Stem Length

[rpm]

An interesting discussion about the effects of stem length:

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2015/03/ho...-and-handling/

It includes interviews with well-known frame builders, including Tom Kellogg.

[joco]

Which is why it's so important to size a frame by TT length rather than ST.

This is especially true for women.

[MattTuck]

So it turns out that the size of your stem IS important.

[ANAO]

I miss Fuzz's post in the fit forum re: Cancellara's fit.

That post was pure gold.

[David Kirk]

It's good to see this being talked about. All too many think of a bike as a static thing like an ergometer and that the only thing stem length does is effect cockpit length.......but this is far from true. There are different ways to get a given cockpit length and some steer/handle well and others not so much.

dave

[Grant McLean]

Looking at the way many pro riders sit on their bike these days
is more proof than anyone can explain in words why the whole
"bike fitting" process is a bunch of myths. Riders are all over the place.

Some of the classics riders today look more like riders from the 50s;
short reach and low saddle. Mostly, i'm convinced you'd get used
to whatever position you're put in (within a couple of inches) if you
rode everyday.

-g

[ANAO]

Originally Posted by Grant McLean

Looking at the way many pro riders sit on their bike these days
is more proof than anyone can explain in words why the whole
"bike fitting" process is a bunch of myths. Riders are all over the place.

Some of the classics riders today look more like riders from the 50s;
short reach and low saddle. Mostly, i'm convinced you'd get used
to whatever position you're put in (within a couple of inches) if you
rode everyday.

-g

Perhaps. If so, probably quite uncomfortably. Isn't their an ideal to strive for?

[ergott]

I find the comments Kellogg made very insightful. His method for getting people set up on bikes is really one of the best in the biz.

[merckx]

Bar width is also a factor in how a bicycle behaves.

[Pushgears]

Chris at Circle A Cycles designed my custom around a 100 mm stem FWIW. My TT is 54cm and ST 56cm.

[lhuerta]

Originally Posted by joco

Which is why it's so important to size a frame by TT length rather than ST.

This is especially true for women.

...what is important is REACH not TT length, in addition to STACK. Length of top tube tells u very little about frame fit without STA.

[wallymann]

Originally Posted by lhuerta

Length of top tube tells u very little about frame fit without STA.

true...TT length tells you half of frame fit, the other half is STA (or setback).

separately, my experience totally agrees with the "ratio of input to output" part of the article, with stem-length affecting handling in terms of leverage/sensitivity. a short stem means the front-end will be more responsive to a given hand movement. if you want to "calm down" the front-end of a bike, then the stem should be longer as a percentage of the saddle-to-bar reach. i prefer >= 13cm stems for that reason. i know guys that are as tall as me that run really short stems (like 8-10cm with a +58cm TT length) and they're really wobbly in a paceline...having a short stem is a factor along with biasing more weight to the rear of the bike.