Whats the advantage of having a longer stem if there is one at all? i notice everyone i ride with have longer stems than i do but they are all smaller than me. I havent been riding that long so i dont know the ins and outs of equipment yet.
Longer stems
- Thread starter HyperPhreak
- Start date
It's a BIKE FIT issue...HyperPhreak said:
go to http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO and punch in your measurements. Competitive Cyclist gives three riding styles (road) which relate your position/measurements.
OR
http://www.wrenchscience.com/WS1/default.asp and click on the WS sizing system on the right-hand side of the page. Measurements can be for road or mountain.
REMEMBER: these are empirical methods BASED ON THE RIDERS' MEASREMENTS. Bike fit is very SUBJECTIVE and ultimately it's how the rider (you) feels comfortable on the bike
A stem is a metaphor for a phallus...why RC rides a bike with a short stem.
Anything longer and RC is subconsciously reminded of his shortcoming.
RC...I have to say, I would have to see your diploma before I would ever believe you were an engineer...lol. Must have been a community college.
What's the integral of x dx?
George
Anything longer and RC is subconsciously reminded of his shortcoming.
RC...I have to say, I would have to see your diploma before I would ever believe you were an engineer...lol. Must have been a community college.
What's the integral of x dx?
George
HyperPhreak said:
On larger size frames the top tube does not increase at the same rate as the seat tube so you´ll often need a longer stem to compensate .
BUT .. some people have longer than normal legs , some have a longer than normal backs - frames are sized for the normal and those of us that don´t conform have to use a shorter or ( as in my case ) a longer stem ( 130mm ) to compensate ( height 1,86 inside leg 83 cm )
Let's not even go there...RC2 said:
Back to the original question, the advantage to a longer stem is a more stretched out, aerodynamic possition. The big penalty however is an increase in the amount of body weight supported by your arms. Unlike most other sizing calculations, there aren't any hard and fast rules for determining stem length. Some of the geometric intangibles include how flexible you are, how the orientation of your lower back affects your pedal stroke, and how badly you've damaged your shoulders in wrecks. If you've got a stem that works for you, stick with it.
George, all the math I studied didn't teach me a thing about proper stem length on a bike. But, I only went to public universities. I'm curious as to what schools you attended?biker7 said:
Hey, don't get me wrong....degrees are great for resumes and intros at conferences. But if you ever feel the need to quote your educational background to win an arguement, my opinion is you've already lost it.
hi hyper, am from manila. to get the proper reach, sit on the saddle and try to see if your handlebars are parallel to your front hubs, the bars should cover or hide the hubs from your line of sight, adjust seats if too forward or backward, that way your back does not strain much.HyperPhreak said:
Ah yes, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink... apparently Georgie's in a denial phase. That's OK: good entertainment value.boudreaux said:I already suggested the pill.Apparently he ain't goin for it. Do they make one to help grow a thicker skin?
psychlo said:
You can do this and you will have followed a rule of thumb that is as common as it is because it is a very simple one, and leads to ballbark results.
But as mentioned, what if I'm a recreational rider with less athleticism and flexibility, what if I have back problems? A more upright upper body position would (all other bike size/fit issues being held constant
) come from a combination of a longer and/or higher stem (i.e. longer steerer). When in question, a good LBS fitting tech will probably have your best answer. The question of 'adjusting your seat forward/rearward to compensate for seat-to-bar reach' has been beaten to death in another post: it is not the right thing to do (seat should be positioned over pedals on a correctly-sized bike). I don't think George bought into that one yet tho'...
You'd think... but Georgie knows differential equations. Surely backed by an exceptional educational pedigree. Now I'm starting to second guess the collective knowledge of every other person in the bicyling world who thought they knew a thing or two on fitting... hmmm.boudreaux said:...don't jack with seat for and aft to get proper reach to the bars.Unless you are a fool or Georgie.
Too bad a differential equation will only help you size a stem if the bars are accelerating relative to the rest of the bike. For those of us who aren't in the middle of a catastrophic failure, this might be of some help:RC2 said:You'd think... but Georgie knows differential equations. Surely backed by an exceptional educational pedigree. Now I'm starting to second guess the collective knowledge of every other person in the bicyling world who thought they knew a thing or two on fitting... hmmm.
http://www.habcycles.com/fitting.html
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