View Single Post
Old 11-28-14 | 07:23 AM
  #5  
cny-bikeman
Mechanic/Tourist
 
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 7,522
Likes: 12
From: Syracuse, NY

Bikes: 2008 Novara Randonee - love it. Previous bikes:Motobecane Mirage, 1972 Moto Grand Jubilee (my fave), Jackson Rake 16, 1983 C'dale ST500.

Except for some very short ones quill stems designed for road bikes are designed to reach forward horizontally, with no rise at all, and I don't see much utility in an adjustable quill, as it changes the height and reach at the same time, whereas just sliding a normal quill up and down will change height with little change in reach.

To the OP: The "reach" of the stem is expressed in cm or mm, and is the amount it extends forward. Yours is probably close to 100 mm, and you can get them as short as 40mm, though 50-60 is more common. 25mm is about an inch. It's best to have someone knowledgeable about fit advise you on this in-person, and the saddle height and fore-aft position should be properly set before deciding on any changes to the stem. Also if you reduce the reach by very much it may be advisable to resize cable housing in the front.

Last edited by cny-bikeman; 11-28-14 at 07:34 AM.
cny-bikeman is offline  
Reply