Wider bars & shorter stem.

dirkpitt74

Guys,
Have been looking to try some wider bars for a while and managed to pick up some Nukeproof Warhead 760mm in the sales for £20.

Currently have 670mm wide bars and 100mm stem.

Will I need a shorter stem?

Should I try with current stem and see how it goes?

Concerned if I go too short climbing could be an issue.

Was looking at 70mm or 80mm stems along the lines of THIS from Superstar.

Any thoughts?
Thanks

robertpb

There is no easy answer to this, you could 6'6" with a xl frame or 5'5" with a small frame but with gorilla arms.

The easiest way to decide is to measure saddle nose to centre of the bars, then move the saddle forwards in increments until your comfy, deduct the measurement from the nose to bar from the original, that will give you how much shorter the new stem needs to be.

I'm 5'5" and ride a small Meta with a 50mm stem, but that's my preference.

Lewis A

(I believe) A general rule is to take off half of what you've added to the bars from the stem, e.g 700mm bar and 100mm stem to 800mm bar, 50mm stem. I heard it on the internet so it must be right, and my bike certainly feels fine after doing so.

The Rookie

On that basis going to a 580mm bar you'd fit a 160mm stem, clearly not right!

dirkpitt74

Thanks chaps.
Will give it a go with current stem and see what moving the seat does.

dirkpitt74

Time for a Homer Simpson moment - DOH!!!!
Just measured my current stem (which I thought was 100mm same as my mates bike) and it's 65mm.
Which probably explains why my steering was slightly more twitchy than his.
Will slap the wider bars on and see where it goes from there.

May end up keeping current bars and going longer stem to see if it helps climbing.

lostboysaint

Might be interested in taking the Nukeproof bars off you then if they are the 31.8mm ones

Lewis A

The Rookie wrote:

On that basis going to a 580mm bar you'd fit a 160mm stem, clearly not right!

Here's where I heard it; http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Tech-Tuesday-Handlebars-How-Wide-Affects-Your-Ride-2011.html

supersonic

There is no forumula that works really - is all personal preference. Try what you have and experiment.

dirkpitt74

Cheers guys.
Quick one - if I went for a slightly longer stem than I have and keep my current bars will that stop the front feeling 'light' when climbing?
Will fitting the wider bars and keeping current stem have same effect as I will be slightly further forward due to the wider reach?

Thanks

robertpb

Or you could just move your cheeks forward on the saddle a bit, does the same thing and is cheaper.

dirkpitt74

Understand about getting further forward - already get as far forward on saddle as I can.
Just thinking it may help with generally moving weight forward.

Couls always go old skool and get some bar ends lol.

rockmonkeysc

Moving the saddle forward doesn't achieve the same as fitting a shorter stem.
The stem effects your position when out of the saddle as well, which is probably more important than your seated position because it's the position you are in for more technical riding and has more effect on handling.
With wider bars you will need a shorter stem (unless it was too short before) but the right length can only be found by trial and error. Try cheap ones from ebay or borrow spares from mates before buying a better quality new one.

robertpb

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Moving the saddle forward doesn't achieve the same as fitting a shorter stem.

Can't see any mention of moving the saddle forward, except for getting reach set up for the stem length, then returning the saddle to its original position.

cycleclinic

Wider bars do not need a shorter stem. The stem need to be a certain length to give you the "reach" you need. The stem length is affected by top tube length and seat tube/headtube angles. Saddle should be set in one postion normally for men the back of the saddle is 120mm from the centreline of the seat post.

On my own 29er though I like a very forward positon (lots of reach) and I use a 120mm stem with a 750mm wide bars. Gets a bit tight sometimes on some race courses.

supersonic is right about the personal preference. Try the wider bars and then try different stem lengths until you find one you like. You will eventually learn what you like and then your bike will have the stem you want on it first time.