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Ritchey 4 axis adjustable stem

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Old 06-29-17 | 08:03 PM
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Squirrelly
 
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Ritchey 4 axis adjustable stem

I have a 90 mm stem on my Cannondale quick four. I want to raise the handlebars up to take the weight off my hands and the Richie comes in 90, 105, 120 lengths. When I talk to Richie they said that you want to make sure that if you're raising the handlebars that the handling is the same so I'm wondering if the 105 or 120 lengths would be better to raise me up but not shorten the distance that might affect The handling. Does anybody have any experience with the four axis adjustables?
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Old 06-29-17 | 10:56 PM
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Originally Posted by phurley
I have a 90 mm stem on my Cannondale quick four. I want to raise the handlebars up to take the weight off my hands and the Richie comes in 90, 105, 120 lengths. When I talk to Richie they said that you want to make sure that if you're raising the handlebars that the handling is the same so I'm wondering if the 105 or 120 lengths would be better to raise me up but not shorten the distance that might affect The handling. Does anybody have any experience with the four axis adjustables?
You can use following website to compare your current stem with each of the Ritcheys:

Stem Comparison Tool
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Old 06-30-17 | 09:57 AM
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Bikes: Lapierre Pulsium 500 FdJ, Ritchey breakaway cyclocross, vintage trek mtb.

Or you can try moving your seat back first.
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Old 06-30-17 | 10:47 AM
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Originally Posted by pacificaslim
Or you can try moving your seat back first.
plus one
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Old 06-30-17 | 10:58 AM
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Originally Posted by pacificaslim
Or you can try moving your seat back first.
Saddle fore/aft position should NOT be changed to accommodate hand pain or other uncomfortableness.

Saddle fore/aft position is set purely by where your knees want to be. Nothing else.

If you have to move the saddle to make your hands stop hurting you bought the wrong bike.
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Old 06-30-17 | 11:10 AM
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Bikes: Lapierre Pulsium 500 FdJ, Ritchey breakaway cyclocross, vintage trek mtb.

If he has to use a 90mm stem he's already bought the wrong bike. Or has very weak core muscles.

There is a wider range of seat positions that do not trouble the knees than the KOPS staring point advice leads people to believe. The seat should be set so one's weight is supported by his legs and there will be no need to place any significant weight on the hands.
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Old 06-30-17 | 04:29 PM
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Originally Posted by pacificaslim
If he has to use a 90mm stem he's already bought the wrong bike. Or has very weak core muscles.

There is a wider range of seat positions that do not trouble the knees than the KOPS staring point advice leads people to believe. The seat should be set so one's weight is supported by his legs and there will be no need to place any significant weight on the hands.
Its a flat bar bike, there's nothing abnormal about a 90mm. The mountain bike community 40-50mm stems are relatively common on mountain bikes.
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Old 06-30-17 | 07:13 PM
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Originally Posted by pacificaslim
If he has to use a 90mm stem he's already bought the wrong bike. Or has very weak core muscles.

There is a wider range of seat positions that do not trouble the knees than the KOPS staring point advice leads people to believe. The seat should be set so one's weight is supported by his legs and there will be no need to place any significant weight on the hands.

LOL, weak core muscles. What a tool!
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Old 06-30-17 | 07:36 PM
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Bikes: Lapierre Pulsium 500 FdJ, Ritchey breakaway cyclocross, vintage trek mtb.

Originally Posted by phurley
LOL, weak core muscles. What a tool!
Who me? For suggesting that one should be able to bend forward from the hips at angle somewhere between 45 and 90 degrees without needing his arms to support his upper body?

Just try moving your seat back a little. Trust me. You don't need your arms to hold you up if you are balanced fore-aft on the bike properly.
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Old 06-30-17 | 08:01 PM
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Originally Posted by pacificaslim
Who me? For suggesting that one should be able to bend forward from the hips at angle somewhere between 45 and 90 degrees without needing his arms to support his upper body?

Just try moving your seat back a little. Trust me. You don't need your arms to hold you up if you are balanced fore-aft on the bike properly.
I didn't post this for the reasons you think. You don't know anything about it. You must be a bully, or at least a fairly unlovable person.

Last edited by phurley; 06-30-17 at 08:10 PM.
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Old 06-30-17 | 09:43 PM
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Originally Posted by pacificaslim
If he has to use a 90mm stem he's already bought the wrong bike. Or has very weak core muscles.
My wife's bike came factory with a 90mm stem. Frame fits her just fine-- because it's a 51cm frame. Her stem is long relative to frame size, as I run a 100mm stem on a 59cm frame. Stem length is chosen for body fit, not because one length is somehow cooler than another.

The flat-bar Quick 4 has a +12º 90mm stem. From the factory.
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Old 06-30-17 | 10:01 PM
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Bikes: 1964 Legnano Roma Olympiade, 1973 Raleigh Super Course, 1978 Raleigh Super Course, 1978 Peugeot PR10, 2002 Specialized Allez, 2007 Specialized Roubaix, 2013 Culprit Croz Blade

A few years ago, I bought a Richie adjustable stem to feel better as I recovered from a broken fore arm. It took some weight off the arm for a few weeks till the arm got stronger. Even though I was wearing a brace for awhile, the normal stem angle caused some discomfort, and I didn't want to strain the repaired arm (plate + 6 screws). This was on a Specialized Allez. As I recall the adjustable stem didn't cost much (around $20) and was worth it to me. Give it a try. Specialized used to make adjustable stems using some kind of shims. My Roubaix has one, but it fits fine as is, so I've never messed with it.

Check ebay, lot's of choices, Richie and Specialized adjustables, $20 - $50.

Last edited by Slightspeed; 06-30-17 at 10:13 PM.
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