Cramped cockpit / Front end handling ?

trouty

I am having trouble working out what i need to do here and need some help please fellas.
I cant seem to put my finger on whats happening so maybe putting it down here will help me ?
When riding my new Stumpy Elite 08 (med) im 5' 9" + half i am sometimes not always getting a feeling of being in a cramped cockpit.
The only thing i can put it down to is that on my old Kona caldera i put a set of kona Cowan jump bars on it which were very wide compared with the original XC bars.
This gave the bike a very relaxed stretched out feel.
On my new stumpy i am getting the feeling of being quite forward and on top of the bike ?
The bike climbs very well but sometimes the front end feels light.
On the downs the bike has razor sharp chuckability and the front end feels almost too quick and i cant keep up with it.
On downhill drops of upto a foot it gives me a feeling of being pushed over the front of the bike. this could be due to me pushing too hard on single track sections to beat my mates and riding just beyond my comfort zone and getting a little out of shape.

I have lowered the stem by one spacer and found it hard to tell the difference.

I dont know wether to try a wider set of bars and/or a longer stem ?

which would you suggest i try 1st to

1. slow the steerinf down a tad ?

and

2. Give me a bit more room and a more spread out feel ?

Reason for my thinking this is i rode my mates Marin mount vision )Med frame) and this bike feels way more stretched out but has much wider bars and a longer stem compared with my bike.

Would these changes mess the handling up ?

thanks

paul

supersonic

konas have quite slack geometry, so often feel less twitchy. With the stumpy try a little more sag at the front, a little less at the back

trouty

SS eh !!! :shock:

Would that not drop the front end more ?

If you put more weight over the front does that give you a more planted feel ?

supersonic

sorry, i meant other way round, less fork sag, more rear sag! It will slacken the angles, slowing steering and adding stability.

trouty

Thanks SS can you tell me is it common place that people put longer stems on without upsetting the balance of the bike ?
I guess it would be nice if i could borrow a stem or different bars off a mate to see which or both would make an improvement.
The guys at MBR who tested the same bike lowered the stem and put wider bars on it and said it transformed the bike instantly and obviously enough to give the bike 10/10 but i suppose that may not work for me ?
I have found a bike shop that have offered to put some different length stems on for me to try before i buy so this looks like a way forward.
A mate has offered me wider bars off his Marin Mount vision when he upgrades but that isnt going to be for a few months yet.
Ill try the sag settings you suggested tho cheers.

Out of interest is there a measurement that once you go over say from the centre of the stem that would adversley affect handling ? or is it all a personal thing ?
I mean surely manufacturers would not sell 130mm stems if they didnt work ?

thanks again

paul

supersonic

Used to be the rage, but made the handling go weird - reluctant to turn, then dive very suddenly. Set up is preference in the end though, but always try making adjustments ewith what you have before changing parts.

strodey

Try shifting your seat rails back as far as they go, if they go farther back! give you a few inches or so!
if you have a riser bar inrease the angle away from, may give you bit more!

shin0r

You could set the bike up with a long low stem; it would be great at ascending but less than ideal on rocky sections or descents. Or, you could set the bike up with a short, high stem and a pair of riser bars; the hills will be pretty tough and you'll feel cramped, but descending will be a revelation.

I run a 50mm stem with a 25 degree rise, and wide riser bars; it's a bit of a pig uphill but I'm a fat bastard anyway, and I'm not racing, so I put up with it. On anything pointing downhill the bike handles brilliantly.

Given all this conjecture, there is no right or wrong; you just have to try things until you find what works for you!