Thoughts on running a 130 stem on a cx ?

[JimmyTango]

Looking at a good deal on a bike that is on the small side and would need a loooong cockpit and worried it may throw off the handling too much.

FWIW I ride a 58.5tt with 130/73 stem/bars on the road with no setback seatpost and this will be a 56.5tt with 130/77 stem/bars and 15 setback so total reach will be the same on both.

[saab2000]

It'll probably handle better. I'm firmly in the "longer is better" camp when it comes to stems. Most of my bikes have 140s. They handle just fine. I'm 6' tall and most of my bikes have top tubes right around 57cm, give or take a few mms.

There's nothing extraordinary about a 130mm stem.

Besides, this is a used bike, right? If it doesn't work you can sell it and probably haven't lost much.

[John H.]

If the bike otherwise fits you I would say a 130mm stem is fine.
I have a 130 on my crux.

[DRZRM]

Yeah, it should be fine. My road bikes have a 59-60 TT and my CX frame is either a 57.5 or a 58 (can't remember) but it is coupled for travel so I went a bit shorter so it is easier to pack. I run a 130 on the CX and a 120 on my road bike, the CX bike handles very well.

[carlineng]

It'll probably handle better. I'm firmly in the "longer is better" camp when it comes to stems.

Not necessarily. This is a CX bike, which sees different application than a typical road bike. That being said, I don't see any problem with putting a 130mm stem on a CX bike.

[shovelhd]

I have a 140 on my Conquest Pro.

[DfCas]

I think the answer is terrain dependent. If you are going to ride roads, gravel, etc, then a long stem is fine. If you are going to do jungle cross/light mtb terrain with steep downhills roots/small logs a long stem will lead to headers.

I live in West Virginia and tried a small bike with a long stem and went over the bars too much. I got a large bike with an 11 stem and reduced header events.

[11.4]

Does it give you wings?

Sorry, I had to ask that. Check the wings thread, running concurrently.

As everyone else has said, nothing wrong with a longer stem.

As for being more susceptible to an endo, I find it actually works the opposite, depending on your overall position on the bike. If you are shifted way forward and you have to compensate by stretching the stem, your center of gravity isn't in a good place anyway. If you are seated far enough back and you just need to extend your reach forward to get your arms clear of your chest and knees, then you aren't moving much body mass at all -- just your arms. You can actually improve your stability on steep ramps with a slightly longer stem. It's easy to try out and see how it works for you. Definitely no problem with it as long as you aren't using it to compensate for a bike geometry that really doesn't fit you.

[JimmyTango]

Thanks all. The fit #s aren't the issue, just wanted a few other opinions before I drop the cash... Suspected all is OK, just looking out for the possibility of a chorus of voices screaming "guaranteed high-side stuff up from cornering too tight" or something along those lines.