New stem

MonkFunk

Hi,

Just looking for some advice regarding a new stem for my rockrider 8.1. I'm finding that with seat in the optimal position it is raised a bit above the handlebars and I find myself stretching my lower back to reach down to them. After a while riding this starts to become uncomfortable.

I have found that by sitting up slightly and resting my fingertips on top of the bars makes an instant difference in comfort as opposed to bending that bit further forward to wrap my hand around the bar. I was therefore considering a new stem with more rise but I don't know how much I will need to achieve the sort of position I have been more comfortable in with my fingertips on the bar? I'm guessing 20-30 degrees?

A quick search has thrown up a few options?

Easton 90mm 20 deg rise
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/eas ... query=Ea50

Ritchey Comp 90mm 30 deg rise
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/rit ... hey%20comp

BBB Highrise 90mm 35 deg rise
http://www.parker-international.co.uk/1 ... n=pid19676

Would appreciate advice regarding the above or any others I could consider.

Thanks

chez_m356

a few options here http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/STOO3DF/on_ ... orged_stem ,i have a friend who use's one of these, he swears by it

blister pus

Find out what the angle of the stem you've got is, more than likely 6 deg. And find the length by measuring the centre of the head tube hole to centre of handlebar hole.

If the length on the original stem is fine then obviously you just need to raise the height some. but remember the steeper the angle going up the more you reduce length, not by much but it's there.

Get off the bike and look parallel at the stem area and work out roughly what height you need to be raised by. Then get a protractor and look at a 20 degree angle and visualise if that will give you the height.

I'd say you need a 20 - 25 degree rise but it's impossible to tell blind.

I've got the Ritchey Comp in 70mm 30 deg rise and it's a good solid, no frills, value choice. But it's a steep old rise and did a specific job for me. I now use a Bontrager Race Lite 17 degree and I've also got the 25 degree one. My body and riding style changed.

Cheap reasonable quality stems with rise and length can also be got at On-One:

http://on-one.co.uk/i/q/STOO3DF/on_one_3d_forged_stem

chez_m356

blister pus wrote:

Cheap reasonable quality stems with rise and length can also be got at On-One:

http://on-one.co.uk/i/q/STOO3DF/on_one_3d_forged_stem

is there an echo in here :roll:

blister pus

chez_m356 wrote:

is there an echo in here :roll:

Some of us work while responding, things don't get refreshed before hitting submit.

Live with it.

chez_m356

blister pus wrote:

chez_m356 wrote:

is there an echo in here :roll:

Some of us work while responding, things don't get refreshed before hitting submit.

Live with it.

i think you mean, are supposed to be working ,but when there are 9 minutes between the 2 posts,that isn't a great excuse now is it

blister pus

chez_m356 wrote:

blister pus wrote:

chez_m356 wrote:

is there an echo in here :roll:

Some of us work while responding, things don't get refreshed before hitting submit.

Live with it.

but when there are 9 minutes between the 2 posts,that isn't a great excuse now is it

That all depends if you're using tabbed browsing and multi tasking, I guess. And mind your own fucking business.

chez_m356

blister pus wrote:

chez_m356 wrote:

blister pus wrote:

chez_m356 wrote:

is there an echo in here :roll:

Some of us work while responding, things don't get refreshed before hitting submit.

Live with it.

but when there are 9 minutes between the 2 posts,that isn't a great excuse now is it

That all depends if you're using tabbed browsing and multi tasking, I guess. And mind your own ******* business.

apart from that, concerning the stem, i agree with everything you said

The Rookie

9 mins for bp (may only be 8mins and a few seconds) to type that while finding a link looks about right to me....

chez_m356

The Beginner wrote:

9 mins for bp (may only be 8mins and a few seconds) to type that while finding a link looks about right to me....

welcome to the thread, and your idea for the stem is ?

blister pus

sshhhh.

concentwaiting now.

doin' stuff.

important stuff.

lol

chez_m356

blister pus wrote:

sshhhh.

concentwaiting now.

doin' stuff.

important stuff.

lol

obviously, whats more important than sharing knowledge on here

jsync

You can use this tool to see the effect of different stems

http://alex.phred.org/stemchart/Default.aspx

hard-rider

Wouldn't a higher riser bar be better at raising the position of the grips? I say this as a friend had exactly the same issue and bought a steeper (35deg, 90mm) stem. His original was a 6deg, 90mm. It made little difference really as the rise is quite minimal in comparison to what you are trying to achieve.

What rise do you have on your handle bars? Maybe going to a 50mm high riser would be better.

blister pus

Depends if you want the added sweep that usually comes with a higher rise bar, depends on the bars I guess. Use whatever gets you to the adjustment you need. But an added 30 degree rise to a stem is a big old increase in cockpit terms. It adds a couple of inches height to a 90mm stem, which is no small amount. You have to mix it up to get exactly what you want, which usually means a lot of spec checking.

hard-rider

I didn't think about the sweep, but like you say it would depend on the bars. As usual it's a lot of trial and error to get something exactly right.

MonkFunk

Hi,

Just wanted to update this post and say thanks to those who replied.

The stem I originally had was 100mm with 6 deg rise. Following the advice here I ordered the On-One stem at 80mm length with 25 deg rise. It was only £12.50 delivered so was a cheap experiment at worst.

It arrived yesterday and I fitted it and went out for a quick ride. Initially impressions are really positive. It looks great and more importantly gives me a much better position on the bike. I don't feel so stretched out and feel more on-top of the bike rather then it being more out in front of me. I feel much more comfortable, both in terms of reach and also in the position of my sit bones on saddle. It also seems to give me more control. Amazing really what a seemingly small adjustment can make!

Thanks again for the help