Whoa, yeah! I’d better respond to this one. But let me also start out with the standard disclosure. What feels best is best and everyone is proportionally different. So you should listen to your senses more than other’s mouths.
I recently went through a fit ordeal with a new bike. I bought a 54cm and began, after a few miles, to feel too stretched out over the top bar (have a shorter than average torso). I determined that because my knee-over-pedal relationship (KOPS) was good and that my saddle was as forward as it could go, that the next step was to go with a different stem. I took it back to the LBS and they switched the 100mm to a 90mm. After more miles in the saddle I then felt that my steering felt too twitchy, especially at about 35mph, and much more so when pedaling above 35.
Assuming that this new problem was based off of the new stem, I queried the forum here about the possibility of ebaying the bike and buying a 52cm. …Seems about 75% of the responses were, “no, there is a way to make your bike fit” or “you’ll just be trading one problem for another, don’t do it”. All of the feedback was however, very helpful in helping me to understand my problem thoroughly.
Ultimately my new thorough understanding of the situation lead me to the choice of ebaying and buying again. RIGHT CHOICE!!! My new 52cm feels great and has me all the more addicted! The 110 definitely hits the sweet spot for me. Where the old stem was twitchy and overly responsive, the new one is rock steady and gives me more control freedom. In fact, I hit 40 2 days ago while pedaling like a madman and had no problems with stability or steering. I’m sure some will argue that I’m just getting better and that I’d have experienced the same results with the 90 eventually. But you’re gonna have to trust me on this though – I am thoroughly conscious of the differences in my two experiences now and why the new bike is better. I’m sure though that some will have setups that will benefit more from a 90 stem.
Part of the lesson I learned is that, at the time it feels like it fits, your bike should fit you such that you have a bit of room to adjust the stem and seat both forward or back (i.e. seat and stem aren’t at any limit of adjustment). Your body will adapt and change with your riding habits and you’ll need the room and it’s amazing what 1 centimeter can do. I would go beyond the standard bar/hub-view rule and say,
when you’ve pedaled comfortably for 1 minute in a standard pace with your hands in the hoods, look down naturally (bend your neck in a relaxed and comfortable way). The handlebar should then hide the hub. If this is the case and you are comfortable, the seat has room to move either forward or back, and the stem is a 110 (allowing you in the future to stay in the range of 100 - 120), and you have a good KOPS. Then IT’S A FIT!
The End
