Shortening bike's REACH

[kingspirit]

Hi All,

I was wondering what is the best way to shorten the bike reach if the reach is to long.

Bike reach is 39.1 I need to make it around 38-38.5
Current stem is 100mm (10cm), +/- 7 degrees

Is it better to swap just stem or put the dropbars with shorter reach or both ?

Cheers!

 

[Cycleops]

You don't say what stem you have on now, if it's got any extension on it. New stem would be the obvious route if that works.

 

[kingspirit]

You don't say what stem you have on now, if it's got any extension on it. New stem would be the obvious route if that works.

The stem is 100mm (10cm) currently on.

 

[Paulus]

A slightly shorter stem would suffice.
What stem do you have fitted at the moment. Is it a MTB or a road stem?

 

[All uphill]

The two immediate options are to either:

Use a shorter stem

Or

Move the saddle forwards. This will also change the relationship between you feet and bum while cycling which complicates things.

How have you come to the conclusion that you need to reduce reach?

 

[Spiderweb]

An 80mm stem would mean the reach is within your ball park.

 

[ColinJ]

A 3rd option might be to flip the stem if it is currently 'down'. (That would raise the handlebar and bring it back.)

 

[Andy_R]

Bear in mind, if you shorten the stem, the steering becomes more "twitchy" as you bring the steering pivot closer to the caster point. Long stems allow for long, relaxed, lazy steering. Short stems are more up front and twitchy.

 

[Cycleops]

An 80mm stem would mean the reach is within your ball park.

The standover discussion is over here:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/bike-standover-height.284236/page-2#post-6702431

 

[kingspirit]

A slightly shorter stem would suffice.
What stem do you have fitted at the moment. Is it a MTB or a road stem?

That's is for the gravel bike, droped handlebars.

 

[kingspirit]

The two immediate options are to either:

Use a shorter stem

Or

Move the saddle forwards. This will also change the relationship between you feet and bum while cycling which complicates things.

How have you come to the conclusion that you need to reduce reach?

Well to be honest not so sure how I came to a conclusion I had a Fuji Jari, the reach was 37.2cm, felt small for me, the was size M, overall size was a bit small, strange even though my height is 176-177. So I thought maybe better reach will be around 38-38.5. But the bike I want is size L (Vitus Substance) has a reach 39.1, that's why I'm thinking it might be to long.

 

[slowmotion]

Bear in mind, if you shorten the stem, the steering becomes more "twitchy" as you bring the steering pivot closer to the caster point. Long stems allow for long, relaxed, lazy steering. Short stems are more up front and twitchy.

The first road bike I bought had a 110mm stem, and I felt hopelessly "stretched out". As a novice, I had no idea how a road bike should feel. Anyway, I got fed up and bought an 80mm stem which worked for me for a long time with absolutely no steering problems. Years later, I'm back to a 110mm stem having got used to the riding position. Just find a stem length and angle that feels comfortable. Not much else matters unless you want to turn professional.

 

[biggs682]

So @kingspirit you haven't tried the bike but you are already thinking that it will have too much reach ?

Ride it and try it

 

[SydZ]

Shortening a stem can change other things, like the height of the bars.

This website is very good for working out the results.

http://yojimg.net/bike/web_tools/stem.php

Personally, I’d ensure that the saddle is in the right place first then adjust reach by fitting an appropriate stem. I set the saddle by sitting on the bike and spinning the cranks a number of times. I then drop a plumb line over the front of my knee and it should dissect the pedal axle.

Remember that changing the stem length will have an impact on the handling of the bike but this should be minimal unless you are going to extremes.

 

[Sharky]

It seems that you are only looking for a 1cm reduction? I ride a road bike and the difference between riding on hoods to holding the flat section must by at least 8cm difference. So I'm sure a 1cm difference won't be noticed once you start riding the new bike.