Stem length

Whufcrule

Hi people I've recently got brand new road bike coming from mountain bike road bike seems so stretched out I've looked on Internet and it says when your on the hoods u shouldn't be able to see the center off wheel is that right?? I think my stem is to long which is why I feel so stretched out how do u measure a stem??? Like 100mm is it from end to end I need to buy a shorter one I think don't wanna buy loads as it work out expensive thanks for your help

smidsy

The wheel hub test is somewhat arbetry. If your current stem is 100mm end to end it is already a short stem.

Stems are quoted centre to centre so that puts yours around a 90mm stem.

Sounds like your top tube is too long or your saddle position is wrong.

You can also shorten the reach by getting different bars with a shorter throw to the hoods and also get narrower bars to shorten your spread which effentlvely shortens the reach again.

Lots of variables and a bike fit is probably a good idea.

team47b

Centre to centre.

Measure from the center bolt of the headset cap to the center of the handlebar in mm, stem lengths are in 10 mm increments from 70 mm to 140 mm, so measure and go to the nearest 10mm.

Whufcrule

Sorry mine is 110mm long thats from bolt to middle off handle bar everything else on the bike feels fine just quite a reach to get to the hoods but alot off that I think is I'm not used to being so low like that I had a mountain bike that was to small for me so I think that made it worse as I was so cramped up on that

dhobiwallah

Short stems make for quick (twitchy) steering. Long stems have slower steering (more stable). You can use different language to make it sound like a good or a bad thing!

In the MTB world you move around the bike so much a fit to 10 or 20mm is neither here nor there really and changing stem lengths is done purely to change steering characteristics (along with bar width) - short stems and wide bars are the way ahead. Road biking is the exact opposite - you may be in the same position on the bike for long periods so an accurate fit is much more important - and 'stable' rather than 'agile' steering is what you want so longer stems are the order of the day here.

A quick look on these forums will point you to a lot of advice to get a professional bike fit at circa £150. As my bike only cost £300 that was well out of my budget so http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO is a good starting place.

jotko

Reach = top tube (effective) + stem

You can get an idea of what reach to go for from fit calculator like the one above, asuuming you have the bike already you know the top tube length, so you can then choose the stem appropriately.

If the stem is between 90mm and 120mm handling should be fine, if you need outside this range you could argue the frame is too big/small, although preference is a big part of this.

Saddle set back, bar reach etc all come into it as well, but that's a good place to start.

drlodge

First thing I would check is that your saddle set back is correct. If the saddle is too far forward, *more* pressure is put on the arms and hands which gives the impression that the reach may be too much, in fact the opposite could be true. Moving the saddle back makes your butt act as a cantilever, reducing pressure on the arms/hands.

I read this yesterday regarding the "balance point approach" and I really buy into it. Makes complete sense to me.
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bl ... oad-bikes/

Get the saddle position correct first, only then play with the bars.

Whufcrule

My stem length at the minute is 110 I do believe so I've ordered a 90 mm stem hopefully that will bring it nearer to my hands

gloomyandy

What frame size do you have? A 110mm stem may be short on a 60cm frame but long on a 48cm one...

cyco2

A good start for position is to be on the saddle with hands gripping the top of the bars and in that position the bars should cover the front axle.