Originally Posted by
go1dens4
you really should be fit on the frame without going beyond a 120 stem. If you get the bike with a forward center of gravity it can be unstable and too aft you loose the ability to control. .
sorry man, but this ain't right. I have 5 bikes with 130mm stems, and one with a 140mm. If anything, the longer stems increase stability slightly because the weight of the bars and levers is a bit further away from the centre of the pivot.
There are gazillions of people, including plenty of taller pros, with 130mm stems, and they (the pros) have to fly down icey mountain roads at 90kph and sprint at 70kph+.