Thats what I love about fit threads, people tell you to ride what is comfortable, before insisting on what that is and should be. different size stems exist to allow you to fit a bike to your particular proportions, just like moving the seat up and down. Its as simple as that. No standard "as shipped" bike is likely to fit me, I have to adjust things and if that means using a 100mm stem, that is just as valid as using a 130mm stem.

The 130mm stem police are just trying to copy their pro heros, its pathetic.

One of these "experts" has previously posted that your reach should be within 20mm of a "common pro" of the same height. Utterly laughable!!

Lets see now - Andy schleck 6'1" and 635mm from saddle nose to bar centre, Andy Pinfold 6'2" and 600mm from saddle to bar centre. Both are significantly accomplished athletes and bear no resemblence to eachother and certainly not to me! Interestingly Schleck also has more saddle set back AND a higher seat AND 35mm more reach yet is overall an inch shorter! Maybe these guys are not common enough or maybe they are doing it wrong too. At the TDU this year there were a number of riders i noticed using short stems and spacers, one guy even had his stem flipped up. Are they wrong too? Could our fit "experts" sort those huys out from half a photo and large dose of ego?

All I know is that when these fit "experts" start their post with things like "what most people dont understand" what it means is "im going to ignore your question completely and preach to you about my long stem becasue there is a vague chance you may possibly listen and it will help me with complex about short stems"