Over the weekend I attended a begining racing seminar in order to gain enough knowledge to have some fun with a series of local criterions over the summer after a 20 year absence. The person teaching the class who is an acomplished coach and someone I have a great deal of respect for suggested that my positioning on my Trek 5200 looked cramped for my short body (5'7" currently 210 lbs), we made some seating adjustments and found that the 90mm stock Bontrager Race Lite Stem was to short and I needed to replace it. When I purchased the bike we did experiment with a longer stem at the bike shop but I felt I knew better (probably a personallity flaw) and this was a good fit however this person was really looking at the situation from a more in depth and experienced perspective and says it would greatly improve my riding. I am not sure that it makes any difference but in that general area of the bike everything is stock ....(40 cm Race Lite Bars) except the headset which has been changed to a Chris King.
I have a few questions
If I am going to replace the stem I think I should upgrade it, the shop has the Easton stems as well as Bontrager, Cinelli, Ritchey and Profile Designs in stock, and could probably order just about anything I wanted. Should I upgrade it and if so to what? Or should I just keep the same stem but in a different size Current fitting measurements indicate I need a 120mm stem.
If I upgrade the stem should I also upgrade the bars as I look around the net for information many of the stems seem to be paired to bars. If I should do this any suggestions would be appreciated.
If I replace the bars considering my broader, shorter build do I also need to consider a 42 or 44 cm handelbar, he did not mention it but I am wondering if that wouldnt also be a cause of me looking cramped and some occasional neck pain.
I would like to stay around 300 - 350 USD for the entire upgrade which seems to be a fair amount based on what I have seen barring a few of the more exotic choices, is this a fair amount to budget and still make an improvement (and with a Trek 5200 not overkill).
Sorry so many questions at once but I like to have some objective feedback before I head to my LBS. It is a great shop that I trust very much but always nice to hear what experienced riders who do not sell things for a living have to say.
Thank You
I have a few questions
If I am going to replace the stem I think I should upgrade it, the shop has the Easton stems as well as Bontrager, Cinelli, Ritchey and Profile Designs in stock, and could probably order just about anything I wanted. Should I upgrade it and if so to what? Or should I just keep the same stem but in a different size Current fitting measurements indicate I need a 120mm stem.
If I upgrade the stem should I also upgrade the bars as I look around the net for information many of the stems seem to be paired to bars. If I should do this any suggestions would be appreciated.
If I replace the bars considering my broader, shorter build do I also need to consider a 42 or 44 cm handelbar, he did not mention it but I am wondering if that wouldnt also be a cause of me looking cramped and some occasional neck pain.
I would like to stay around 300 - 350 USD for the entire upgrade which seems to be a fair amount based on what I have seen barring a few of the more exotic choices, is this a fair amount to budget and still make an improvement (and with a Trek 5200 not overkill).
Sorry so many questions at once but I like to have some objective feedback before I head to my LBS. It is a great shop that I trust very much but always nice to hear what experienced riders who do not sell things for a living have to say.
Thank You
