6 cm of spacers
 

hi,

i'm doing my first build with a traditionally tubed steel frame. the seat tube is a bit short for me so to get the handlebars where i want them, i have to use approx 6cm of spacers on my steel 1 inch fork. is this dangerous to have that much fork steerer above the headset?

it does look a bit odd.

thanks-


:)

Yes.


Park Tool recommends a maximum of 40mm, and I tend to agree.
If you need that much extension, you need a larger frame.

I think you mean "Head Tube".

Have you looked at different stems? Something like a high angle (135°) Salsa will get those bars up even higher.

2 1/2" of spacers isn't much to get jazzed about though. If you think it looks dorky, you can always bling it out with some custom spacers.

I'd go with the faux diamond look http://www.purelycustom.com/c-86-spacers.aspx

If you look at some of Sheldon's bikes with the double handlebar setup and he had some really long steerer tubes, without even using spacers. For example: http://sheldonbrown.org/thorn/index.html

I wouldn't take it off any sweet jumps, but it will probably be fine.

Sure seems like a lot of trouble and expense to be starting off with a wrong size frame.

6cm - sounds like you have a REALLY small frame. The other option is to get a near verticle threadless stem with 40mm of spacers. If that still isn't high enough for you. I'd seriously consider getting a new frame.

I agree 6cm of spacers is implying wrong frame size but I thought the 4cm limit only applied to carbon steerers, right?

Before we declare the frame to short we should perhaps realize where he wants to position the handlebars.

Why would we consider the frame to small if he's trying to put the bars at or above the saddle. I've got a XO-3 with a Technomic stem showing 4-5".

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2112/...879ea9.jpg?v=0

Any bigger frame and the top tube would be to long.

Material doesn't matter. Most of the issue is side-loading the bearings. The stem being up that high just makes the steerer a longer lever. Besides looking completely dorky. See if you can swap for a properly sized frame.

Frame. Is too small.

+1 Judging from the amount of seatpost showing, he could be riding a frame ~1-2" bigger, still have a fist of seatpost showing, and have a much less extreme stem extension. RE: toptube length...that looks like a 10cm stem length and stems are available all the way down to 6cm so a shorter stem would solve the problem there.

How easily we shade-tree mechanic. Seat tube is 52, top tube is 55. My other bikes vary between 54 and 56 for the top tube.

The stem is either a 60 or 70 (you may be mislead by the M-bars), I tried a variety of length to get the fit I wanted.

Other XO setups

http://i24.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/d9/08/a24c_12.JPG

http://i18.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/cf/df/a698_1.JPG

http://www.eandsweb.com/bikes/pics/b...17_1793_sm.jpg

http://www.sandsmachine.com/p_cor_r1.jpg

http://www.polakoff.com/XO-1/rs1.jpg

http://www.bikesatvienna.com/images/xo-2.jpg

So you're really sure what length your stem is? better go measure it. I'll ignore the vulgar insult since it is no doubt something attributable to your upbring, and inbred, therefore, involuntary. not really sure what those other photos are about, but whatever. go buy the right size frame.:)

Wow, not only is somebody lacking in knowledge of frame sizing, but they're also thin skinned.

70mm. Should I take a photo of the measurement?

The other photos? Gosh darn if they don't show equivalent seatpost extension.

Here's a link: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgest...4/pages/39.htm

Take a look at the seat post extension in the catalog. I'm pretty sure Grant Peterson knew a bit more about what he was doing then you assume you know.

So, you're suggesting that we should all have our seatposts set up to look like the bikes in a catalog photo?:roflmao: So why don't you have the same stem on your x03 that the catalog shows. After all, they do show the proper stem to use to get more height.;) Oh, and would you mind taking a photo of the size stamp on that stem. I'd really like to see it. Just curious, ya know.

Give it up Skinny, you're out of your league.

i'm actually building a traditional road bike with drops, so i'm just trying to get the bars at a 4cm drop from the seat, and it's requiring 6cm of spacers to get the job done. the frame is a bit smallish in the seat tube as it's a 49 and i usually require a 51-53 ctc.

so the consensus is that the frame is small (i knew that) and that the extra length of the steerer tube over the headtube applies too much pressure on the headset bearings as the extra length of the steerer tube applies more torque than a shorter, more properly sized tube?

or, in your opinion dobber, 6 cm of spacers is not too bad after all- just might look dorky for a 'sporting" road bike.


:)

Somehow I knew that one was gonna getcha and you're right, when I'm dealing with someone who resorts to insults in every reply they make over something as simple as a frame size comment, I AM out of my league.;)

See guys, we asked the OP a relavent question and got some good information. Sounds like the frames on the small side. Other than spacers or a new frame, how would we fix it?

What kind of stem are you planning on using? As I posted before, you might want to consider something with more rise

http://aebike.com/images/library/cat...50m/SM8783.jpg

You're essentially trading steer length for stem rise. A little geometry will give you the answer.

Please point to the insult. I'll wait.

Guys, take a chill pill.

The OP stated that the frame was too small.

Call me a scaredy cat, but after many years of "winging it" for structural design as a carpenter, and being a conservative overbuilder...it still bothers me to see more than a 40mm extension on a threadless stem (funny, but it bothers the OP as well). There are many, many ways to achieve the same reach that do not exceed that extension spec, regardless whether the consideration is reach or height. A longer stem or even an extension adapter are both preferable to an extended steerer in my book.

What's the difference between an extension adapter and a stack of spacers. For that matter, a long quill stem and a stack of spacers?

Sure, I might not recommend it for fancy-boy carbon or weight-weenie alloy, but a nice steel or heavy duty alloy steerer can take plenty of abuse.

Our dearly departed Sydney weighed in on this matter with the following quip:

"It depends.Industry recc for CF steerer is 25mm and 35 mm for 1 and 11/8" respectively.Some manufacturere are more generous. With Al or cromo steerer it's whatever the spacer police in your jurisdiction are ok with."

thank you.

I guess I'm the local spacer Sheriff. :rolleyes:

Believe me dobber, it's not about looks with me. Sheldon made it painfully apparent that he also didn't care about appearances. For me it's about efficiency. I see a stem with adapters, spacers, and any sort of extra provisional appendages as the long way around the issue, especially if it is all about making a frame that doesn't fit comfortable enough to bear instead of just getting the correct frame and not needing any of it.

If I did have to use them, I'd always rather err on the side of strength over cost savings. Teeth are expensive to fix.

This is in fact the crux of the issue.

Back in the day, when one of the local yokels from down in der hollar brought der bike to the shade tree mechanic and said dey was unhappy wid the bike cuz dey was gettin' a cricket in der neck from bein' all bent over, we says to them, " Listen here bro yokel, yuz needs to buy a bigger bike sos yuz doan has to bend ova so fah and den yuz woan get no cricket in yuz neck." Couse, bein that dey waz poe, which waz wa dey waz comin to the shade tree mechanic to begin wif, dey would say, hey, yuz think i can juz jump up an buy me a new bike evry time i get a cricket in my neck?" Sos we would set them up wif dis weird, extra long stem that would get them more upright, but was really only a bandade on the problem, not a real solution.

of course the real solution is to buy the correct size frame.:D