Originally Posted by khatfull

I have a new '09 CAAD9-5 for a couple of weeks now. We did the basic (non-aggressive) fit at the LBS. The bike came with a 100mm stem and they sent me home with "loaner" 110mm and 120mm cheapie Cannondale stems (presumably pulls from fitting bikes). I flipped the stem first thing, adhering to BF tenets. I then tried the 120mm and it felt long, just not quite right. I tried the 110mm for about 20 miles night before last and it felt better. I dropped the stem three spacers worth (maybe 15mm?) last night and went out for another ride. POOF! The bike now feels awesome in the drops, hoods, and bars. I can't exactly explain why it does, I know it just does.

I still have some fiddling to do but with each adjustment it gets dialed in a little better I think. I'm going to hit a 30-50 mile ride this weekend with the current setup to see how it feels at a little longer distance.

The point of this tirade? When previous posters say "you'll know when it fits" they're right. When the bike fits you'll feel the comfort in all three major hand positions. When the bike fits you'll feel it in the pedals in better power generation and pedal stroke.

You'll know.