Long stems???

[neilll]

Wot Pat said.....top tubes are MUCH longer these days....no need for long stems

 

[KeepItSteel]

Good starting point:

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/m ... tems-2492/

there's a good article link at the end of that article talking about 2x4 bolt stems and about over tightening bolts!

I read that article. Seems to make some interesting points re fatigue but to me the whole 'fashion' argument is a red herring.
Ive always found 4 bolt stems to feel stiffer ( and i thought that was the point ) and therefore more confidence inspiring, on the odd occasion that ive hopped onto a 2 bolt stem'd bike, its felt like im riding a blamanche!. Besides, Easton have been making predominantly 2 bolt stems for ages and they are possibly the most popular manufacturer of all (?)

back on topic, long stems, To me anything over 120mm is pushing it in the daft looking stakes but the right length stem can make or break the handling of a frame. Always worth trying out a few lengths/rises to dial in your ride.

 

[FluffyChicken]

...

I read that article. Seems to make some interesting points re fatigue but to me the whole 'fashion' argument is a red herring.
Ive always found 4 bolt stems to feel stiffer ( and i thought that was the point ) and therefore more confidence inspiring, on the odd occasion that ive hopped onto a 2 bolt stem'd bike, its felt like im riding a blamanche!. Besides, Easton have been making predominantly 2 bolt stems for ages and they are possibly the most popular manufacturer of all (?)
....

Of course there is nothing wrong with following fashion, look at the low end ones as well, two bolts purely for fashion as they are close together... and close together to make them act more like a one bolt :roll:
(forgot to add the link to easton's stem website... where all MTB ones are now 4 bolt)

 

[jimihendrix]

back on topic, long stems, To me anything over 120mm is pushing it in the daft looking stakes but the right length stem can make or break the handling of a frame. Always worth trying out a few lengths/rises to dial in your ride.

I'm the opposite, i find long stems better looking, especialy if it's something slim and elegant like a Ringle, tend to go for 135mm zero rise stems as i think these look just right on a Retro XC bike, TBH i cant feel a huge difference in handling with a 120, i'd find a jump from that to 150 noticeable but not 15mm

 

[KeepItSteel]

back on topic, long stems, To me anything over 120mm is pushing it in the daft looking stakes but the right length stem can make or break the handling of a frame. Always worth trying out a few lengths/rises to dial in your ride.

I'm the opposite, i find long stems better looking, especialy if it's something slim and elegant like a Ringle, tend to go for 135mm zero rise stems as i think these look just right on a Retro XC bike, TBH i cant feel a huge difference in handling with a 120, i'd find a jump from that to 150 noticeable but not 15mm

no i tend to agree, on the right retro ride a 130mm can look good, and certainly period correct, but any longer, particularly on a more modern ride, and things start looking a bit squiffy. I think a 120mm is a good balance/comprimise

 

[24pouces]

Something we don't have to forgot : the angle of the stem (and of the bar) :
On my 1986 SM700, I've got a 130mm grove innovation stem-bar combo. The measure is long, but the stem has an angle around 20°, and when I ride this bike, I don't have the feeling to have a so far bar.
On my old 1990 SM, I really wanted a ritchey stem. My first bar was very straigth and so, the bar was very far and I was too lengthened on the bike. So, I had the chnce to find an old richey prolite bar with 10° angle : the geometry became more confortable for me.
On my old attitude, the mission control bar have around 19° angle and withdraw 5mm of the stem lenght.

These bikes have no suspension fork, and the headtube is very low, in comparison with today bike. Today, the angle is not necessary,and stems are around 0 or 5° max.

So, 130mm stem with 25-30° would correspond to a today 110mm stem with no rise.

 

[RockiMtn]

i haven't measured but from just looking at the two, my '92 Cirrus has a longer top tube than my '03 ETSX. that being said, i'm very pleased with how my ETSX looks with a 130mm stem. any shorter i would find the reach too short.

 

[Hipto Besquare]

My 1986 Muddy Fox Courier came with an almost BMX-like short stem and riser bars!