Gaining a lite more reach without using a longer stem.

[Mikey08]

So my bike is 2000 era from days before short stems and extended reach frames. Ive experimented with modern short stems and wider bars and overall I like the way it feels way better than what we used to ride back in the day. I tried a 40mm stem and it felt great on the downhills but kinda awkward on flat terrain and really bad on climbs. I ran a 70mm stem and that still gave me great steering while still being able to climb comfortably. I recently got a 60mm stem and for me this is the sweet spot, Im only 5'8" though so your mileage may vary.

In order to gain a little extra reach wile still retaining the steering characteristic's I like Im planning to run the stem with no spacers and bring the bar height back up using a higher rise bar. Were talking minimal reach gains here, id estimate about 5mm. I dont even know if this is going to make a noticeable difference. I could take this idea up a notch by running the stem upside down (its 7deg rise) and going for 40mm rise bars. Make sense?

The concept is that moving your stem up and down along the axis of the steerer tube is effectively changing the reach measurement of the bike. This also changes your bar height but different rise bars can compensate for this.

Thoughts?

 

[mk one]

Have you thought about using a layback seatpost?

 

[Mikey08]

Ahh slight confusion between 'Reach' and 'Effective top tube' I think

Reach

Effective Top Tube

 

[legrandefromage]

As above, or move the seat back/ change the post to a lay back/ clamp behind the post sort of thing

Long stems were an early 1990's thing, earlier bikes had much wider bars and shorter stems, the late 90's saw the jump bikes with their short stems, wide bars and longer forks plus the downhill scene gave you short stems and wide bars too? Did you not get the memo/ email/ Nokia 3310 texts? :mrgreen:

*I'm only saying this as some reading may think we only rode around with 150mm stems and flat bars*

Which some of us did...

Modern bikes have such long forks and slack angles to accommodate them, stems need to be short and bars need to be wide

The actual cockpit is quite short and you almost sit 'in' the bike

My neighbour runs his 2000 Kona with short stem and higher wider bars. I find the riding position very cramped and bolt upright. My own bikes tend to run a little lower and longer

What you suggest with yours should help

 

[Mikey08]

I know its mad that the early MTB's from the clunker days were much more similar to modern bikes than what we had in the 90's. They had slack head angles, wide bars, and short stems. Im interested in Reach specifically rather than Effective Top Tube, and how it effects handling. Im actualy really happy with the way the bike feels running a 60mm stem, just looking at tweaks that may improve things further.

One of the compromises of running short stems on older bikes is that when climbing the front gets light and wants the wheelie. moving the seat further back would make matters even worse.

Got to be honest im probably overthinking it. Lockdown boredom and a analytical mind = disaster lol

EDIT: Just seen your edit LGF.

My neighbour runs his 2000 Kona with short stem and higher wider bars. I find the riding position very cramped and bolt upright. My own bikes tend to run a little lower and longer

Mines a 2000 kona also. A 18" frame and Im 5'8. I dont find it cramped to be honest but my seat is about level with my bars which are 20mm rise, stem 60mm, 10mm spacers. Fork is 100mm SID

 

[legrandefromage]

Theres a lot in the angles a frame has for weight distribution and climbing/ descending. A frame building chum did explain it all once and would explain it a lot better now - some frames just cannot be sorted as they were designed badly in the first place

On my own bikes, just rotating the risers around a few nths can make all the difference. I know when I got it wrong because I'd end up with a bloody achy lower back. A few tweeks and twizzles and it would be sorted.

 

[adroitstif]

Bar ends are your friends. Just not very trendy friends.

 

[Mikey08]

Bar ends are your friends. Just not very trendy friends.

I dont know.. If I could find some NOS X-Lite Stubbie pros' id be tempted.....

 

[legrandefromage]

Bar ends are your friends. Just not very trendy friends.

wot he said

but not on risers

or else

 

[My_Teenage_Self]

The only thing that matters in your scenario is where the bars end up in relation to the steerer. The combination of stem/bars etc doesn't really matter.

a short stem 10mm lower on the steerer with higher rise bars could put your grips in exactly the same position as a longer stem higher on the steerer with lower rise bars.