Finding the right stem
 

Hello again everyone!

Today I have a stem question for everyone. I recently purchased a Specialized Allez (as some of you may know) in 54cm. I am 5'9 with a 31" inseam and arms that are a bit on the shorter side. The stand-over height on the bike is just about perfect, but I feel a bit stretch out while riding in the correct position with my hands wrapped around the levers.

I'm sure a lot of this is due to coming from a 29'er that had riser bars on it. While I completely understand a more aero riding position allows for faster speeds, I simply am not comfortable in this position...yet. I went on a couple 5-mile rides and came back with some lower back and elbow pain.

The bike currently has a 90mm x 7 degree stem (bike came with 100 but the bike shop swapped in a 90 degree during test ride). As of now, I feel the main need is for the bars to sit higher, while also being a bit closer to me.

I am thinking of trying a 75mm x 24 degree as a starting point and hoping that fixes the issues. Anyone have a similar issue in the past and would like to share your experiences?

Thanks!

-Brandon

Start by checking if you have enough steerer to add some spacers under the stem you have. You don't want the steerer top to be more than halfway down the clamp.. Bringing them up a little also shortens the effective reach more than you imagine it will. You can shift the saddle forward or back to experiment with the reach some. Once you settle, you can measure the reach from saddle to bars, and find the difference between that and you knee over peddle position to get your stem length. I like the "7" stems from Velo Orange, they gives lots of room for adjustment, and don't leave your bike with the embarasing erection up front. Swapping them out to experiment gets expensive, and your comfort with the road position will build over time.

Couple of thoughts.

A question about your inseam - is it your pants inseam or "cycling inseam" (look it up). The reason I ask is that if it's 31, that would imply, to me, that your legs are a little shorter than average, making your upper body a little longer than average. I'm ~ 5-8, have a 32" cycling inseam (30" pants) and ride what is typical for a 54cm frame - horizontal top tube measurement of about 54-54.5 cm. I use a 100-110 mm stem. I have my bars about level with my saddle, but used to ride them a bit lower (I'm 66). I believe as you get used to the bike you'll want a stem a lot longer than 75mm and a bit lower, depending on your comfort and flexibility.

But that's neither here nor there because you should adjust the bike in whatever way makes you comfortable.

The best way to figure this out is to have a real bike fitting. Not just a sales person talking to you during the purchase / test ride process and swapping out the stem without addressing all fit adjustments (starting with saddle position - see below). Ask at the shop if they do real bike fitting and have them do it. Or find a shop that does. Bike fitters have stems that adjust both height and length and really help you get that in the ball park (but may change over time....again see below).

That said, you can also do a lot of trial and error on your own and reading about fit online. Stem length and height is done after you get the proper position of the saddle. You adjust saddle position vis a vis pedals, both vertically and horizontally first. You also need to get the angle of the saddle correct for you - usually dead level or a tiny bit nose up. That gets your balanced position on the bike and then can really assess how you feel for the length and angle of the stem.

Stems are cheap on eBay. Not super light weight expensive ones, but plenty good, slightly heavier inexpensive ones. Think of a rough idea of what you think you want for length and upward angle and buy some and try them out. Resell after you've figured out what you need and your net cost won't be bad. Or buy a couple lengths of adjustable stem which have upward angle adjustments.

But I'd suggest the fit and also some patience realizing that if you keep riding, I think you'll find the length and height of your stem will change as you get used to the comfortable fit of a road bike.

Interestingly, the past few years I had some pretty bad back problems. Sciatica caused by bulging disks and other physical defects of my lower spine. i could not walk more than 1/4 mile at the worst. But I could ride my road bike and actually found that increasing the length of my stems about 10mm which stretched me out a little, felt better - my back wasn't as hunched as much and it just worked better. Just fwiw. Now I can walk/hike as far as my fitness allows with no stops for stretching, etc.

Keep at it and enjoy the new bike.

Thanks for the responses!

Getting professionally measured at this point might be tougher than normal due to COVID, but I plan on getting this done at some point in the future.

I also feel as I ride more I will eventually become more comfortable with the new seating position. However, that is kind of a double-edged sword at this point since I need to be comfortable in order to ride more, lol.

And you are correct, my torso is longer than average, but I'd say my arms are on the shorter side. I'm also a bit husky (230 lbs) which is part of the reason I am turning to biking in the first place. I know that being a bit heavier makes it tougher to ride in a more aero position. I'm hoping as I ride more and (presumably) lose more weight, this also becomes easier.

I actually just remembered that I have an adjustable stem from a long time ago; I believe it's 110mm with adjustability up to 60 degrees. I suppose that I could use that to help gauge what angle stem I would need, even though it is a bit longer than I'd like.

I'm having a hard time understanding the part in bold. I do not have any additional steerer tube above the stem, but if I am reading this correctly I can still move the stem up as long as the steerer tube is over halfway in the stem? Is this correct?

Yeah do that for sure. it will certainly give you an idea for moving forward. But work on getting the saddle right too. Definitely affects stem length and height.

The saddle height seems just about perfect at this point; my knees just barely bent at full stroke. In all the years I've ridden bikes I never thought about moving the saddle back or forward. Maybe I will try moving it forward a bit as that could help with my reach issue. At that point I would then only need to focus on the angle of the stem.

Here is detailed instructions on adding or removing headset spacers.
https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/wor...dlebar-height/

You might also try upright handlebars. The shape of your bars can drastically change your riding position, how the bike feels, and how it fits you.
​​​Unfortunately there are a jillion varieties of upright, northroad and mustache-ish bars, but it's hard to go wrong with something from the northroad family of bars (Wald 8095s are less than $20).
​Anyway, definitely adjust your seat/bars/whatever so you're putting less weight on the parts that hurt after a ride.