Originally Posted by
Excelsius
Thanks, this makes sense. After I removed all the spacers, the expander plug still sits very close to the stem, so I think I should be good for now. Not sure why Cannondale is making such a general statement. My problem now is that even with all the spacers removed, the bars aren't low enough. Will it be ok to remove that large metal piece underneath the spacers to bring the bars even lower? I feel like I will have to buy something else to substitute that piece if I do that. And if the bars are still not low enough, then I will need either a different stem or maybe even a different frame geometry to achieve lower stack. I'm 5.8 and my frame was fitted to me at 52cm at the LBS - don't think I can go smaller on the CAAD10.
Can anyone explain if it matters whether I get a different stem with a steeper drop instead of lowering the bars on the steerer tube? Assuming the reach remains pretty much the same, replacing the stem with something steeper could save the steerer tube from cutting it too much.
My LBS quoted $20 to cut the steerer tube. I might just ask them to do it when the time comes.
If you have a high dome for the top of the headset, that can be exchanged for a low profile top and you can save some height that way. If you already have a low profile top, you are sort of maxed out there. I wouldn't remove the top completely. Of course your stem must already be flipped down. You can get a +/- 10 degree or +/- 17 degree stem to lower the bars even further assuming what you have right now is 5, 6, or 7 degrees.