Road Cycling - Stem up or Stem down

I'm an XC racer in the process of building up a road bike for the first time (my old Peugot had to be euthanized) - a new Fuji Team frame with a Kinesis fork. I bought a -17 Ritchey Pro stem (1 1/8 threadless) to go with my Ritchey bar. Here's the situation . . .

With the stem in the riser position I only need a 5mm spacer to get the bar to the correct height. With the stem in the negative position I'll need about 30mm (maybe more) of spacers to achieve the same bar height.

In the riser position I use less spacers and can cut the steerer shorter - which is my inclination. Less steerer, fewer spacers = less weight. But it looks kind of funny. Then again, so do my hairy legs.

My question: Which way would YOU install the stem?

On a road bike, I like the stem almost exactly parallel with the ground. It's probably all psychological, but I find that the handling is more direct. The other thing is that, if you install the stem with a couple of spacers and leave a little steerer on the fork, you can always go bak the other way, if you don't like the position after all.

The amount of weight saved by eliminating spacers is so minimal that it hardly seems worth considering. I would cut the fork so that the stem could be used in either position.

Get rid of the threadless and buy a
good quill stem.
Threadless stems are UGLY,
you can't adjust them once you cut the steerer
unless you have alot of spacers.

I'm sorry this really doesn't answer your question
but I couldn't help it. I think threadless is useless* and
is being foisted on us by marketing wankers.
end of rant (for now). :mad:

Marty

*On a road bike

Originally posted by lotek
Threadless stems are UGLY [...] and
is being foisted on us by marketing wankers.
...the same ones pitching
integrated headsets (http://www.chrisking.com/pdfs/Int%20Headsets%20Explained.pdf). :rolleyes:

It sounds like 17 degrees is the wrong drop angle for you. -6 might be what you need.

Originally posted by RainmanP
It sounds like 17 degrees is the wrong drop angle for you. -6 might be what you need.

Perhaps, but -17 is what I have.

BTW, I bought it together with a matching bar (both Ritchey Pro) on special and -6 was not an option. I knew that the -17 might be. . . awkward. . . but, clearly, it will get the bar to the proper height with no loss of function.

I had the same dilemma when I built up my road bike. I also have a Ritchey stem and bar. The stem angle is also -17 degrees. I went the route of many spacers, rather than a shorter steerer tube. This way I am leaving more options open

The best advice I can give is don't be obsessive about angles, positioning and set up. Your body will tell you what works best and so will your results. Put nutrition, training and sleep first.

someone said it best- use it -17 and leave extra steerer tube so you can go both ways.
I think it looks cool with the stem angled up and even with spacers above the stem. A few racers have it setup this way and looks good.
Anyway, you are right, it is lighter but if you use carbon spacers and have a carbon steerer tube--not much weight savings.
Form follows function. Purpose is beautiful on a racing machine. Whatever works is cool.

Threadless is alot lighter than a threaded which is why we use them today.