Trek Fuel ex 8 Handling Question

rockhopper353

Not had the bike long but really enjoying it especially since changing the tyres.

What do people think of the stem length (120mm), would the bike benifit from a shorter stem as I feel it's not as sharp on tecnical sections as maybe it could be, Im pretty much a beginner though so wondered if any other folk had swapped the stem and found it handled better ?

Also the bars are quite wide (660mm), on a ride with a group today my bars were the only ones that would not fit between a narrow opening, so im thinking of cutting them down or swapping them to see if that improves the handling.

It's an 09 model by the way.

RealMan

Getting a shorter stem and narrower bars will quicken up the handling, yes. 660mm is not wide though. About average I'd say.

But as you say, if you're really enjoying it, is it worth fiddling?

I'd get a shorter stem before cutting the bars, 120mm is a bit longer then what I'd usually use. But remember, the shorter the stem, the worse it will climb. And the narrower the bars, the less control you have.

Daz555

I agree 660mm is not particularly wide for bars.

ride_whenever

660mm bars :shock:

try wider bars and shorter stem, you should be able to keep the weight in a fairly similar place.

I run 700mm with a 45mm stem on one bike and 680mm with a 50mm stem on the other.

rockhopper353

Thanks for the advice, im beginning to wonder if I measured the bars correctly as they were defo wider than any of bars used on the bikes in my group ride today..hmmm.

Northwind

660mm's a pretty sensible width, 2 years ago it'd have been considered pretty wide, now 700mm is the new 660mm I like slightly wider myself mind.

supersonic

660? Go with what feels best for you. I run 620 and 640 on the zaskars. Tight handling which works for me.

rhyko7

shorter stem will help, its not just the steering becoming more responsive it changes your ballance point on the bike and puts you in a much better position for going downhill, you may find you get a liitle bit more lower back pain on the climbs tho.

dont cut the bars down tho that will make you more unstable on the bike.

rockhopper353

Thanks everyone for all the replys, I reckon I will look at trying a slightly shorter stem and see how that feels, I'm looking at a bit of a project on an old rockhopper hardtail so I can always stick it on that if no improvement.