So none of the lbs near me carry the stem I'm interested in trying out for my '82 Shogun, and frankly, since the bike is essentially non-operational right now (the tires are dead, the gears need adjusting, etc.), I can't really "try a new stem out" the way it would deserve. My coworker who is helping me rehab the bike suggested, since we are tearing it down and cleaning it and doing everything to it in one-two sessions, that I should probably decide on a stem before we did that. In the end, I love the look of the stem that should have been on this bike to begin with. I think I'll start there. Since the frame fits me so nicely, it makes sense that to some degree, the original stem probably would have been fine.

The problem is that I don't know what size the original stem would have been, and I have zero experience with these things to begin with. This is the first road bike I've owned since I was 17! So if any of you lovely Shogun owners out there can tell me roughly what size the stem was on your 80's bike, I'd be so grateful.

I'm thinking of a Nitto Technomic Delux. It looks right, and isn't so expensive I can't stand it, but it comes in everything from 70mm up to 120mm. I think 70 or 80? I don't know. Help!

Here's the current horrid giant stem from hell:

shogun8 by snarkypup, on Flickr


Here's the whole bike:

shogun4 by snarkypup, on Flickr

Thanks for any advice you can give me. I do have a shorter reach, being a girl. The bike is a 54cm frame (I'm not sure on the top tube length), so it's about as big as a frame can be for me and still be comfy. The current stem is enormous and was added to lengthen the frame. However, it's not so long that I can't ride the bike, so I don't think I'm talking about a 50mm stem or anything. Also, I want to retain control of the bike. I'm NOT an aggressive rider. 70mm? 80mm? 90mm?