noodle soup

Sure, but show me few that specify 25mm as a limit.

pesty

Yea, this is important with carbon steerer tubes and expansion plugs that come with the top cap. If there are too many spacers above the stem the plug won’t line up with the stem clamp; it will press out against the carbon tube in a way that it’s not designed to, and could damage the steerer, or the stem clamp could damage the tube due to lack of internal support.

In regards to the OPs first post....
All stems should be slammed and should be horizontal or downward facing. There should only be a single headset top cover of 15mm or less. Anything more than that requires purchasing another bike with a taller stack height.

Kidding... I think some MFGs put limits of like 40mm of spacers, especially on carbon steerer, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with 25mm. Do whatever is comfortable. If you have to do 40mm of spacers and a +17° riser stem, do it. The most important bit is that you enjoy the ride. Don’t let any fashion Fred tell you differently.

Bah Humbug

Then there's this.

WhyFi

I'm talking about spacers above the stem, not spacers under.

Captain_Canada

Thank you so much for the replies. It sounds like my bike is fine just as-is. It really has been a great bike for me and I'm going to save my money.

nycphotography

lol. yeah but honestly, I also don't buy used frames that have been fully cut, as I may end up wanting to move the spacers myself some day.

Doge

Good chart should be a fit sticky. Body proportions also drive that.

sanmi

You answered your own question

Racing Dan

An inch? As in one inch? That is nothing to worry about. At the end of the day its the contact points that matter, not if you have a little more or less spacers. Having the handle bars >high< enough is important to many because they cant use the drops if they slam the stem.

chaadster

Surely someone must wonder how, were it not for the doping, Lance could have won even a single Tour de France with an inch of spacers, non?

Captain_Canada

LOL my stem looks just like Lance's, not worried any more, thanks!

GeneO 

Sometimes all it takes is a picture

carlos danger

Rule # 45
A maximum stack height of 2cm is allowed below the stem and a single 5mm spacer must always – always – be stacked above. A “slammed down” stack height is preferable; meaning that the stem is positioned directly on the top race of the headset.

f4rrest

I'm pretty sure I have over 30mm under the stem.

Don't hate.

pesty

Yea, I'm a horrible Velominati; I have one bike slammed with about 10-15mm above, and another slammed with the steerer cut so that there are no spacers above. I'm also in violation of rules 1, 2, 8, 24, 25 (it's a stupid rule), 29-31, 37 (but only with my Racing Jackets), 50 (in a major way), 62 (1/2 way), 74, 90 (on hills), 91, 92 and 94.

SethAZ 

Unless you have one of those wierd chimeric unborn twins inside you somewhere, you are a velominatus.

I've gone through the rules, and I violate quite a few of them actually. I should point out that implicit in the Velominati rules is an air of casual IDGAF (I Don't Give a F***). If you can exude that air, that is an affirmative defense against any other violation of the rules.

My new Lynskey currently has 35mm worth of spacers stacked under the stem. I'm inclined to keep it that way for now. Even with that, my seatpost is high enough that I've got something like 60 or 70mm of drop, and at my age and physical size that's about all I can realistically go right now. As I continue losing weight and, uh, clear some more space between my lower torso and the top of my thighs at the apex of my pedal stroke (ie: stop my legs hitting my gut) I may consider dropping the stem a little more. I may not, also, since I'm not a racer, and don't necessarily care about or desire to achieve that full-out long and low position.

pesty

Hmmm. My IDGAF’itude doesn’t go full on Lone Wolf “flat bars on a Madone”, but I will concede to rocking the gear and colors that I like with little to no regard to conventional thought or style. I’m currently running a Brooks saddle on a Allez Sprint, where I’m sure the purists would say I should have some ultra light weight race saddle or a Specialized “Power” saddle. I rode every day for 48 days straight from the end of September rain or shine despite breaking a top tube in a wreck and having to rebuild one bike, buy a new bike and build it up (one day was test rides at shops). Streak only ended because I had to go out of town for work on short notice and couldn’t figure out a way to ship my bike. Unless it comes to my kids or my wife, Lance can get bent because it’s ALL about the bike. But honestly, I don’t take things too seriously. Life’s short, enjoy the ride. If you’re on a bike and you’re not being a phallus, you’re all good in my book.

Lost track of where I was, oh yea, velominatus... yea, I guess so.

Man, we got off on a tangent didn’t we. Apologies to the OP for the hijack.

SethAZ 

Pesty, you're more of a hard man than me if you rode 48 days straight. I've been riding around 5 times per week during that period. I guess I need to harden the f, uh, to harden up. Btw, my new Lynskey R260 is rocking a Brooks saddle. Not quite as egregious an affront to the cycling gods as in your case, though, since at least this model of bike is marketed as an all-day endurance/club/sportive type of bike, not a pure racer.

To swing this around to the OP: I just ordered a custom hour-glass-shaped 35mm-high titanium spacer from Ti Cycles for my Lynskey. It will replace the hodge podge of FSA aluminum spacers upon which my stem currently perches. I don't care what the haters say about that 35mm stack. IDGAF. AF. I quite like the stack height I've got now, and with the money I just put down for this custom single-piece titanium spacer, I'd better keep liking it for a long, long time. I'll let you in a little perverse secret, though: if Lynskey had left more steerer tube on the bike I might have actually ordered an even taller spacer! I had assumed that given this bike's listed geo I'd be in a somewhat more vertical position than my previous bike. I must have long legs or something, because the bike's currently got something like 60 or 70mm of drop (not measured accurately yet, just eyeballed), even with that 35mm spacer stack.

pesty

Just looked up that spacer, that is a sweet spacer and I can definitely see that on a Lynskey.

I do need to fess up on one thing... my Brooks is a C15, so it’s not leather. BUT, it is a Brooks and as such has no place on a bike that was specifically designed for crit racing, and I HAVE had people tell me I should get a Specialized Power Sadlle for my bike.

SethAZ 

Dude, you had to ruin it. And here I thought you were such a hardman. Unlike you, my butt cheeks rest on dead freaking cow when I ride! Take your canvas or silk or whatever it is on that saddle and go drink some soy milk or something!

pesty

It’s somewhat rough canvas on top of rubber. Not as smooth or Kushy as leather, don’t slide around as much, or at all. And I only drink straight shots of espresso. Double shots, no water, no steamed milk, not drip coffee, proper espresso.

scott967

I have an endurance frame AND 25mm spacers but I also can ride in the drops all day with this setup.

scott s.
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