Originally Posted by
cny-bikeman
... in my post I said it was small in a "typical" reduction in stem length ... Very few people will reduce stem length even as much as 30 mm ...
We both agree that there is a change in [theoretical] response with a change in stem length. Also agree that a lot of people will not be able to notice the change due to the reduction. But there are some people, albeit a very few, that do. I have some riders in my group that tell us about how "responsive" his bike became going from a 110 mm to a 90 mm stem. I don't know whether it was real or just perceived.
... your 50 mm difference does not really apply.
Granted mine was quite an extreme case, but the argument still holds true.
... and as you were giving advice/info to the OP one would assume you would be addressing his situation, not a theoretical one
As for the OP "noticing" the difference if he changes stems, I really don't know. He may actually feel it, or just perceive something has changed.
As for knowing the math, it would have helped if you had given some backup for your stance in the 1st place.
It's hard to quantify a "perceived feeling". Though there is a science (psychophysics) that deals with that, a lot of the observations cannot be directly translated into an empirical formula. And I didn't really want to bore people with math (no offense meant) so I just tried to keep it simple in my original post by using the perception factor.
I appreciate the intellectual discussion, especially coming from a person who understands both the math and the real-world implications.
No harm, no foul man.
Cheers.