Riser stem with drop bars without looking weird. Possible? Examples?
 

So, I've done it again. I bought a bike that's too small for me, and I'm too stubborn to admit it. Current stem is sort of a medium length technomics at max height. I feel like I'd be a little more comfortable with maybe another inch or so in height and further forward. Any ideas on how to do this without looking like a total dork? Any examples?

Look at the mtb drop bar conversion thread.

yeah it helps if it's a MTB, but a nice mtb riser stem on a roadie should look good too

http://imageshack.us/a/img560/7079/p1010010gy.jpg

It doesn't look too bad. I think it also depend on what the stem look like also. If it's a more slender stem it doesn't stand out so much compared to something really thick and bulky. It can be pulled off. I've got a really steep like a 70 degree 90mm stem on my bike but it's got a lot more things on it visual wise to take away from the stem.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=311243

I don't think riser stems look too good. (Not even on MTB's.) JMHO.
If it is really too uncomfortable to ride as-is, I would just sell it, and buy a bigger bike.

+1! Never saw a riser stem that I liked ever since the first one I saw on Eric Heiden's bike when he rode for 7-Eleven in the 80's.....
I'd rather see a Nitto Technomic stem on any bike than a riser stem any day.....
JOMs

Chombi

on drop bar mtbs, to get the drops where your hands were designed to go, you're gonna need some kind of riser stem even with a bike that fits

imo a mtb style riser stem looks better than a tall technomic with a ton of post showing.. plus a riser stem made of identical materials would be lighter since it wouldn't be nearly as much material

It could look cool
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8101/8...dae02ae507.jpg

Not mine...from the Hetchins Gallery...'37 Brilliant


Edit: I've also seen many examples where the riser stem is hidden "abit" with a bell mount to kinda use up the space.

Part of my problem is just that the technomics that it's got right now is just so stubby. Even with a just a longer bit of forward extension, I might find myself feeling better about it. My thinking is that if I could find something with the same amount of post, but either a flat or really shallow angle, it might also correct the height issue.

For what it's worth, I spend a lot of time talking people out of buying ill fitting bikes, so I understand the arguments. I just saw this bike and I loved it so much, I convinced myself it felt right underneath me. And to be fair, it does feel pretty good. If I do end up passing it on, I just want to give it a completely fair shot first. If I can enjoy riding this bike as much as I enjoy looking at it, and if I can enjoy riding it without destroying my desire to look at it, it seems like a worthwhile pursuit.

Most of my bikes use a more upright style stem or threadless adaptor. http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...6&d=1361206374

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...5&d=1357492317http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...5&d=1357492317

That just works for me. Didn't think it would, but it does.

Thanks. I like the look of the Kalloy stems I think it is much cleaner than an adaptor setup, but it does limit your bar choice to a 25.4 clamp and a rounded bend rather than anatomic bends

Shopping around, I think a threadless adapter with a fairly shallow rise stem might be the way to go. As I said, I think moving them forward is as important as moving them up. I think that if I get a LITTLE bit of height on the stem adapter and a LITTLE bit of rise on the stem, I can probably get that extra inch or so without drawing a ton of attention to it. The bike in question is an 80s Cannondale, which I think will respond a little better to the modern aesthetic than would a lugged frame of that vintage. I think it's gonna work.

As long as it looks better than the LAST time I did this kind of fix, I'll be happy.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8120/8...ba336df4_b.jpg
Looked stupid, but it was totally comfortable.

It's not a question of finding the right stem; it's a question of changing your idea of what looks weird.

I see four choices:

1. Increase your flexibility so you can ride comfortably with a stem that doesn't look weird.

2. Set your bike up so you can ride it comfortably with your present level of flexibility, and persuade yourself the stem doesn't look weird.

3. Replace the frame with a bigger one, so the stem doesn't look weird.

4. Set the bike up so it looks right, and just don't ride it.

Of course, "looking dorky" is in the eye of the beholder. I've proven in the past that I am perfectly willing to cross my own arbitrary lines of taste, like that shot of my Rush Hour a few posts above this. I'll do it again, if necessary, in the interest of giving this bike a fair shot. I'm also willing, if necessary, to admit defeat and either pass this bike along or put it in my collection of pretty things that barely get used (though that is a collection I'm trying to put a cap on). The real purpose of this thread though is to hear from people who think it's possible to straddle that line of aesthetic snobbery and drastic posture correction without short changing either. I believe it's possible, so I wanted to draw inspiration from those pioneers who have done it well.

Go home Trek, ur drunk

If anybody knows a good mail service that delivers to 1985 (the golden era of time travel, as luck would have it), this cannondale manual that came with the bike says I can replace the frame for any reason, including size, for 150 bucks. Also an option.

Just a few Boiler Makers for the road.


Not Jason do you have pics of your current setup?

I agree with rhm -- if you have a too-small frame that needs the bars well above the top-tube, it's going to look weird, and you have to find the most palatable solution. I've gotten a lot pickier about the bikes I buy (must be 57cm +/- 1), and made my peace with riser stems for the too-small ones I already have.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...i/kalloy80.jpg

Tall and stumpy....not looking weird to me....with the head clip, that gotta be 4" at least
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8...91bc18fd_z.jpg

Again from the Hetchins site

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8241/8...856e9ed8_b.jpg

Here it is. The seat height in this photo is about right (perhaps some fine tuning left to do, I've barely gotten an opportunity to ride it since I got it). It's also possible, I'm thinking, that just getting a longer stem might fix some fit issues, but reaching down below the saddle is still not something I'm mad about.

Any changes I do will be fully reversable. I plan to just build an entirely alternate handlebar setup with different levers and cables so I can put it back to original spec easily if I sell it.

bigger frame. proportion=beauty.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...0/DSC07410.jpg

the nice proportions make up for the parts cobbling... i built this the night before a race....

Here is an old photo of my Norman Rapide.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/...95e_z.jpg?zz=1

As you see, the seat is way up high, and the stem is all the way up, and the fit is aggressive to say the least.

How did I fix the problem? I sold it to someone who fits it.

Here it is just last weekend. The new owner loves it every bit as much as I did; maybe even more:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8533/8...887a5fc9_b.jpg

Making a frame that's a little too big ridable involves some changes, too. With this bike, which is a big too large, I went this way:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-l...0/HPIM0919.JPG

I was going for this kind of a look:
http://www.wright-brothers.org/Histo...Cleve_Bike.JPG

Really I just wanted to be able to ride the bike for a while before selling it, but might keep it now. Some bars like the antique's and some different grips, maybe?

Nice looking Cdale. Personally I would keep any changes to minimum and look for a bigger frame. While the exposed seatpost does not look too extreme when you consider the extended seattube you have another 2" of your post showing. How is the standover?