Shorter stem - recommendations / thoughts

DodgeT

Getting to stile cop quite often now and loving the downhill side of riding (albeit still gently ) and want to make the bike a bit more dh oriented, without going OTT.

Its a spesh enduro, with currently a 60mm stem. Got some 760mm bars on it which feel great, but guessing that a shorter stem will also help.

Looking at a 45mm one http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=67&products_id=457 which i'm assuming i'll notice a bit of difference dropping 15mm off it.

Seeing as it'll move me back a tad on the bike, would this translate into a bit slower steering with more weight over the back, so drops etc. would be more sat upright as opposed to being forward? (not sure i've explained myself properly there...)

I see you can get even shorter, like 30mm etc, but I want the bike still to be a good all rounder, so hoping the 45mm will be a good compromise whilst helping with the dh riding?

Ta.

rockmonkeysc

Whats wrong with the way it rides now? My DH bike has a longer top tube than my XC bike but I have the same length stem on both. If you want a shorter stem to improve the steering then you could combine it with wider bars to keep a similar riding position.
Taking out any spacers from under the stem will probably make more difference and costs nothing.

styxd

50 - 60mm is fine for downhill work. I'd say 60mm is the perfect compromise really. 50mm feels a bit to short to me (unless all im riding is jumps, but even then, my bmx stem is 54mm)

DodgeT

Was going off what the guys at cop were saying, a few of them said i'd be better off with a shorter stem, hence the question on here.

Ah, and the reason they were probably saying that, is that my stem is actually 80mm doh :oops: would have helped if I had waited to get home and measure it before I posted..

So, good thing now is that I have a 65mm stem sitting on the 456, so that'll be coming off to see how it feels on the enduro.

Also notice that the zenith (same as I have in 65mm) http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=67&products_id=463 is available in 50mm too, so if I do want to try it even shorter, it's about a tenner cheaper for what I need.

Oh and re the bars, these are wider than std at 760mm, std ones were 735mm I think, so sounds like a tad shorter won't be a bad idea.

delcol

i put a 40mm on the soda, and 780mm bars, it was perfect in whistler on everything from the fun jumpy stuff like crank it up, aline ,dirtmerchant, to the steep teccy stuff like whistler dh, afternoon delights.

i rock 50mm stems on the santacruz and the chromag hardtail.. both of those descend well...

styxd

Ah, and the reason they were probably saying that, is that my stem is actually 80mm doh

I'd agree, 80mm is too long for me. Try your 65mm, it'll feel miles different/better

The Northern Monkey

I have the Razor on my Canyon.. Tis spot on for my riding.

DodgeT

Will get her swapped over and tried at the weekend.

NM, what sort of riding do you do with the torque, mainly DH or bit of everything? What difference did you notice with the stem?

1mancity2

A 65mm will make a big difference over the 80mm any shorter and I think you will struggle with the uphills, also you could move your bars back/forward to get the right position.

anj132

why not get some 2nd hand stems for around a £10 and get several different lengths to experiment with, instead of making the plunge with one expensive stem?

snotty badger

I swapped the 80 for a 60 on my Pitch, it under steered like a bitch, went back to the 80.

Sometimes a bit of length is good!

delcol

when i went from a 90mm to a 50mm on my heckler a few years ago.. i found the bike handled better.. i never had any issues with it climbing either.. hence why all my bikes run short stems..

i guess it's hard to say whats best though as we are all different.. swap the one off the onone and go for a ride to give you an idea...

DodgeT

Swapped them over last week. Only had chance to ride the 456 so far due to a knackered freehub on the enduro.

Really pleased with how the 456 rides now, lot better with the slightly longer stem, probably partly due to it being a smaller bike (medium as opposed to large enduro) but it suits it well. Climbs so much better / precise, whilst still is so good everywhere else.

Just around the garden, the enduro feels better with the shorter stem, just need to ride it now.