Weight Weenies

cccyco wrote:dunno why you choose a 150mm stem, is it just for looking like a pro? here in my place,lots of peeps cut the fork steerer tube to none spacers length, I mean is it necessary to be so aggressive?

It's for looks, or for guys riding minature frames to get as low as possible. Every year the idea of what a "short" stem is seems to get more ridiculous. Consider for a moment that for a bike with Italian stage geometry, a 12cm stem was designed to go on a 60cm (C-T) frame.

I don't understand these negative comments. I already suggested that the OP might want a flat bar road bike setup, in that case you need the longest possible stem pointing downward. Another possibility is long arms paired witha now fashinable "grand fondo" geometry. I test bikes for a magazine, and I have just received a well-known Italian brand's "grand fondo" model, which has the shortest TT for a XL size I ever saw paired with the longest head tube. I had to change the supplied 110 mm stem to a 130 mm -10 degree, slam it all the way down, and the bar on this test bike is still 15 mm higher and 10 mm shorter than on my own bike. So now I'll try to borrow a 140 mm, if I can. Maybe there is a "grand fondo" frame out there which with an even more "relaxed" geometry, and the OP wants to make it fit like what he is accustomed to...

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peruffo wrote:I don't understand these negative comments. I already suggested that the OP might want a flat bar road bike setup, in that case you need the longest possible stem pointing downward. Another possibility is long arms paired witha now fashinable "grand fondo" geometry. I test bikes for a magazine, and I have just received a well-known Italian brand's "grand fondo" model, which has the shortest TT for a XL size I ever saw paired with the longest head tube. I had to change the supplied 110 mm stem to a 130 mm -10 degree, slam it all the way down, and the bar on this test bike is still 15 mm higher and 10 mm shorter than on my own bike. So now I'll try to borrow a 140 mm, if I can. Maybe there is a "grand fondo" frame out there which with an even more "relaxed" geometry, and the OP wants to make it fit like what he is accustomed to...

Wouldn't that make it the wrong frame for the job then?

Maybe the OP had an older "sporty" aluminum road frame, wanted a carbon frame, didn't know what this new frame geometry trend was all about, bought one and now has to make the frame fit... There are many reasons to need a 140-150 mm stem, having a frame 1-2 size too small is just one of them, so I still don't understand why you guys are so unkind to this first time poster!

cccyco wrote:I mean is it necessary to be so aggressive?

The OP doesn't seem to be interested anymore, but to me it just feels better. I'm 6' with normal proportions and have 14cm of saddle to bar drop, and 60cm from saddle tip to bar center. A 54cm frame (145mm head tube) with 140mm -17 slammed stem is what gets there.

Oh ya... I also have a setback post and the saddle is all the way back.

Well I'm 1.86m and have a relatively short femur (thus zero offset post at 78.5cm saddle height/85mm set back) plus long arms, which means I ride a 61cm with a 160mm custom stem for a saddle to bar reach of ~63cm. I've never ridden a road bike with a stem shorter than 13cm and I'm really not that tall. With 38cm bars it doesn't handle too well but its for going fast in a straight line! I have another bike with 42cm bars and 130mm stem that climbs and handles better.

A 150mm stem is not too big if that is what you need

I'm trying to locate a 150- can anyone get one of the 3Ts?

I'm like GZA, but on a 58. Short femurs, long tibias for some back asswards legs for road riding.

Where did you get a custom stem?

I agree there is a need for longer stems. 130mm is normal for me on most 58cm frames but I could go longer on some depending on the angles. I guess the smaller the frame, steeper HT angle, less need to be out and over... But for larger riders short stems are for the birds, i could not deal with that unless I was on a slack mountain bike.

Not me.

On my 60cm Traditional C59 I went from a 120 to a 110 (ARX LTD) and switch bars from a longer reach 44 to a shorter more narrow (Ergosum to Ergonova) 42. I'm 6'2 1/2 (33.5" inseam) more leg then torso but pretty regular proportions and the bikes never felt better.

Ive always ran 110/42 on my bikes and only tried the 120/44 because everyone said I should, etc.... but they were wrong. I have the low stack headset cap and one small spacer with the stem angle in its proper (not upward) position.

I hate the feel of log stems and hate the cornering of any bike with too much overhang. Makes it corner like garbage IME.

I really feel the need to point this out, consider this...

One bike has a 56cm top tube, a 72,5 degree ST, a 170mm HT, a short reach (75mm) bar with Sram shifters. This bike has a 150mm stem.

The other bike, has the same 56cm top tube, but a 73,5 degree ST, a 120mm HT, a long reach (95mm) bar and Shimano shifters... This bike has a 110mm stem.

The second bike with the shorter stem, actually has sligtlhy longer overall reach to the hoods.

If you buy the frame to suit the stem, you would benefit from considering everything else that impacts steering. Different frame sizes often have different HT angles, and sometimes the forks have different offsets too, actual reach doesn't always follow top tube length, i.e a 52cm frame and a 54cm frame (of the same model) can often have the same reach even if the top tube is longer, due to different ST angles and stack heights.

Also, fork rake and HT angles will determine steering response way more than 20mm shorter or longer stem. But no one ever says "How the hell can you ride a 40mm rake fork on a 72 degree HT, that thing must be as agile as a bus!"

Anyone able to track down one of the new 3T 150mm stems above.

I've been on long stems for a long time. Usually 130s or 140s with either a moderate reach bar and Shimano hoods or traditional bend bar. I'm 6 feet 2 with really long arms and a really long torso and ride a 58 Cannondale. My femurs are fairly short so my seat is slightly more forward than most at around 85mm or so of setback. A Felt 58 F series would fit me perfectly.

It doesn't influence the handling for me at all. I hated riding a shorter stem on this frame in terms of descending. I have a custom frame in the works which will have a slightly steeper HTA and a longer top tube so I'm more in the 120-130 range.

Believe it or not, this stem prototype is actually a 150mm and weighs 95 grams. This is the 2nd generation prototype and now the 3rd version is undergoing testing. I briefly rode it on my own bike and it felt too stiff.

I guess Johan Van Summeren needs better fitting resources then since the pro level doesn't seem to know how to fit a rider.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/pho ... mud/260732

Due to sponsorship he's forced to use a frame whose head tube is too long for him. Hence the "undersized frame" as stated in the text and overly long stem. Back in the days when riders were often on custom frames painted to look like the sponsors frames, he'd have been on a frame that fit him better and would not need the 150mm stem.

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Van Summeren doesn't look so weird IMO, other than that his bike looks kinda like he does. Long limbs, long seat post and stem.