johngwheeler

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the ideal stem length for a gravel bike, and whether this differs to the "standard" values for road and CX bikes in any given frame size.

My CX bike (medium frame) came with a 90mm stem, which I found quite twitchy on the road. In an experiment to reduce upper back pain, I tried a 120mm stem, which fixed the back & neck pain, but was very stretched out. It also made it harder to manoeuvre at slow speeds, but felt stable on fast descents.

I'm now trying to find a happy medium and have gone back to a 100mm stem, but a little bit lower (so that I can drop my shoulders and "relax" into the bars).

So far, it feels pretty good on paved roads (commuting) and the steering is noticeably quicker than with the 120mm stem.

I'm wondering what steering characteristics (& hence which stem length) is most suitable for a range of gravel riding.

My gut feeling is that one is more likely to need to react quickly to an obstacle on a gravel ride, and that faster steering might be preferable, at the cost of slightly less front wheel stability on faster descents.

Any ideas?

Facanh

I run 90mm on my bike to shorten the reach, i've found that I have more control over the bike and it's more comfortable. I also run a few spacers for a more upright position. Does the same thing, more comfort and a bit more control and it just feels more natural to me.

My bike is super stable with a 90mm stem, probably depends on the frame geometry.

Kontact 

A gravel bike is supposed to be a road bike that can be ridden over looser ground, rather than a technical riding bike like CX or singletrack MTB. So it would make the most sense to have your road fit.

If you road fit feels too long, maybe it is too long for your road bike as well.

Banzai

I think that sometimes we overthink these things. My opinion is that any cyclist can adjust within minutes to any stem length that is "reasonable", because the differences are minuscule in the big picture.

Just pick the stem that gives you the reach you want. Trail has a greater effect on steering/handling than stem length.

redlude97

This. I actually run a longer stem on my cross bike because the ETT is 12mm shorter than my road bike

johngwheeler

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like I should just choose a stem that suits my bike fit, and similar to my road bike (also 100mm).

I think the trail of my CX bike is 65mm, which sounds about average for an off-road drop-bar bike, so I’ll probably be OK on gravel / single-track with this configuration.

I do feel that having slightly quicker steering is probably going to be an advantage on narrow tracks where I need to quickly adjust course to miss obstacles. It’s noticably slower to change direction with a 120mm stem on my bike.

Thanks!

fietsbob

Get the fit right with the stem length that works for you, Your body , no matter what surface you choose to ride the bike on.