Stems

richsieb
richsieb Posts: 137
edited January 2013 in Road beginners
Looking in the Chain Reaction January sale at the stems and was looking for some advice when choosing one in regards to length and degree. Currently i have a 110mm one that came with my bike, but i was looking to upgrade.
would this one be suitable as it seems pretty reasonably priced?
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... aaee86e292

Comments

  • richsieb
    richsieb Posts: 137
    i say suitable but i mean is there anything blindingly wrong with it or something that would make you either choose or avoid it etc.
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    If you are happy with the fit of your bike make sure you buy one with the same length and degrees.

    What do you want from the upgrade? Less weight, more stiffness, looks etc etc
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • richsieb
    richsieb Posts: 137
    I'm happy with the length of my stem, but i'm not sure about the degree it gives. On the spec of my bike it lists the stem as "steel ahead" and i can't find any specifics for it plus it looks ugly as hell :lol: . I thought that for the current price i could afford to gamble with one like this and play around with the degree but i'm not sure what the -5 degree of it would give me.
  • ForumNewbie
    ForumNewbie Posts: 1,664
    richsieb wrote:
    I'm happy with the length of my stem, but i'm not sure about the degree it gives. On the spec of my bike it lists the stem as "steel ahead" and i can't find any specifics for it plus it looks ugly as hell :lol: . I thought that for the current price i could afford to gamble with one like this and play around with the degree but i'm not sure what the -5 degree of it would give me.
    It just means that it would be 5 degrees below centre. However you should also be able to flip it, i.e. fit it the other way up so it is 5 degrees above centre. It doesn't sound much but it will make a difference to your bar height. However I don't know what angle your current stem is, so don't know how much different it will feel.
  • richsieb
    richsieb Posts: 137
    Yeah it's just a stock stem at the moment anyway so i've ordered the link one from Crc. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't a feature of it that was taboo or something :) If it's not for me, I can always put my old one back on and sell this one.
    so if i was to have the stem down, i presume it will bring me into a lower, more aero position and vice versa with the stem flipped?
  • ForumNewbie
    ForumNewbie Posts: 1,664
    richsieb wrote:
    Yeah it's just a stock stem at the moment anyway so i've ordered the link one from Crc. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't a feature of it that was taboo or something :) If it's not for me, I can always put my old one back on and sell this one.
    so if i was to have the stem down, i presume it will bring me into a lower, more aero position and vice versa with the stem flipped?
    Yes, I had to flip my stem upwards on my road bike. It made bike much more comfortable to ride as less of a stretch to the bars, but a little less of an aero position - but I'm more concerned about comfort.

    Bear in mind that if you put on a new stem or flip it, it may make your gear and brake cables slightly looser or tighter. You should therefore check gears and brakes after fitting new stem and adjust the tension if necessary.
  • richsieb
    richsieb Posts: 137
    That's a good bit of advice actually, thanks

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