Originally Posted by
tetonrider
i'm 5'11" and ride 56 frames with 120mm stems. i run a flat top cap with almost no stack height instead of the supplied caps. this is a particular issue with the tall head tubes and especially so for the venge's "aero" top cap; the shortest one is 15mm.
not sure what i was thinking (or wasn't) when i wrote this. i ride 56cm road frames with
140/-10 stems, with shorter than normal dust caps (1-2mm tall vs 10-15). take my frame opinions (tarmac & venge) with that in mind.
Originally Posted by thechemist
I won't ever go back to anything less than 110mm stem. Stability has been a huge confidence booster with a longer stem.
@tetonrider it is interesting that you found a difference between the tarmac and venge descending/cornering. My future plan was always to drop a bike size and go with the venge over my current tarmac for several reasons. However, since adding length to my stem, I wonder if I had judged the tarmac too severely and perhaps will just drop a size for another tarmac.
Originally Posted by tetonrider
i have no problem recommending either bike (in fact, the venge is the one bike you'd have to pry out of my cold, dead hands), but i figured i'd note the slight understeer. if faced with riding a sub-100mm stem, i'd definitely look at the next lower size.
the tarmac is honestly a great handling bike. i can understand someone preferring another or simply not wanting to buy a specialized bike, but if someone rides a tarmac for a while and thinks 'meh' with respect to the handling, i think it may be more of a sign that something is not right with the setup. it's been around for a long time for a reason and is a common choice in the pro ranks for a reason (beyond just the marketing/sponsor stuff). i'd at least test the right size tarmac with a 110 or 120 stem to see what you think., but of course also test other bikes in the right size.
my above recommendation still stands, though.
