ATX 6Speed

I just switched my Cannondale Quick 6 over to drop bars and noticed that my stem seems like it is too angled upward. I am wondering what sort of stem I should upgrade to. Here is what it looks like stock:



The red line is what I think it ought to be vs. what it is right now. The specs on the stock stem are 140mm long, 31.8mm clamp diameter, and a 5 degree rise. I was thinking about getting an Easton with a +/- 6 degree rise, but I am not sure if this is the right one to go with. If it is, I am not sure about the length of the new stem, as 140mm is pretty long for stock. What are your thoughts?

ATX 6Speed

Also here is a very crappy photo of what the bike looks like (it's a bit old, but accurate enough for now).

sooprvylyn

Get whatever stem has the proper length and rise for your purpose.

sooprvylyn

Also if the angle is too high, flip your stem over and the angle will drop.

ATX 6Speed

If I want one that is almost parallel to the ground (more like a road-bike stem) what degree of rise should I get? That's the main thing I'm struggling with.

mikeybikes

Have you tried flipping the stem to get what you want?

Here's a question though: Why do you want/need to change your stem? Is it uncomfortable in the current spot? Or are you doing it simply for looks?

ATX 6Speed

I haven't tried flipping yet, but I'm thinking that if I did it would be too steep downward (the opposite of what I have now). I have read that a 73 degree stem would be ideal, but they seem hard to track down. The reason I am doing this is because the new geometry of my converted hybrid is giving me a bit of backpain.

Kenbone

Get an adjustable stem in the length you need and experiment with different angles until you find the one that fits. Then grab a fixed stem in that size and you're good to go...

Slee_Stack

Honestly. Just flip the stem. It's free. It should take you 5 minutes.

See if you are too stretched or hunched over for your comfort.


If you need to adjust, use your flipped stem as a baseline on what to buy. Buy a shorter/longer or steeper/shallower stem accordingly.

How can anyone here know that you will be comfortable on a 73º 140mm stem or any XXº XXXmm stem anyway?

spwelton

Flip the stem and I bet it will be near level with the ground, then remove spacers from under the stem to get the desired height. That's what I did, and I'm pretty happy with it.

ATX 6Speed

I just flipped the stem and sure enough it is perfect. Nice and level with the ground and it feels really good on my back. It is apparent that the stem is quite long (at 140mm), so I might just order up a shorter stem. Thanks for all the tips!

ATX 6Speed

Here's an update:

Before:


After: