Road Cycling - Stems Stems Stems

I'm looking for some expert advise which I believe this forum can provide. I need to change out a stem on my new bike. The reason....neck problems that have become chronic. Currently my Merckx Ti has a stem that is essentially neutral, that is, "no rise" with the handlebar being approx 2.5" below the seat level.. The current stem is a 110 length. My plan is to go with a shorter stem, a 100, that has enough rise to bring the handlebar up 1 inch. What degree of rise do I need to choose in a stem to accomplish this? I was considering a Deda Newton or Ritchey Pro but I'm not sure if the either will elevate the bar enough.
Thanks for you help.

G'day,

I wouldn't go changing stems just yet.....make sure you need to & make sure you have the right length...its an expensive mistake if you need to do it again (especially with the hih end choices you have mentioned). The height of the handlebars has nothing to do with the stem...its spacers you should be thinking about. Also the height of the seat bares little relationship to the height of the handlebars...this is an individual flexibility & comfort issue...get fitted properly at your LBS before considering stem changes,

cheers,

Hitchy

As you increase the angle of the stem, it brings the bars both up and back. If you want to just go up, you will need longer. I use a very long and very steep Mtn bike stem.

of course, you could temporarily use a $20 adjustable stem and ride around for a week, experimenting with angles...

Once again, this chart (http://www.habcycles.com/fitting.html) comes to the rescue...

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

If you ride on the hoods you could try sliding them way up the bars just to see how it feels.

Just for kicks, maybe you should try flipping your current stem; that is, if it is not flat. I did it last week to get more of a drop. I went from no drop to about an inch and I kinda like it. I'm still getting used to it, though. I may put it back if my neck doesn't get used to it.

Thanks, Khuon, I hadn't seen that chart before!



Once again, this chart (http://www.habcycles.com/fitting.html) comes to the rescue.

I'm looking for some expert advise which I believe this forum can provide. I need to change out a stem on my new bike. The reason....neck problems that have become chronic. Currently my Merckx Ti has a stem that is essentially neutral, that is, "no rise" with the handlebar being approx 2.5" below the seat level.. The current stem is a 110 length. My plan is to go with a shorter stem, a 100, that has enough rise to bring the handlebar up 1 inch. What degree of rise do I need to choose in a stem to accomplish this? I was considering a Deda Newton or Ritchey Pro but I'm not sure if the either will elevate the bar enough.
Thanks for you help.

If one inch is what you are looking for, try inverting the stem that you have now. That'll probably give you about a 1" rise and bring the handlebar a little bit closer to you. It's also a free way to determine if that's exactly what you need or if you want to try a different stem.

Thanks for your replies. Thanks to Khuon for the chart. (Just an idea...items such as the chart might be helpful in a FAQ section of this forum for reference...just a thought)
I've been sidelined for 6 weeks with the neck issue but looking forward to getting back on the bike soon. My Merckx is <2 months old and have only 40 miles on it:-(. Had to cancel out of the RAGBRAI. Aging & injuries suck, but I'll be back.

I dont really know how experienced you are in cycling, but you might also want to take a look at your posture. I have found that a lot of people who are long in the torso tend to slump when they walk around, and it carries over to when they ride. where do you bend when you lean over to get to the bars? is it your stomach or your hips? it should be your hips, and this will put your neck in a much more upright position, and you will not have to strain as much.

so before dropping $50+on a stem, try having someone take a look at your form and posture. your back should look like a straight line, basically. try to stick your stomach towards the top tube and rotate your hips forward.

I'm only 17, but I had a lot of neck/back problems when I started...I asked my PT and he said it was my bike was fitted well, but I had bad posture. once he showed me the correct posture, my back aches and neck aches dissapeared.

Because of my own neck problems, I rode for awhile with a high rise stem on my road bike. It brought the bars up a little higher than the saddle. It was helpful when my neck was in pain, but the higher bars cost my rear end a lot of pain. A couple weeks ago I put the +6 degree stem back on. The bars are a little below the saddle, my neck isn't in bad shape (yet), and my butt is happier. I think if I need to raise the bars again, I might try an adjustable stem. I've never seen one for twenty bucks, though.