Stem length question

stayhigh65

Morning All

I need to get a stem for a new build and had been thinking of trying a shorter stem. I wondered what the benefit was and the effect on steering? My new build is a Santa Cruz Heckler and I currently have a 100mm stem.

I had been thinking of trying one of THESE

fredy

Should be tighter and more responsive. But i still have the same long stem as i always have so i can't say this from experience.

stayhigh65

I'd read somewhere that shortening the stem could affect the climbing ability? I've always used the same length stem however with this build thought I'd give it a go.

weescott

It depends on what forks you have on the Heckler and your Torso length and what type of riding you do.

e.g: With a 160mm fork a 60mm stem is going to be ideal for DH but the front end will wonder a bit on very steep climbs meaning you have to put your weight over the front more and loose a bit of traction on the rear wheel.

stayhigh65

Have a 140mm Float up front and mainly do trail riding locally and trips to Wales & Surrey Hills.

I dont know much about Exotic Components however lots of people seem to rate them on here.

Anonymous

shorter stems speed up the steering response, and mvoe your weight rearwards.
I became a convert to a very short stem years ago when I found it would place my weight ver centrally, or slightly rearwards on the bike, meaning if I suddenly found myself going over an unexpected drop, the worst case scenario as that the bike stayed level. With the longer stems before it, I found I had to actually make an effort to prevent nosediving off drops.

stayhigh65

So shortening the stem improves handling going down and can affect it going back up depending on how short you go.

So an 80mm stem would appear to be a reasonable compromise?

Anonymous

yeah, 80mm is a a good starting point.

stayhigh65

Now thats sorted it just leaves the choice of which one :?:

weescott

I should have said, I run a 50mm Stem with 36 Talas on my Heckler.

stayhigh65

I think for now I'll go for an 80mm and see how I get on with that. A 50mm maybe a bit drastic for the majority of my riding.

weescott

haha, yeah. Probably.

supersonic

I use the alu exotic stem in 80mm - actually looks to be lighter than the carbon.

snotty badger

I noticed that- cheaper too!

Ordered a 60mm one for the SS- the Husselfelt is way too much, could say I'm over-stemmed! Oo-er

stayhigh65

Something along the lines of 6 grams difference I believe. Doesnt seem a lot of difference for nearly twenty quid but thats the magic carbon factor for you I guess lol

rowlers

supersonic wrote:

I use the alu exotic stem in 80mm - actually looks to be lighter than the carbon.

My stem of choice too!

mrfmilo

+1 for Exotic. Great stems, great parts in general actually :P

JamesBrckmn

got the £12 exotic 60mm alu stem, really good, carbon one is £10 more and 20 gams heavier :roll:

Relaxitscool

The Carbon ones are carbon wrap aren't they? So will be heavier than standard alu. On topic though, I moved from 100mm to 90 mm and could tell the difference straight away. My motive was to fit the bike around me rather than me around the bike. You can feel the quicker steering as well, even with a reduction of only 10 mm.

Regards

Rob

stayhigh65

MatriX is the manufacture process for melding aluminium or alloy with carbon fibre.

Thats what it says on Exotic site but I had presumed that to be a carbon wrap like some of the FSA parts you can get. The weight difference is only 6 grams.

The frame is the right size for me its purely experimentation on my part. As I'd read various things about stem length I thought that I would try with my new build

Its a shame they dont do a 30.8mm seat post as the tart in me likes the stem and post to match