Originally Posted by
D-Fuzz
As far as having a short stem with more rise, I have noticed when I am on the hoods, the bars are a bit behind the front axle. Is that an issue at all as far as handling is concerned? I always thought the optimal position was to have the bars blocking view of the front axle when you are on the hoods.
VERY good question!
Stem length doesn't affect quality of handling much at all. I can say this with total certainty because
1. I checked papers and books on frame design (trail distance is THE critical parameter for handling.)
2. When I was a courier as a kid in SF, the standard bike was an MTB stretched with a longer stem. No problem. Time trial riders do even more extreme things with long stems with a negative angle. MTBers often shorten or lengthen stem length considerably.
3. I re-built an MTB for a friend with RSI and fitted BMX bars. By tilting the bars you change the effective stem distance through an insane range - at least 20cm! - and the handling remains excellent. (If the OP wants I can send him the design "formula" - Big Apple balloon tyres and high BMX bars with some backwards tilt on the grips fitted to a classic Kona Lava Dome frame.)
There's also a weird example of a drop bar bike with the stem fitted *backwards* on the CTC site - handling is fine. Shortening a stem will "quicken" a bike's handling a little, but my - and I'd guess your - fear that stability will disappear if, say, stem length is halved turns out to be untrue.