Determining stem length
 

How do you know if your stem is the right length? Like at what point is it better to lower your bars and get a shorter stem vs just raising your current and how should a right fit feel?

Some more personal things about my current fit is sometimes I feel ever so slightly stretched out, a bit of pain on the heel of my hands, and right where my hamstring meets my butt. Mostly just looking for a little insight on picking a stem length I just added the second part in case anyone has any thoughts on that. I understand you really can't do a bike fit over text on the internet.

Thanks!

First question - is your seat height right? (Also fore and aft.) I read "... and right where my hamstring meets my butt" and my first thought was - seat's too high. I've obviously never seen you on a bike and I could well be wrong, but - seat height and position should always be right before addressing "cockpit" issues. Always.

I like being stretched out with bars not so low but well forward. (Since I have very long arms, this means ridiculously long stems on most production bikes. My early '80s bikes I've used for commuter and rain bikes have had custom 180s (now 175 with slight down angle) since 1995. I'd always felt cramped with 130s (the stem most call long) except on my racing bike with its very steep angles. When I took the risk and had the 180 made, it was a revelation!

For me,the best fit has me feeling a little like a cat doing its stretch. Where they make their back really long. I find I can breath deeper and my back loves it 9onci it is in to the concept. Can take me a couple of rides.)

We are all very different. This is not a preach, just what works for me. Now I used to race and the horizontal back is something I practiced religiously and can still do 40 years later (if I have been riding).

Second point - the heels of you hands hurting. the conventional wisdom is that you need to tailor your seat to get zero weight on your hands. I don't buy that; at lest not for me. Now, I have always had real weight on my hands and as I get older, addressing that has become increasingly more important. But I don,t seek out ways to reduce the weight. All of them take me to positions that are not as comfortable for my back, hamper my breathing and force this skinny, long and light guy to do a lot more work anytime I'm riding sorta fast or there's any wind. No, I take real pains to dial in the cockpit to be a really friendly place to land my hands. First, I place the bars; height, fore and aft location and rotation so the drops are a place I can spend all day. Then I ride the bike with the brake levers about where I want them, but no bar tape; bring all the wrenches to the handlebars and brake levers and stop as many times as I need to to adjust. (This is mostly the brake lever height as I should already have the bars pretty close.) I do at least two bare handlebar rides and don't tape until I like what I've got. That first tape job is cheap cloth tape wrapped from the bottom so I can easily unwrap halfway, tweak the lever position and re-tape.

So, sorry, I have no answers as all, but maybe you can see what you need to address. This is (in my opinion) one of the most critical areas of the bike to get rights; one of the three contact points of your body. (Like the engine mounts on your car. Simply gotta be right.)

Ben

Don't be sorry honestly these are the kind of responses I was looking for. I feel like my saddle height is correct I used the pubic bone method I found on the RivBike website recently and the number I got told me to jack it up a bit, the butt pain has been a better since (could be placebo), but on longer rides it creeps back even when wearing padded shorts. My fore-aft I've just been guessing and adjusting as I ride like if I notice I'm sitting a little more on the front of my saddle instead of the wide part.

Read these and reassess your seat height. Mine was too high and caused all sorts of problems. It is easy to get it wrong, for you, by using a formula. Bottom line is, if you are having issues, chances are it isn't right, for you. https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...ard-can-it-be/
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...d-can-it-be-2/

The butt issue could be saddle shape. Look for saddles with less saddle right where you feel the pain.

Thought of some links to look at concerning the sore hand heels. I had those decades ago before I figured out how to adjust everything. I don't think I ever rest the heels of my hands on anything now, just my wrists and the sides of my hands.
In no particular order:
https://www.bikeforums.net/19145009-post3.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/21296948-post3.html
Drop Bar Hand Positions: an Introduction
https://www.bikeforums.net/long-dist...l#post12207030
Notes on that last link: My bars are now set like in the first link. Yes, I was fat that winter.

I also like Steve Hogg's writing on the subject.
For what it's worth, I think seated riding is not the only position to consider stem fit.
Some of the best times I have on a bike are when that out of the saddle balance is just right.
And you definitely don't want to be hitting the bar or stem with your knees on a steep climb.

How long have you been riding? It takes time for your body to adapt to cycling positions, and I find myself feeling a lot of discomfort when I get back on the bike after winter. It takes time for my back to flatten out, and to get comfortable (if you can call it "comfortable") in a low position. But in time I can ride resting my forearms on the tops of the bars, something which I cannot do in my first month back on the bike.

It used to be said that the proper stem length would position the top of the bar so you could not see the front hub when you were in the proper riding position. This assumes that you have the seat in the proper position, as moving the seat fore or aft changes the perspective of the bar.

There is a balance in weight distribution in riding, putting more weight on your hands can reduces the weight carried by your saddle, and vice versa. I like a little more weight on the seat because it allows me to put a little more power to the pedals without having to change my position or stand up. However, my hands still get numb over time if I leave them in same position. The advantage of a drop bar is being able to change positions, and I will move my hands from time to time to prevent discomfort or numbness.

It depends on what you are trying to achieve. Those into racing, want a streamlined position, so they have low handlebars. Even some casual cyclists want this streamlined advantage. Some people are just into cycling for exercise and fun, and to them, comfort is more important than speed. Many of those people are more comfortable with the handlebars higher.

I've had good results from buying a few cheap stems, & trying different lengths.

Only takes a few minutes to swap them.

Very true. Salsa and Dimension stems are like $15 and I can't see that they are inferior to stems more than 10x the price. And to riff off that ... it only takes a few minutes to change the seat height of a saddle as well. Formula placement can work as a starting point, but after a few rides, the seat should be raised 1/4" and then another 1/4". Then try 1/4" below formula and another 1/4". I like a seat height where when I start pedaling and raise myself to the seat, its right there. That first push with the leading foot should take you right to the saddle. You shouldn't have to skootch higher for it or drop down for it you should be able to just be on the saddle just as your other foot is finding its pedal. Harder to describe in words than to do.