Originally Posted by calstar

The shorter the stem the lighter/quicker/more responsive/'unstable"/etc the steering/handling will feel, given all other factors are equal. Picture a 1' rod on a pivot point; if you move the bar 1/2" (on the end opposite the pivot) it moves the bar close to the pivot less than if you moved that same 1/2" on a 2" rod on the same pivot. If you go from a 140mm stem to a 60mm stem it will definitely take some getting used to(again, all else being the same).

Brian