To be flipped....the saga
 

Many of us on the forums as soon as we see a stem flipped up, shout out to flip the stem, resulting in a negative rise for the stem.
As much as it is right for some people, it is as much wrong for others. Especially those who have just started riding and those who in the negative angle will not be able to pull enough air into the lungs to achieve the power output they could.

I flipped my stem over three weeks ago to create the negative rise. This week I flipped it back. My reasoning is this. I lost the ablility to inhale enough O2 when attacking on my rides. During the three weeks of negativity, I was dropped by group rides that I normally ride in the front, had the worst attempt at a metric century I have ever experienced, and felt like I was dying when climbing. I went to a friend who is a coach and talked to him about what in the heck was wrong. The stem being flipped changed my pedal stroke and restricted my airflow.

So until I am atleast 190 and not the 213 I am now, I am unflipped. And proud of it. BTW Won two sprints on Saturdays ride.

Reason for all this garb, is we seem ready to jump on the bangwagon for what others are doing but it may not work for all. Nothing ventured nothing gained tho. Happy riding.

Thanks for listening.

Cross

So what's with your avatar again? ;)

General rule of thumb: low stem is for people who rotate their hips forward on the saddle and ride with a flat back. High stem is for people with upright hips and curved back. If you rotate your hips forward, you can get a lot of lung power in a low riding position. Curving your back can restrict your breathing.

Not to be catty, but my hips rotate only around my center axis--they don't "rotate forward." Do you mean to roll forward, toward the front of your body, pulling your weight off the "sit bones?"

Thanks for posting Cross. I'm an older rider with a neck problem that forces me to have a positive rise on my stem(s). And I agree, negative stem rise snobbery is a phenomena that seems to rear its head the moment a picture is posted with anything other then a stem pointed earthward. If I was in my 20's again and more pretzel like in my flexibility, I might be jumping on the same bandwagon as the stem rise tongue cluckers, but since I can't roll back time, I'll just use double spacers and point my stem skyward and enjoy the ride . . .

Blandin,
Many people will end up with sore backs and achy necks from flipping to early. I also, firmly believe in paying to have a fitting done. Most of the trained professionals setup riders in a more upright position due to physical attributes and physical fitness. I am one of those right now and maybe forever.
However, I do believe there are people that benefit from having a more aero stance that the negative angle presents, but that is a small portion of the riders on these forums.

Johnny, thanks for putting that into technical words. I envy those who can ride with a flat back. I currently ride with an arched back.

For that, I have been put on a training regimen of riding with one finger of each hand on the hoods to strenghten my back and abs. Try that. :eek:

Also I have incorporated 50 crutches every other day to help in this effort. All in my quest to race next year. Things we will do to ourselves. :rolleyes:

Do I need to turn in my OCP card? :(

no...just add stretching to your strength training as well!...and 50 crunches everyday.

Bar drop is a dimensional fit, somewhat like the size of the frame. Sometimes to achieve the proper height the stem must be turned up.. i.e. fork cut too short .. So if your bike is fit to you properly don't let anyone convince you your stem must be "flipped". Dropping a bar 1" on a whim of someone else can be disastrous for your ride comfort.

:eek: everyday? oh coach, come on...... :D

I do the normal runner stretches before and after a ride. Any other stretches I should be doing? I know that there has been mixed reports of the pros vs. cons of stretching, but I find it helps me more than hurts.

edit: the stretches before a ride are minimal, as stretching when you are "cold" is not a good idea.

Look at photos of how Tour de France racers sit on their saddles. Have someone take a picture of you sitting on your saddle. Look at differences in hip position and back angle. I'm not saying that one or the other position is best for you, just that the forward hip position (and low stem) does work well for some people.

When I look at pictures of professional road riders I see them bending much more at the waist but their hip angle is normal. If you roll your hips forward what are you sitting on?

In this case you aren't stretching to warm up, but rather increase your range of motion. Keep doing what you're doing, have a look at Yoga or martial arts type stretches...Anything that works hamstrings and hip flexors. The other thing is you really do have to work at it on the bike as well, but take care. Rolling your pelvis forward, etc... doesn't work well if you have a gut that's banging into your knees so there could be weight loss issues as well. You're first forays into a flatter back will not feel very good, but you can try a few times during your ride to spin in an aero position. Don't worry about pushing too big a gear, but a very little gear also doesn't feel very good at all. Don't go overboard and this will help develop your hip flexors, lower back strength and flexibility, etc... After a couple of months, you'll be feeling much better if you chip away at the challenge. Just to help out, I was in the same position having just finished grad school and being off the bike for a good while. I pulled the ride out, dusted it off, lubed her up, and took off. The stem was still in it's old position, and did I feel awful. I really thought hard about a shorter or more upright stem for a bit, but just decided to ride on the tops while putting in base mileage. Month one: diet and spin not worrying about regaining a good positions. I rode on the tops most of the time Month two as strength returned, I started riding most of the time on the hoods, thinking about getting long on the bike and working on lower back strength and conditioning, gradually starting to push bigger gears for longer intervals. but still had too much extra weight to roll the pelvis forward comfortably. End of month 2 and about 15lbs later, I could roll things forward, bend the elbows, get flat and comfortable, and not have knees in my belly. Things are good and enough weight is gone to start a more serious effort at getting climbing speed and strength back. 10 more lbs and I'm within 10 lbs of my lowest racing weight which is fine for this point in life riding for fitness and recreation rather than racing... But you know, I AM tempted to get a license again. The whole flat back thing is a goal that like any other needs to be worked toward. Of course many do have a medical condition or previous injury that will prevent them from attaining this...no worries. #1, being on the bike is fun. #2, do what you have the time and desire to do, then re-read rule #1 over and over.

LISTEN TO THE WISDOM OF A FOOL. STRETCHING CAN SAVE YOUR CYCLING SEASON, ESPECIALLY AS YOU GET A LITTLE OLDER.

A few good stretches here:

http://www.cyclefit.co.uk/stretching.htm

It's important to stretch the hamstrings, which can get tight and contribute to a bad back (take it from one who knows). Also if you sit at a desk all day and also spend time sitting on a bike, make sure you do some backward bending to compensate for all that forward leaning (I like to lie back on an exercise ball and stretch out. Very comfy).

It doesn't have to take a long time or be painful. Stretching (yes, along with a higher stem) took my back out of a world of hurt.

We all know the answer to that question, and it ain't a happy one...

When I want to flip my stem, I just ride in the drops instead.

Well... I have a 4"drop from seat to hbars and in order to avoid elbow pain, I have to keep it in a postitive rise scheme...Each his own...

My stem got flipped up the moment I got my bike. I've also got about nine inches of exposed seatpost; it was a necessity. I get mad power from my extreme crouch, but I do feel soreness on longer rides. Part of me doesn't want to part with the power, though.

wow, did anyone actully read this whole thing? lol

and is my stem up or down? hmmmm

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...r/IM000413.jpg

Welcome to my world!!!

Any explanation for this, I can't really figure out what it means from a biomechanics standpoint....

Yes.

congrats.

stem is down. i'd say about -5 degrees on the stem.

thanks! :)