Mountain Biking - A Question about Stems??

Hey, I have some older Titec stem on my bike. After a day of riding, my wrists hurt, and i dont really like the way by bike handles. I rode a friends, and his stem has a good angle up on it.

Im looking for a stem that will bring by handlebars back towards me a little more. Looking at my stem now from the side looks pretty flat and straight out forward. What degrees do they make, and what is a good degree to have for someone that doesnt want to lean way forward?? I want to make sure i get a pretty sturdy stem also.... any suggestions??

thanks

Im niot sure about the angles... but u are looking for i think a 2 degree or an 8 degree... not sure as i said..

On the stem front, Easton, Titec, Kore and Raceface make sum solid stems

Someone else might be able to expound more but it sounds like you need 2 things.

A stem is mesured in length and degree of rise. You need something shorter than you have and likely a slight degree ride more. I ride a 95mm 5 degree rise Thomspon stem and I like it a lot.

You might ask your LBS if they have different length stems you can tryout.

I also found that raising and lowering the height of the handlebars on the steerer tube affects layout feel a lot as well. That said you probably can't raise yours anymore which would be what would give you a more upright position.

Consider a riser handlebar as well.

Trey

Stems come is a wide variety of angles AND lengths!

For example, a standard stem for XC racing is about 120 mm in length and usually a 10 degree rise. This puts the rider in a forward position.

Now, a Downhill bike or a Freeride bike will have a shorter stem and less of a rise. i.e., my Race Face Diabolous Stem is 50mm and a 10 degree rise.

The more upright you want to be, get a steeper rise (say 30 degrees). If you shorten the length, you will make the bike steer quicker and the bike will be more responsive, however, less stable.

Everythings a compromise! If your current stem is 120 mm, and a 10 degree rise, I would suggest a shorter stem and about a 20 degree rise, or less of a rise and switch to a riser handlebar!

i dont know my measurements right now,, i can find out though.
I just dont like to lean foward as much as i do now. I feel like im bout to go over the bars on sometimes. I know the stem is pretty long and pretty flat, prob like a 5 degree or something. I do have a Titec Hellbent handlebar, so that gives me a little upward position.

How do you want the bike to ride? What does it ride like now?

Wrist pain could be due to lever/shifter placement, bar sweep, bar height, stem angle, stem length, hand pump from bad grips or bad brakes.

well, i just dont want to be put in the forware position like i am now... i lowered my seat to help some. My stem looks to be about 120mm long and not much of a rise at all. I just want it to set back a little more... im not too light, and i think when im going down a technical part of a trail, all my weight is on my wrists and that is causing the pain..... i think..

I'd check some of the online retailers. I've seen stems as cheap as $5. Might also be a good idea to check with you LBS and see if they have a "Parts Bin" with some old stems of different lengths you could "try-out". Then, once you decide on the rise and reach you like, buy a decent stem.

From what you've described, I'd start with a 100mm and 5 degree rise!

L8R

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, your seat height should be independent of your handlebar height. If you're leaned over THAT much, consider a stem with a bit more rise (say 10 degrees) or switch to a bigger rise in your handlebars (up to 2.5 inches for some DH bars).

L8R

I ride a Race Face Diablous stem, 5 degree rise, 50mm reach. It puts me in a perfect riding position.

A lot of the times, its frame geometry that puts your weight to far foward. Low bar height (steep geometry too) puts your weight foward on the decents.

get a shorter stem, or twist riser bars toward you, or both, and also get a stem with a steeper rise, its all personal opinion, so just do what you want.