Mountain Biking - Stem rise

I've been looking at getting a new stem for a while because I feel a little too stretched out on the stock Kore (one of the few things that hasn't been changed out). I decided I would go with a 120mm and stay with the 10 degree rise (current stem). I got out the ruler and the protractor and decided that the current stem has a rise of 10 degrees, so I'm counting on that measurement being right. My problem is that the Race Face Dues and the Thomson that I've been deciding between seem to only come in 5 and 15 degree rises. There aren't many quality others that come in the configuration I am looking for either (120mm by 10 degrees).

Do you guys think that it would be a problem (In regards to fit) to move down to a 5 degree? I'm comfortable enough on the bike - I'm just stretched out. 15 seemed like too much, but maybe not. I figure that the big thing will be to shorten my reach to the bars some, and that is what the 120mm would do for me. I am planning on running the stock riser bars for the time being with the new stem, so I was thinking this could offset the drop in rise a little. Has anyone here made a similar change in sizing? I guess what I am trying to get at is whether or not 5 degrees either way will make a huge difference when I am running risers. Thanks for any input!


-Moab

I don't think 5 degrees will be very noticeable...:)

To compare stems of different lengths and rise and estimate what may or may not work, I've found this chart (http://www.habcycles.com/fitting.html) to be particularly handy.

http://www.habcycles.com/stemfit.jpg

Hey Khuon, That's a great chart, I'll be saving that to disc for sure!

In regards to the original question, I'd prefer to switch to a 5 degree rise, rather than a 15 degree. If you've got riser bars, then a 15 degree rise will feel awkward. Not only that, but you'll "look" better! j/k

L8R

Just remember: the higher the rise, the more upright comfort, but sacrifice of climbing the steeps as the front wheel will come off the ground easier. The lower the rise, the better the climbing but more lower back strain and arm fatigue. Now stem length: too long and you'll slow your steering ability. Too short and it'll get twitchy and the wheel wil pop up on steeps. If you have a riser bar, remember that the bar has built-in height already.

Thanks for the replies - I think I'll be going with a 5 degree Thomson.

-Moab

at 6'1" would it help me to straighten up a little bit to get a higher rise stem?

I got a riser bar and it helped a little but for long road trips to and from the trails I'm bent over a lot.

Thanks
Mikey B

I recently swapped stems from an old Kore Lite to a RaceFace Deus (it's a lovely stem) and one thing I hadn't considered was that the stack height of stems vary a bit, so you might have a little more spacer adjustment to play with in terms of getting the stem to the right height.