Originally Posted by
waddo
.. I think my wife would not want a "funny looking" bike.
The funny look is a passing thing. Like buying pants or a skirt that needs to be hemmed up to be just right.
If you are commited enought to do touring, I think putting up with a "funny look" while deciding on final fit is a small price to pay.
It is temporary after all.
Originally Posted by
waddo
.. . My LHT has 3 spacer rings below and nothing above.
Spacers comes in different heights. I think the thinnest one I have is 2.5 mm. The tallest, a home-made item, about 40 mm. The tallest COTS spacer, probably 25 mm.
The number as such doesn't mean a thing.
Originally Posted by
waddo
..So maybe I should ask them to cut it like mine ...
Your wife is not you. Your wife's bike is not yours.
Suggesting a cut for someone else based on your preference will be a guessing game - unless she has ridden your bike long enough to say something sensible about how it fits her.
Originally Posted by
waddo
.. ... except with enough room for a additional spacer?
Again, all spacers are not equal.
Since you said "
new bike for my wife", ask how she feels about the fit of her old bike. Use that bike - and her input - as a reference for a guesstimate about where to do the build-up cut.
There are (oversized) stems available where you fit a sleeve over the steerer tube, and lock the sleeve down with the compression cap. Then the stem can be slid up & down the sleeve w/o upsetting headset preload while figuring out preferred height.