Lowered stem

Grazy81

I am off work sick today and was bored so finally got around to lowerint the bars of my allez i have been meaning to do this for some time now and have lowered it by about an inch.

Cant wait to get out on it and try it out but feeling like crap so it's prob not a good idea atm but i just wondered have others done this and if so has it made that much of a difference?

vinnychoff

i have had my bike set up by the shop but look forward to setting up the bike and fine tuning. need to read some articles..

skyd0g

I lowered the stem on my bike and it made a massive difference for me, both in terms of comfort and avg speed. I have so-far lowed the stem by 25mm from how the bike was supplied as stock, leaving just one 5mm spacer in-place & this now seems just about right. For me.

It's all dependant on the individuals fit to the bike, their flexibility and their comfort as to how much (if at all) you lower the stem. Go out and try your new position on both a short blast and a long run (or two), before deciding if any further adjustment is necessary.

In the meanwhile, stack the "excess" spacers above your stem. Only think about cutting the stem once you are 100% positive you are happy with the position.

Grazy81

skyd0g wrote:

I lowered the stem on my bike and it made a massive difference for me, both in terms of comfort and avg speed. I have so-far lowed the stem by 25mm from how the bike was supplied as stock, leaving just one 5mm spacer in-place & this now seems just about right. For me.

It's all dependant on the individuals fit to the bike, their flexibility and their comfort as to how much (if at all) you lower the stem. Go out and try your new position on both a short blast and a long run (or two), before deciding if any further adjustment is necessary.

In the meanwhile, stack the "excess" spacers above your stem. Only think about cutting the stem once you are 100% positive you are happy with the position.

Yeah i have put all the stems up top for now it kinda looks bit silly but much rather that than cut it too short.

As i have an Allez i cant get a very good aero position so this is my main reason for lowering the stem so hopefully this will help

ride_whenever

once you're happy with the position then you can chop it down.

merlinghnd

I always reckon you should set the bike up "generally" correct and then adjust everything little by little from there as you ride it and put a few miles on. Saddle height and position seem most important initially. Dropping the stem by 1 inch seems a lot to me. I would have taken one spacer out at a time and over a period lower yourself gradually to a comfortable and fast position. Once happy with set up with no muscle problems and aches, then you can safely chop the stem down ( but if you might want to sell it, maybe to leave it in tact). Just my thoughts, no expert. Enjoy your bike.

skyd0g

merlinghnd wrote:

I always reckon you should set the bike up "generally" correct and then adjust everything little by little from there as you ride it and put a few miles on. Saddle height and position seem most important initially. Dropping the stem by 1 inch seems a lot to me. I would have taken one spacer out at a time and over a period lower yourself gradually to a comfortable and fast position. Once happy with set up with no muscle problems and aches, then you can safely chop the stem down ( but if you might want to sell it, maybe to leave it in tact). Just my thoughts, no expert. Enjoy your bike.

+1 ...I dropped by 25mm over a period, 10mm first, then another 10mm, then an extra 5mm. I may yet go back-up by 5mm. So, as of yet I haven't cut the stem & for the moment have all the "spare" spacers still stacked on top.