I have a endurance road bike that I want to make more sporty as I've gotten comfortable and flexible enough with the current stance. I'm going to remove one of the spacers up top.

Should I

a) measure the height of the spacer and increase my seat by that height
b) not increase my seat height at all
c) What is the best course of action to achieve the optimal fit when removing spacers? Anything else I should adjust be on the look out for?

Your question is incomplete. Are you talking about adjusting handlebar height?

I don't know where else the spacers are. The seat and handlebars are independent so you don't adjust the seat height unless it was at the wrong height anyway.

When adjusting handlebar height you do NOT remove spacers. You MOVE spacers from bellow to above (or visa versa) the stem. You then NEED to put the correct tension back on the adjustment bolt and torque the securing bolts properly. If you get it wrong the bikes steering will be dangerous.

I think you need some in person help on this one until you know what you are doing.

Anthony

I do mean the spacers around the stem. Would I need to increase seat height if I remove a spacer from the stem because the handle bars will now be lower.

When I'm in my drops I don't feel like my pedaling is as powerful as when in the hoods because I' ma bit lower so theoretically based on my experience I would need to increase the seat height I'm just wondering if this is standard practice when removing spacers from the stem.

Well its not standard practice.

Are you 5'5" in height or less by chance? You sound like you have fit issues but I'm not sure where to start.

Anthony

So, do you feel your knees are coming too close to the stomach or chest?

Raising the seat may help a little with that, but only if it is too low as it is.

You can adjust the seat height slightly by adjusting the crank length. Paradoxically, the longer the cranks, the lower the seat, the shorter the cranks, the higher the seat (and more knee clearance).

No I don't, I just feel like logically if I drop the stem height I won't be able to generate optimal power from my pedal stroke because I'm in lower position so putting the seat height slightly up would be my best choice. Would that be a correct assumption?

Everything on my bike is fine and I take long rides pain free, I just need help adjusting the stem height and am wondering if anything else needs to be adjusted in the process.

Go get a pro fit and let them advise on adjustments - best couple hundred bucks you'll ever spend.

If you want our advise you have to work with us. You have given us next to no information for the people who know what they are doing to work with. We have already told you that adjusting the seat when adjusting the handlebars is not normal. If you want to move on from that we need more information. My advise is to pay a professional to do a fitting.

Adjusting the handlebars/stem without knowing what you are doing is dangerous. Don't just muck around with it.

Anthony

it's an interesting question. In general, you wouldn't want to mess with the seat just because of lowering the handlebars. However, if you move your seat forward, you probably want to raise it a little. If you are just removing 5mm of spacer, it's not going to be necessary to move the seat. Take the spacer off, put it above the stem, and try it. No harm done.

A few years back, I raised my stem a little. I had a 1" spacer, which I decided was way too much, so I took it out. The result was a much better position for me. I didn't move the seat at all

I'm a beginner, this is my first road bike, I'm sorry I wasn't more clear in my initial question. Since this is the bike fit forum we are all here to ask questions and learn from one another. A bike fitting is not in my budget now that's why I'm asking questions and learning as I go along. I've achieved a good fit so far but I know I have lots to learn.

I've noted your advice and when I do get money I will get a good fit but now the time being all I have is this forum and to lean from more experienced people like you and the other members on here.

I'm also not "mucking about" my question is really simple and is posted in the original thread I know it's not a pro bike fit like you advised but it's as best as it's going to get for me right now.

Thanks for your insight.

I'm looking to remove about a .5 inch spacer. I read on another forum the following;

"Yes, as you lower the bars, by flipping the stem or removing spacers, you lengthen the reach and reduce your hip angle. This reduces frontal area and thus improves aerodynamics but it lowers power by reducing the power generated on the upstroke. There is clearly a trade-off and you would need to monitor closely to see if this helps or hurts. If you have a power meter you can test indoors first to see what the impact is on your power generation then head outdoors to see how it affects your speed, and most importantly comfort, unless you are only using this setup for short races."

What I wanna do is find the optimal area between being aero and generating max power which is why I thought it's a good idea to raise seat height personally but I haven't done so yet because I'm waiting on more feedback from the experienced people here.

That's why I'm wondering if I should raise seat height or not or whether this guy has the right idea or not because as a beginner it's difficult to gauge who has the right idea on optimal fit. I guess I 'm wondering if that's true and if it's standard practice to increase seat height when you remove spacers.

All the other advice given is very good. But, to go back to your original question, lowering the handlebars slightly should not require raising the seat. Seat height is really a matter of the relationship of you legs/feet/pedals. As I've gotten more flexible over the last year, I've gradually lowered my handlebars a good 2 cm. Haven't changed the seat at all. As others have said, just do it correctly so everything is snug and your steering isn't affected.