Ideal Stem length for 680mm bars??
#2
That changes depending on the length of your torso, spine flexibility, riding style, size and geometry of the bike and probably a half-dozen other factors. Would you mind filling in the blanks?
__________________
Jeff Wills
Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
Jeff Wills
Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
#3
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 91
Likes: 0
Don't worry, i've just ordered a 50mm stem, if that don't feel right i can just buy another one.
#5
Thread Killer

Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 13,144
Likes: 2,167
From: Ann Arbor, MI
Bikes: 15 Kinesis Racelight 4S, 76 Motebecane Gran Jubilée, 17 Dedacciai Gladiatore2, 12 Breezer Venturi, 09 Dahon Mariner, 12 Mercier Nano, 95 DeKerf Team SL, 19 Tern Rally, 21 Breezer Doppler Cafe+, 19 T-Lab X3, 91 Serotta CII, 23 3T Strada
This thread is embarrassing.
#7
#8
Senior Member

Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 12,560
Likes: 799
From: Middle of da Mitten
Bikes: Trek 7500, RANS V-Rex, Optima Baron, Velokraft NoCom, M-5 Carbon Highracer, Bacchetta Quattro, Catrike Speed
#10
My favorite bars are 685mm wide...
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...-mtb-riser-bar
I seem to recall seeing some bars over 700mm
__________________
Slow Ride Cyclists of NEPA
People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Slow Ride Cyclists of NEPA
People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
#11
This one is quite a bit longer:
https://www.refinedguy.com/2012/09/14...-the-world/#10
https://www.refinedguy.com/2012/09/14...-the-world/#10
__________________
Jeff Wills
Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
Jeff Wills
Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
#12
The space coyote lied.



Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 48,901
Likes: 11,087
From: dusk 'til dawn.
Bikes: everywhere
I have my 780mm bars in a 130mm stem on one of my bikes. Fun ride, but would probably feel weird if you're more used to Trail or All-mountain bikes. If you're used to XC bikes then it would just feel really wide 
This bike has a 56cm ETT. On my bike with 60cm ETT I'd probably pair it an 80mm or so, since that bike also has a setback seatpost.

This bike has a 56cm ETT. On my bike with 60cm ETT I'd probably pair it an 80mm or so, since that bike also has a setback seatpost.
#13
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 539
Likes: 2
From: Novi, MI
Bikes: Franken-mountain bike, mid-90s Performance TR1000, 1990 Cannondale ST400
Them's some wide bars!
To the OP:
If that 50mm stem you got doesn't feel right (or even if it does), give this: https://www.wrenchscience.com/Secure/Fit/Height.aspx a shot. Your ideal stem length will be the overall reach figure given by the calculator minus the effective top tube length of your frame.
To the OP:
If that 50mm stem you got doesn't feel right (or even if it does), give this: https://www.wrenchscience.com/Secure/Fit/Height.aspx a shot. Your ideal stem length will be the overall reach figure given by the calculator minus the effective top tube length of your frame.
#14
Them's some wide bars!
To the OP:
If that 50mm stem you got doesn't feel right (or even if it does), give this: https://www.wrenchscience.com/Secure/Fit/Height.aspx a shot.
To the OP:
If that 50mm stem you got doesn't feel right (or even if it does), give this: https://www.wrenchscience.com/Secure/Fit/Height.aspx a shot.
__________________
Jeff Wills
Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
Jeff Wills
Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
#15
Mad bike riding scientist




Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 29,209
Likes: 6,285
From: Denver, CO
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Lots of them are. 680mm is kind of narrow for current mountain bike bars. Many of them run to over 780mm.
A 50mm stem is super short. My 5' tall wife rides a 60mm stem but she is tiny. The width of the bar doesn't have much...if any...impact on the length of the stem, however.
A 50mm stem is super short. My 5' tall wife rides a 60mm stem but she is tiny. The width of the bar doesn't have much...if any...impact on the length of the stem, however.
__________________
Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#16
Super Moderator

Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 21,987
Likes: 1,169
From: Ffld Cnty Connecticut
Bikes: Old Steelies I made, Old Cannondales
What is the best shoe size ?
__________________
Bikes: Old steel race bikes, old Cannondale race bikes, less old Cannondale race bike, crappy old mtn bike.
FYI: https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sugg...ad-please.html
Bikes: Old steel race bikes, old Cannondale race bikes, less old Cannondale race bike, crappy old mtn bike.
FYI: https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sugg...ad-please.html
#17
I just realized that my p[revious post didn't answer the question...
The best stem size for my 685mm bars on my bike is 120mm, so as a SWAG, I would suggest 100mm +/- 20mm
Your results may vary based on bicycle dimensions, seat position, body shape and size, stem rise and shape of bars, among other factors.
The best stem size for my 685mm bars on my bike is 120mm, so as a SWAG, I would suggest 100mm +/- 20mm
Your results may vary based on bicycle dimensions, seat position, body shape and size, stem rise and shape of bars, among other factors.
__________________
Slow Ride Cyclists of NEPA
People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Slow Ride Cyclists of NEPA
People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
#19
Thread Killer

Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 13,144
Likes: 2,167
From: Ann Arbor, MI
Bikes: 15 Kinesis Racelight 4S, 76 Motebecane Gran Jubilée, 17 Dedacciai Gladiatore2, 12 Breezer Venturi, 09 Dahon Mariner, 12 Mercier Nano, 95 DeKerf Team SL, 19 Tern Rally, 21 Breezer Doppler Cafe+, 19 T-Lab X3, 91 Serotta CII, 23 3T Strada
#20
stem and bars should be proportional
so for very wide bars you should have a very long stem
bitd 150mm and 160mm were common so look for something like that
whatever you do dont go less than 120mm
for obvious reasons
so for very wide bars you should have a very long stem
bitd 150mm and 160mm were common so look for something like that
whatever you do dont go less than 120mm
for obvious reasons
#21
Mad bike riding scientist




Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 29,209
Likes: 6,285
From: Denver, CO
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
The stem length and bar length are completely unrelated. Stem length is related to the reach of the rider and the length of the top tube but not the width of the handlebar. Would you suggest a 40mm or 50mm stem for a 440mm road handlebar? I regularly run flat handlebars that are wider than 680mm and I wouldn't run a stem much longer than 130 because that's what fits my reach. As I said above, 780mm mountain bike handlebars are very common today and you won't find too many 150mm modern stems...like none. It's hard to find any over 130mm.
__________________
Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#22
The stem length and bar length are completely unrelated. Stem length is related to the reach of the rider and the length of the top tube but not the width of the handlebar. Would you suggest a 40mm or 50mm stem for a 440mm road handlebar? I regularly run flat handlebars that are wider than 680mm and I wouldn't run a stem much longer than 130 because that's what fits my reach. As I said above, 780mm mountain bike handlebars are very common today and you won't find too many 150mm modern stems...like none. It's hard to find any over 130mm.then why are so many people stating with certainty what stem should go with the ops bars
when all we know about the op or his bike or his bars is the width
i will be honest though
i made my answer up with no attempt at providing actual information
because the question was so comically vague
i felt it deserved a comically misguided answer
i thought at the time of adding a winky smiley
but thought better of it
as my advice was no better or worse than others
who also claimed to know an ideal stem length for a particular width of bars
the only thing i did that they did not
was to add a bogus justification for my answer
#23
The space coyote lied.



Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 48,901
Likes: 11,087
From: dusk 'til dawn.
Bikes: everywhere
If you're trying to match handling characteristics after a change, you actually want to mate a shorter stem to longer bars.
Long stems make for slow steering (although they sometimes increase weight over front wheel which can make steering seem faster, depends on how much of a weight shift you experience.), and wide bars make for slow steering.
So if you go to wider bars you may want to shorten your stem a bit.
There's also the way really wide bars affect reach, but...
Long stems make for slow steering (although they sometimes increase weight over front wheel which can make steering seem faster, depends on how much of a weight shift you experience.), and wide bars make for slow steering.
So if you go to wider bars you may want to shorten your stem a bit.
There's also the way really wide bars affect reach, but...
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
kiltedcelt
Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling
14
07-17-11 10:52 PM








