I don't understand why some of you told Kirke to flip her stem??? What is the reasoning behind this and if its so important why don't they do that when you purchase your bike??

It looks cooler... That being said I dont flip the stem as I have a 4" saddle to bar height difference...

Thats it??? It looks cooler?? It doesn't make you go from 16mph to 35mph.

I think they were just teasing Kirke?

The lower your bars, the more aero you get, less wind resistance and all that, but I wouldn't do it if it sacraficed comfort.

it's horrible advice for anyone who doesn't race or have a need for an areo position. it will give her a lower more agressive position on the bike, which is nearly pointless if you're out riding for pleasure.

i flipped my stem only because i race and i needed to be lower when i'm riding on the brake hoods (because i always need to have my brakes handy in these races) and i'm in a more powerful position when sprinting from the drops. however, it's not ideal for a weekend ride for more than 30-40 miles - i'm simply too far forward and low to be comfortable for that long. so, since my racing season has ended guess what i'm doing? yep - flipping the stem back to it's higher position.

It was me -- I did it. It was a joke in refrence to all the "flip your stem" posts in other threads. That being said, a lot of it is asthetics but it also has to do with riding the bike the way it was designed to be ridden -- in an aero position. The irony is that people get bikes with small frames for aesthetic reasons --show more seat post and not offend the seat post police -- and then wind up flipping the stem so they can reach the hoods, thus offending the stem police.

Most people say it in jest... the bike looks better with the stem flipped.

Practically speaking, it's just another part of positioning. I flipped the stem on my roadie about 2 weeks back, and actually feel more comfortable and am faster. My stem didn't have aggressive rise on it, but it did drop the bars a bit more.

I think thats it plus its a must for any OCP considerations ...

Yikes!!! Man ol man I was going to run home and get all crazy with my bike and flip the stem and anything else, but nope, I don't race and I do lots of rides that consist of over 40+miles.
Kirke, put that bad boy back. Your back is going to kill you!!!

Is that not enough?

Jess's stem was set up from the bike shop so that the bars were about 3" above the seat, maybe more. It was an awkward position that caused her to catch all sorts of wind, and it made the bike handling very twitchy.

I flipped her stem, but that made it too low, so I swapped stems with another bike. Now her bars are 1-2" lower than the seat. The result:

- Around 1mph faster average on our 57 mi loop.
- Better bike handling. She's less nervous around fast curves.
- Better climbing, because the front wheel doesn't hop around.

For her, it was a much better setup. YMMV.

Nothing to do with her bike....speaking in code of course.

Nothing to do with her bike....speaking in code of course.

Because if a first-time cyclist mounts the bike, 90% of the time it'll feel better with the stem up. Since they don't want to scare people away from the bike with an aggressive position, they leave the stem up. Also, they know that a more experienced cyclist will set up the stem and add/subtract spacers to suit his/her position, so they don't really need to worry about him.

LO, do we need to do this too my bike??? You know my skills on the bike what do you think???

Nope. I watch you ride and your form looks great!

I'd like to get you a new saddle, shoes, and pedals tho

Are you sure your not being diverted by something else?? But hey I like the sounds of new stuff

...and put one of those white scrungies in her hair .

Interesting - I'd forgotten about the changes in climbing I noticed. Flipping my stem made me feel more comfortable out of the saddle. Perhaps it helped me get that little bit further forward?

It made an even bigger difference on my commuter. I changed the stem out from a 130 that put the bars about level with the saddle, to a 100 flipped that put the bars about 2 inches below the saddle. It's made a huge difference. Gets me out of the wind a bit more, has made the bike much more manageable, and I'm far more comfortable especially out of the saddle. Part of this is due to the shorter stem, but also due to being lower (reach stayed about the same).

Depends on the rider and the bike/stem combo.

Are you trying to get me banned?

Oh me now why would I do that???

Seriously though if I get a new saddle, shoes and pedals, you have to invest in some new JERSEYS!!!

Teen Girl Squad says, "Let's go shopping!"

OMG LO, Too Funny.

Please do! That current one reminds me too much of university days...

Exactly. Also remember that Jessica has a fairly extensive ballet background, so she is extremely flexible and has good core strength. That helps with the more aggressive position.