Stem advice, cockpit is to short

Drzoidberg

Hi

My Hardrock's cockpit feels a bit to short, I have slid the seat back as far as I can. So now I am looking at stem/bar adjustment.

As it stands the stem is 75mm and the handlebars are 640mm wide, 32mm rise.

I am definatly getting wider bars but in terms of lenghening the 'cockpit' should I be lookig at a longer stem? Flat bars with no rise? Or a combo of the two?

Also can anyone suggest some decent makes or deals? I have had a look and am considering a stem of

90mm length
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Bike+Shop ... 10EX31.htm

710 width and they look a little flatter
and bars
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Bike+Shop ... 11RSDR.htm

orr will this kill my bike and possibly me?

chez_m356

it can only improve it, i run 680mm bars on mine, stem is original length of 90mm but a specialized adjustable rise one like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPECIALIZED-S ... 504wt_1151

supersonic

I'd try 90mm first. For £7 this looks fine:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kal ... e#features

chez_m356

supersonic wrote:

I'd try 90mm first. For £7 this looks fine:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kal ... e#features

wouldn't he still need bars with that ?

Drzoidberg

Is it worth spending decent money on a stem/bars. Or appart from weight are they pretty much the same in terms of what you get for your dosh?

As anything I get upgrade on this bike I want to be a half decent standard with an eye on buying a new frame next year

styxd

Sliding the seat back to lengthen the cockpit is silly. It may put your legs/knees in a worse position for efficient pedalling.

Wider bars will make it feel longer, as will a longer stem. Obviously this will affect the handling. You may have bought a bike thats too small for you?

Drzoidberg

I am 6'1" and teh 19" frame I have seemed the best fit, 21" is the next one up which seemed huge for specialzed so I reckon the frame is ok for me.

I think Ill pop on some wider slightly flater bars and keep the stem as is for now, any reccomendations? Also any thoughts on Raceface good/bad?

chez_m356

Drzoidberg wrote:

I am 6'1" and teh 19" frame I have seemed the best fit, 21" is the next one up which seemed huge for specialzed so I reckon the frame is ok for me.

I think Ill pop on some wider slightly flater bars and keep the stem as is for now, any reccomendations? Also any thoughts on Raceface good/bad?

mine is a 21", i found wider bars "680mm mid rise on mine" to be a lot more comfortable than the standard ones, can't really comment on brands as the finishing kit on mine is all specialized kit from higher end bikes, found on ebay

supersonic

It is not worth spending loads on stems - I'd say £25 max, and even then many cheaper ones are light and sturdy. Carbon stems aren't worth it.

Carbon bars though do tend to be lighter, and offer a bit more comfort, so can be worth spending more.

Wider bars tend to pull your weight forward a little.

The Spiderman

I just bought a KCNC Fly ride stem off ebay (Koo bikes)for £21.Only weighs 118g and is a nice bit of kit.

davewalsh

I'd recommend just changing the bars to start with. Going from 640 to 710 will feel more 'roomy' and you may not feel the need to change the stem.
The Raceface bar that you've linked is ok, but a bit weighty for the money and can be bought much cheaper at CRC. The Easton Vice at merlin is a lighter, cheaper alternative or for the same money as the RF bar at Merlin, my choice would be the Nukeproof Warhead bar from CRC (760mm, cut down if you feel the need).