Stem length question

[Phixion]

Hey all

So after a few weeks on my bike I got over the feeling of falling forward, but I still don't like the riding position.

I have a Boardman Hybrid Pro and it's basically a flat bar road bike (i know, no such thing!), with a long reach.

My current stem is 90mm with +7 degree of rise, I want to move my handlebars higher and closer to me, but I'm unsure by how much.

I'm looking at the Ritchey Comp 30 Degree stem, it's available in 60/70/80/90mm length. I've read that shortening my stem too much might make my bike feel too twitchy.

Considering the angle of the stem will move the handlebar higher and closer, do you think I should stick with a 90mm or go shorter?

If the stem alone doesn't solve my issue, I would also consider a rizer bar, with a 20mm or 40mm rise, but I want to try the stem first.

 

[User6179]

Make sure your seat is in correct position first , look up KOPS

 

[jack smith]

Yeah first of make sure,your saddle is correct so your knees are over the pedal correctly, watch videos on bike fitting, them youll get the proper position on the bike, its pretty easy to gauge how many cm's you want the bars back, you could do that by moving your saddle forwards by a cm at a time from the correct saddle position and see what feels best then you can just order the stem minus that many cm youll also get a more upright position with the rise though it might be a tad too much

 

[RebornBumbler]

I'd suggest trying the Ritchey in 90mm if you don't feel particularly stretched on the bike, try 80 or less if you do (small steps make quite a difference). The look of the head angle/fork configuration on the Boardman don't suggest it'll become twitchy in a hurry.

Another thing to consider is cutting some length off the bars if they're a bit wide. If your arms are splayed out, that will also move you up and back.

Knee Over Pedal Spindle (KOPS) is often a good approximation of where to start with saddle fore/aft adjustment, but does assume that gravity is an important factor in pedalling (which it isn't !)

 

[vickster]

My whyte has an 80mm stem as standard, never noticed it being twitchy. Mountain bikes often have shorter stems, I think the twitchy may be more to do with road bike geometry than flat bar

 

[Phixion]

OK so I ordered the 60mm Ritchey 30 degree stem and it's worked out great, the bars are slightly higher and closer to me.

I enjoy riding far more now than I did before. The steering doesn't seem to have been affected either.