Mountain Biking - Stem length

I'm having trouble settling on a stem length/rise. Recently I've been using a Synchros (110 mm x 7 deg rise (?)). It really allows me to bunny hop and wheelie well but it's too short to really hammer on open stretches and the front wheel comes off the ground way too easily on climbs. I recently put on an Azonic ORC (135 mm x 10 deg rise). I like the added control but now feel that I can't bunny hop or get the front wheel up easily enough. I think my original stem (generic stock 120 mm) had me feeling that my weight was too far forward. Any suggestions on the best way to achieve a good compromise?

Other than what you're doing by trying out different combinations, NO.

Ask if you can use your buddy's stem if different than yours. That way you don't have to keep buying them.

I continually try new things and find out what works best. I just got a new stem (not just, but recently) and it was shorter and made the bike handle like a dream in the tight stuff.

It's just a matter of trial and error.

L8R

Having to continually buy stems is quite annoying and gets expensive. When I was trying to figure out the right stem for me, my FBS just handed me a set of various stems they had in a big parts bin and told me to try each one then come back and order the stem I want in the correct size. If you don't have such a relationship with your LBS/FBS then another option might be to buy a bunch of cheaper stems in sizes you think might work and try each out before getting a more expensive stem in the correct size. Or you might consider getting one of those adjustable stems (hopefully a cheaper model) and riding with it a bit in various positions to determine what will work for you. If you're into interpolations/extrapolations, you might want to go with what you know about your current stem(s) and consult this chart (http://www.habcycles.com/fitting.html) to see what options you have regarding reach and rise.

Beg, borrow or steal stems until you find the right one - I've just swapped to a new RaceFace Deus and it's a lovely stem but I keep wondering whether the 5 degree rise would have been better than the 15 degree but at £60 a stem I think I'll live with it for the time being. You could try a cheap adjustable, then replace it once you've found the ideal position.

Thanks for the advice. I tried my: Synchros (110 mm), Race Face Prodigy (120 mm-for my new Cove Handjob), the original (130 mm), and my Azonic (135 mm) and decided I actually like the Azonic best. They're all good, rigid stems, but the geometry of the Azonic seems to work best on this bike. I ended up sliding the seat forward a bit and angling it down too. I tested it last night and, while the front end no longer felt too light, I was still able to wheelie and easily bunny hop curb height. Now the bike feels more mountain bike-ish and less BMX in it's set up. It'll take a little getting used to, but I'm confident that I take take it out this weekend and be comfortable with the setup. I'm glad I had all these different stems to test fit, only thing is i have to do twice the work-swapping them from bike to bike (I now have 3 mountain bikes-which is joy :) )