Do slammed stems mean bike fits have gone out the window

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wilwil
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by wilwil

The current craze for slammed stems means that no matter what your bike fitter told you the stem has to be slammed especially on an aero bike. Does this mean that all those riders who were told to use spacers are now riding around in discomfort and not generating the same amout of power? Or are bike fits not as neceassary as they are made out to be and the body justs adjusts?

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Marin
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by Marin

Is anyone still slamming their stem? I thought that went away with light road bikes.

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VTR1000SP2
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by VTR1000SP2

I do it for aesthetics and to maximize on the frames headtube stiffness however I don’t slam it without considering bike fit. If a stack is too low for my flexibility, I’ll avoid that frame.


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Jugi
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by Jugi

I think bike fit has gone a step further from where it has been. A bike is no longer fitted to the rider. A rider goes to be fitted for a bicycle, and makes the purchase only after having gone through the fit. Aesthetic reasons are behind slammed stems, and people buy frames which they will be comfortable on when the stem is slammed.

Also, I wouldn't consider a low riding position somehow categorically less comfortable than an upright position. The bicycle is not meant for sitting, it is meant for doing a lot of dynamic work to move at a considerable speed. In many cases a low position may be the best answer for those demands.

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Dr.Dos
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by Dr.Dos

Then again, visit 3 three fitters and get 4 results.

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VTR1000SP2
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by VTR1000SP2

Dr.Dos wrote:Then again, visit 3 three fitters and get 4 results.
Lol! So true.


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themidge
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by themidge

I'd never buy a frame I couldn't ride with the stem slammed. By and large, a modern* frame with spacers is one that doesn't fit as well as it should.

*traditional frames are excused to a certain extent, that style of geo predates the ahead stem. A slammed quill stem and threaded headset is still quite high compared to a modern slammed setup.

rlpaul
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by rlpaul

Slammed stems without context doesn't really mean much.

An aggressive geometry bike in a 54 could have easily have 2-4+cm less stack height than a more relaxed geometry bike. Look at the frontal area of a Specialized Roubaix vs a Tarmac. The Roubaix has a full cm more stack in the same size. That easily could be the difference between slammed or not. And the Roubaix isn't what I'd call relaxed, it's somewhere in the middle. A Specialized Diverge easily has 2cm more stack than a Tarmac in the same size.

Also, a more upright position isn't necessarily more comfortable. Discomfort can occur from too extreme an angle going both directions.

Toby
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by Toby

I'd rather just buy a bike that fits close enough to correctly that I can fit it with a slammed (or very close) stem with the correct stem angle. If the bike doesn't fit like that, I'll switch from a crit frame to an endurance frame or whatever, or vice versa. There's a huge number of stack & reach combo frames out there to pick the correct numbers from.

Nefarious86
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by Nefarious86

^^ This, sometimes low and long works better.

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by joejack951

themidge wrote:
Fri Aug 10, 2018 1:46 pm
*traditional frames are excused to a certain extent, that style of geo predates the ahead stem. A slammed quill stem and threaded headset is still quite high compared to a modern slammed setup.
But it is possible to get the slammed look on a traditional frame:

Image

AJS914
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by AJS914

wilwil wrote:
Fri Aug 10, 2018 11:15 am
The current craze for slammed stems means that no matter what your bike fitter told you the stem has to be slammed especially on an aero bike. Does this mean that all those riders who were told to use spacers are now riding around in discomfort and not generating the same amout of power? Or are bike fits not as neceassary as they are made out to be and the body justs adjusts?
I don't think you can conflate what you see online with what is going on out in the real world. In my bike club, I don't see many slammed stems.

I think we see a lot of "show" bikes online - bikes that are one of many in a stable and that are hardly ridden. Also, because of the anti-spacer sentiment I think some people won't post pics of their bike with spacers because they don't want to hear from the peanut gallery.

Personally, I think it's an interesting trend in pro cycling that has gotten perverted by the general populace. Pros are riding a two sizes two small frame with a long stem to get their position. If you look at them from the side, often their arms are not super stretched out. They shorten the reach to compensate for the drop.

I see people on the forum buying a frame that is one size too large so they get more stack height and can slam their stem but that is sort of the exact oppposite of pro positioning. The people buying a larger frame are just doing that so they can slam their stem. It's aesthetics over function. In reality they would be better off on a smaller frame with a couple of spacers and a longer stem.

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onemanpeloton
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by onemanpeloton

AJS914 wrote:
Fri Aug 10, 2018 3:21 pm
wilwil wrote:
Fri Aug 10, 2018 11:15 am
The current craze for slammed stems means that no matter what your bike fitter told you the stem has to be slammed especially on an aero bike. Does this mean that all those riders who were told to use spacers are now riding around in discomfort and not generating the same amout of power? Or are bike fits not as neceassary as they are made out to be and the body justs adjusts?
I don't think you can conflate what you see online with what is going on out in the real world. In my bike club, I don't see many slammed stems.

I think we see a lot of "show" bikes online - bikes that are one of many in a stable and that are hardly ridden. Also, because of the anti-spacer sentiment I think some people won't post pics of their bike with spacers because they don't want to hear from the peanut gallery.

Personally, I think it's an interesting trend in pro cycling that has gotten perverted by the general populace. Pros are riding a two sizes two small frame with a long stem to get their position. If you look at them from the side, often their arms are not super stretched out. They shorten the reach to compensate for the drop.

I see people on the forum buying a frame that is one size too large so they get more stack height and can slam their stem but that is sort of the exact oppposite of pro positioning. The people buying a larger frame are just doing that so they can slam their stem. It's aesthetics over function. In reality they would be better off on a smaller frame with a couple of spacers and a longer stem.
^^what he said^^
Toby wrote:
I'd rather just buy a bike that fits close enough to correctly that I can fit it with a slammed (or very close) stem with the correct stem angle. If the bike doesn't fit like that, I'll switch from a crit frame to an endurance frame or whatever, or vice versa. There's a huge number of stack & reach combo frames out there to pick the correct numbers from.
so you'd sacrifice every other characteristic of a frame and it's geometry just so you can slam your stem?
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Calnago
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by Calnago

I don’t notice a “craze” for slammed stems going on. A good fit is a good fit, regardless of whether some spacers are used to get there or not. What’s really ridiculous is when some guy slams his stem solely because he thinks it looks cool, but can’t even ride in the drops because they’re too low.
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themidge
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by themidge

joejack951 wrote:
Fri Aug 10, 2018 2:30 pm
themidge wrote:
Fri Aug 10, 2018 1:46 pm
*traditional frames are excused to a certain extent, that style of geo predates the ahead stem. A slammed quill stem and threaded headset is still quite high compared to a modern slammed setup.
But it is possible to get the slammed look on a traditional frame:

Image
Of course you can, but spacers are allowed on them too, more so than on sloping frames I think.
Calnago wrote: . A good fit is a good fit, regardless of whether some spacers are used to get there or not.
I have to disagree with you there, there's a good fit for the person, and then there's fitting that fit onto the right frame. When there are spacers on a bike, for me it usually indicates that that second step has been done badly or sometimes even dispensed with entirely, in favour of aesthetics or brand loyalty.

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