RepWI

I have a Surly LHT touring bike. It has a stem stamped 5Nm on it. I would like to change it. I find I am too stretched out and would like the bars closer to my body.

I went to a couple of web based bike part sites and soon became overwhelmed with the choices offered.

I am asking for some basic help. Could somebody explain how one decides on a correct stem. What type of sizing do I need? What questions do I need to know to ask a vendor?

redlude97

sounds like the perfect job for your LBS

hueyhoolihan

modern threadless stems come in various lengths from 70 to 140mm, give or take a cm, and fit a 1 1/8 steerer tube. most are aluminum and cost between 20 and 200 dollars. 5Nm means, i think, five Newton Meters. a measurement of force. referring to the maximum amount of force to be used on the clamping bolts. it has, i am pretty sure (but will no doubt be corrected, if wrong , as it should be), nothing to do with length.

Sixty Fiver

5Nm is the torque setting for the stem bolts.

Nice thing about a bike with a threadless stem is that swapping the stem for a shorter one is usually less work than doing this on most quill stems.

The stock stem is probably 100mm from centre to centre and replacements in 60 and 80mm should be easy and relatively inexpensive to procure and a good shop should let you do a test fit of a new stem before you buy it.

well biked

Stock stems on complete LHT's vary in length, depending on frame size, from 75mm to 120mm. It might be a stock 100mm stem, but there's no way to tell based on the info in the opening post, and there are several other possibilities.

xenologer

measure how far your hands are from the saddle in cm
subtract your preffered distance from this number
choose a new stem who's length is shorter than the old one by the same amount

dont know your preffered reach? either go to lbs and get 'fitted' or experiment:
buy a stem much shorter than the current one, ride a bit, too long/short? get another thats shorter/longer, repeat.
to minimize the number of attempts choose new stems who's length splits the difference between the two existing ones that are immediatly longer and shorter, in this manner each attempt cuts the margin by half
lookup 'binary search tree'

Kimmo 

Another thing to consider is seat position and angle; this can have some effect on where you'd prefer the bars.

If you haven't properly dialled in your seat already, start here before determining where you want the bars.

fietsbob

++1 on that They can see your bike fit, this list never can.

RepWI

I appreciate the advice and did get from you folks what I needed.

My LBS went out of business. It was a great shop but could not make it.

I will take it to another LBS and get advice and try a stem, maybe replace it as needed, repeat. I think that is a process that will work for me and is a good starting point.

Thanks

Kimmo 

Rather than go through an iteration of different stems, you can get an adjustable stem to find out where you want it, then switch to a proper stem (adjustable stems tend to be creaky and/or flexy).

redlude97

Many LBSs will even have one to loan out!

fietsbob

Salsa QBP offers an expensive adjustable stem to find your ideal measurements.
Charlie Cunnungham, of WTB made one decades ago,
QBP may have copied it and found one of their overseas contract shops to make them.

Perhaps you can find a shop to rent one of those.
I'd anticipate a hefty Deposit, refundable upon return.
say holding the credit card charge open,until it came back.

jethro56 

Assuming you have a stock complete LHT. Go here. https://surlybikes.com/bikes/long_haul_trucker under complete parts list and find the stem length associated with your frame. Select one 20mm shorter. Note that the angle of these stems is quite high. If you get one that's 20 mm shorter, The handlebar will be lower with the same angle. Another thing that changes is as you shorten the stem length, The steering feels quicker. Like others have said get your seat position where it needs to be first.

tony_merlino

+1

I just had a professional fit done for me on the road bike I used to ride 15 years ago. Stenosis and arthritis in my neck made the old position really uncomfortable for me. After the fit, things were a lot better, but still not pain-free. So I'm going the adjustable stem route. I'm staying with the same length, but I'll iterate on different angles for a while, find the one I like, and then buy a fixed one of that length/angle.

It looks dorky to have an adjustable stem on a road bike, but I figure (1) I'm too old to worry about that, and (2) it's only temporary.

Kimmo 

Remember that fugly Look (IIRC) adjustable stem from the 90s? Pity the poor pros who were stuck with it ; )

...Mind you, that's prolly the best-designed one so far...

GeoKrpan

Determining the right length stem is a trial and error process.

Don't spend a lot on a stem unless you're sure it's the right length. There are tons of inexpensive and good stems out there. I got Easton stems from Jensen USA for less than 10 bux.

After you're sure you've determined the right length then you can get a blingier stem, not that it will be any better, just blingier.

Champlaincycler

Google brightspoke stem calculator. they allow you to compare stems/stem angles so you get a good sense of how much closer to you or how much higher different stems will be. I'm kind of a newbie and this site helped me to visualize stems in advance of trying them out.