will a shorter stem help???

rustybug69
rustybug69 Posts: 120
edited August 2009 in MTB workshop & tech
i'm running a 2008 saracen zen 3 with 130mm 2008 rs revelations. my current stem is a 100mm race face evolve but i find the front end a bit vague on the loose stuff and descents. would a shorter stem help with this and any recommendations on length?would the change from the original spec fox fork effect the head angle much?

Comments

  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,673
    what was the fox fork?

    and do you know the buy how much you have changed the axle to crown length?
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • rustybug69
    rustybug69 Posts: 120
    original fork was a 140mm fox vanilla. i bought the frame only, brand new back in January and built up from all new components. the rev is a 2008 426 dual air but i don't know by how much the axle to crown length differs?using my brothers i phone app as a rough guide i think i've got a head angle of about 69 deg :?
  • paul.skibum
    paul.skibum Posts: 4,068
    I dont know the differences in length of those two forks but I'd suggest it should have made the steering more twitchy rather than vague.

    A shorter stem may speed up steering but ultimately it also puts your weight further back and can make climbing harder and so on.

    It's worth trying a shorter stem - I swapped my old 100mm for a cheap DMR conrod at 60 or 65 (cant recall) and it made a huge difference to the feel of my bike - I have never considered going back. Get a cheap one to try or just take the plunge!
    Closet jockey wheel pimp whore.
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    At the risk of sounding like I'm writing for MBR, that does seem a pretty long stem for a bike like that. Stems are well worth having a play about with, that and bar height, the results aren't as straightforward as people tend to expect.
    Uncompromising extremist

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