Overtook him on the way to work. Glanced across as his position/pedalling action looked really odd. Normal MTB with stem facing backwards towards him. Presumably an intentional decision as would have had to flip the bars round in the stem to get the controls facing the right way.

It is one way of learning to wheelie, apparently.

Mondraker Dutch bike?

v retro

Negative length stems. It was only a matter of time.

He must have got it from Tesco with the forks on back to front, realised it looked wrong and spun the bars round to get the forks right.

There was (is?) a poster on here who did this to a Surly.

I can only assume it was a conscious “it feels better like that” decision by the rider. Possibly on a frame two sizes too big for him.

Like I say, it was his position on the bike that caught my eye and made me look across – saddle really low, sat really far back almost like someone riding a DH bike sat down.

did he have a beard? and tight jeans

Like this one from NS bikes?

I hope you had a word.

I’ve seen a kid with a bike like this. He was probably only 10, but riding a shiny new 26″ adult’s bike. He was way to small for it but his folks obviously thought he’d grow into it, but it was so long for him he needed the stem turned 180deg to reach the bars. The steering looked terrifying. Poor kid.

I know a guy who rode London to Paris with a similar setup. He claims that he likes it. Each to his own.

I know someone who rides like that. Following an accident she had a back op so has limited flex, so rides with -ve stem length, does get some strange looks but at least shes able to ride.

“I prefer it like this”

Really means

“I’m too embarrassed to admit I have no idea what I’m doing”

Seem it with back to front forks, upside down shifters and so on. All miraculously get rearranged shortly after they claim to like it

Stoppd a guy on a Cube this morning in London, had the forks the wrong way round.

Supplied by Hargreaves cycles like that.

His complaints were that, because the wheels were bigger than normal (650) his feet kept hitting the tyres when he turned, and that the brakes juddered.

Told him quickly which bolts to undo/do up to flip the forks round but didn’t check that the front brake hose was long enough. Told him to get in touch with the shop.

Was it Jeremy Corbyn?

FWIW, the bloke really does know that he prefers. He’s been riding bikes for decades and has a fantastic collection of proper vintage stuff.