Stem etiquette

lm_trek
lm_trek Posts: 1,470
edited June 2013 in Road beginners
Been tinkering with my Canyon setup, on short rides its spot on longer rides start to get some aches. So ive flipped the stem, in mtb terms no biggie, road wise is there some sort of taboo is it ok to flip the stem? other than that the bike is spot on.

Saying that most miles done so far is 60, hoping to get more and more mileage in if it ever stops raining!!

Comments

  • lastwords
    lastwords Posts: 304
    If it makes the bike more comfortable what does it matter
  • Barteos
    Barteos Posts: 657
    edited June 2013
    lm_trek wrote:
    Been tinkering with my Canyon setup, on short rides its spot on longer rides start to get some aches. So ive flipped the stem, in mtb terms no biggie, road wise is there some sort of taboo is it ok to flip the stem? other than that the bike is spot on.

    Saying that most miles done so far is 60, hoping to get more and more mileage in if it ever stops raining!!

    If you care about "the rules" more than about your comfort then you're a perfect material for a roadie :wink:
  • simon_masterson
    simon_masterson Posts: 2,740
    There is no 'etiquette'.

    The stem is there to facilitate proper position and handling, and you should simply use the length and angle (and material, etc etc) that suit you best. Granted, if you're serious about performance cycling, you shouldn't shy away from adopting a position that you may not have developed the conditioning to be comfortable in yet, but don't listen to anyone who tells you that you must conform to a norm on this. Those are people who own bikes; be a cyclist. ;)
    Retro(ish) TT 2017-
    Fixed TT 2015-2016
  • lm_trek
    lm_trek Posts: 1,470
    Just checking!

    Im from an MTB background, so any position that doesn't involve clinging to a tree after a jump is still abit alien to me. Although every road ride im starting to feel more and more comfortable. Already swapped pedals for some mtb candys and the saddle to a speshi bg. The lower position feels odd, but hoping to make it easier each adjustment.
  • charlie_potatoes
    charlie_potatoes Posts: 1,921
    It's also worth noting that flipping the stem should enable you to fit a slightly deeper wicker shopping basket :D
    "You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    and baguette holder...
  • lm_trek
    lm_trek Posts: 1,470
    Might struggle with a basket and those pesky crosswinds, find with the lighter bike have to be more aware of those crosswinds and lorrys!
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    There's flipping a stem, and flipping a stem though.

    1/ Small angled stem flipped and not at the top of steering tube
    2/ Small angled stem flipped and at the top of steering tube
    3/ Large angle stem flipped and not at the top of steering tube
    4/ Large angle stem flipped and at the top of steering tube
    5/ Large angle stem flipped, at the top of the steering tube and handle bars rotated up in the air :shock:

    1-3 are OK I would say, but 4 and 5 .................... not so much :lol:
  • Mark Alexander
    Mark Alexander Posts: 2,277
    I think that you may have hit on a genuinely new topic. stem etiquette. well done. To answer it though... if someone says that it's important they are wrong. :)
    http://twitter.com/mgalex
    www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk

    10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
  • Sprool
    Sprool Posts: 1,022
    Took me 8 months of cycling to lose about 1.5 stone and get fitter. In that time I started off flipping the stem up with a spacer underneath, then removing spacer but keeping stem up, moving to a shorter stem, then finally flipping stem down again with spacer underneath and raising the saddle about 2cm so I now feel comfortable and efficient. I had to get rid of some of my girth before this became feasible. I can now even ride in the drops for a while... What's the moral? Lots of miles makes you fitter and feel better, your position changes over the time as you get fitter and a bit lighter and possibly a bit more flexible, so use those bike parts that allow adjustment as your position on the bike evolves, and forget all the nonsense from the young and super-fit roadies about style.
  • styxd
    styxd Posts: 3,234
    If you're a real roadie than its unacceptable. You should have spent months honing your bike fit and position so you ride with a negative rise stem and no more than 5mm of spacers.

    If you're a Big Biffer on a Bike, then the chances are you won't have spent any time experimenting to get a perfect fit. This is fine, just don't expect to be acknowledged by real roadies. Also, you may be better off riding a hybrid.
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    The only rule I am aware of on this topic is that you must photo the bike (for general consumption) with the stem 'unflipped' even if you ride with it flipped. :-)
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • lm_trek
    lm_trek Posts: 1,470
    Well im not a big biffer, just a 5ft3 ish shorty and tbh found it difficult to find a right sized bike, the canyon is the closest. went for a quick ride today felt much better riding today.
  • denniskwok
    denniskwok Posts: 339
    lm_trek wrote:
    Well im not a big biffer, just a 5ft3 ish shorty and tbh found it difficult to find a right sized bike, the canyon is the closest. went for a quick ride today felt much better riding today.

    You're the same height as me. I find that anything with an effective toptube length of around 520mm fits well, which equates to a size 48 - 50cm frame or XS.
  • lm_trek
    lm_trek Posts: 1,470
    Yep its a 50cm xs, top tube 519 so yep right size just some tweeking.

Categories