What 80mm stem?

[audiojan]

My wife's Parlee Z5Sli is built and she's done a couple of rides on it. My calculation says she needs a 90mm stem to get the same position as her other road bikes, but she feels a little stretched and wants to change it to a 80mm. The 90mm is a 3T ARX Ltd. So that means a possibility to save a few grams. As it sits right now, it's almost exactly 13lbs (SR EPS, Gravity brakes, MCFK seat post, 3T Ergonova Ltd handlebars, DT Swiss 465 wheels with 190 front hub and PowerTap SLC rear, yeah, I know… heavy, but she wants her PowerTap).

So, what 80mm stem (31.6mm handlebars and 1.125" steerer)?

[eric]

Ritchey WCS 4axis is reasonably light and inexpensive and comes in a good range of lengths.

[audiojan]

Appreciate the recommendation, but I might just as well go with the matching ARX Ltd then… I was thinking something lighter than the current stem. Price is not unimportant, but this is her dream bike, so I'll spend the money on the right thing.

If I could get a MCFK, then I would probably do that...

[DJT21]

New handlebars instead? From what I remember, the 3T bars have quite a long reach, something shorter might be better if she's small.

[mjduct]

The erganovas are pretty short, the rotund is on the other hand are long and have a deep drop let me know if you want to offload the 90mm stem.


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[JasperGr]

Zipp has some 70mm reach bars instead of 77mm


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[madcow]

When measured center to front the Ergonova is 90mm. There really aren't many options for significantly shorter bars, the Mcfk is the shortest that I know of and when measured from center to front it's 77mm. and would shave a few grams as well. And with a 112mm drop it's a bar that smaller people really seem to like.

If you want to go for the 8cm stem there aren't too many options, the Mcfk would get my vote, but before getting it I'd recommend getting an inexpensive 8cm stem for her to try out to make sure she likes it.

[goodboyr]

So she got the wrong size frame, right?

[nagge]

3T Arx II team? maybe remove the logos.

[audiojan]

So she got the wrong size frame, right?

Most definitely not the wrong size. If you look at the Parlee Z5 XS-Tall, the reach is 5mm shorter than her Orbea Orca Dama, so she wanted to try a 90mm stem instead of the 80mm she rides on her Orbea's (she also has a Diva Dama). Those extra 5mm made her feel a bit more stretched out, which at first she thought she wanted. Hence back to the 80mm stem.

The drop on the 3T Ergonova's is absolutely perfect for her, and you're not going to find too many bars with a shorter reach, so no need to change bars.

[Marin]

Kalloy Uno Seven, should be under 90g for an 80mm one, 30 USD on ebay, can easily be de-branded with acetone.

[goodboyr]

I think by definition if you need a stem so small that your choices are limited, and you are at the minimum reach bars then the frame geometry choice is wrong. But I guess once you are at the xs sizing there's not much else to do beyond custom.

[mdeth1313]

When measured center to front the Ergonova is 90mm. There really aren't many options for significantly shorter bars, the Mcfk is the shortest that I know of and when measured from center to front it's 77mm. and would shave a few grams as well. And with a 112mm drop it's a bar that smaller people really seem to like.

If you want to go for the 8cm stem there aren't too many options, the Mcfk would get my vote, but before getting it I'd recommend getting an inexpensive 8cm stem for her to try out to make sure she likes it.

Is there a difference between the reach on the ltd and team 3t bars?

The only other one I can think of that has a shorter reach is the Ritchey Superlogic II (carbon). At 40 cm width the reach was 72 mm. Not sure what the actual measurement was, but the reach was pretty darn short when I was using them!

[audiojan]

Is there a difference between the reach on the ltd and team 3t bars?

No, identical shape, reach and drop. The only difference between the Ltd and the Team is the carbon layup (which of course results in lower weight for the Ltd).

[audiojan]

I think by definition if you need a stem so small that your choices are limited, and you are at the minimum reach bars then the frame geometry choice is wrong. But I guess once you are at the xs sizing there's not much else to do beyond custom.

It's not that you can't find a 80mm stem, plenty of options, but if you want something that's very light without giving up stiffness, then your options are more limited. It's quite simple, the more exotic stems are not available in 80mm as you can only expect to sell to many.

Bike fit is a compromise between efficiency, comfort and aerodynamics. The Parlee Z5 does fit her well, despite using a shorter stem and shorter reach bars (and the Ergonova's are not selected due to short reach, but rather due to comfort of the general shape…). If you look at most pro women, you'll find lots of shorter stems...