Originally Posted by johngwheeler

I've been experimenting with various aspects of bike fit on a Giant medium frame, which may be a little of the small side for me (5'10 / 178cm tall).

One of my problems is feeling that I have a bit too much pressure on my hands when on the hoods. Part of this is lack of core strength, but some of it is due to simply having too much of my body weight in a forward position.

I've moved the saddle back as far as it can go, and as an experiment I scooted back so my backside was hanging over the end of the saddle. I immediately felt less weight on my hands - but of course the position is impractical. I was wondering whether getting a longer stem would have the same effect? I currently have a 9cm stem, so was thinking of trying an 11cm.

Am I likely to notice much of difference in comfort or handling with a 2cm stem length difference?

Thanks for any advice!

John