khatfull

Hi,

I have a 2007 Fuji Newest 4.0 (yeah, I know, cheap bike but it's all I could get the wife to commit to until she was convinced I was serious). 450 miles in two months later and I think she realizes that riding is what I want to do. Unfortunately, good used around here in Minneapolis is either hard to find or pricey (market is pretty good as we're one of the bike friendliest cities in the country).

I'm having trouble fitting to the bike and have narrowed my problem down to the length of the stem, which is 120mm. Seat height and fore/aft are all ok using the plumb bob over the knee method, etc. My problem is that I have fairly short arms and a shortish torso and no matter how I adjust the stock adjustable stem I can't find a position where I don't feel like I'm half in the drops. If I rotate the stem up enough to cut the distance it's at it's highest setting and the handle bars are then too high. The way I have it set now I feel really good if my hands are just an inch or a tad more back from the hoods on the bar. I prefer riding on the hoods as a default.

I was looking at the following at Nashbar: https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?sku=24280

I know it's adjustable and, in the end, I'll want a fixed stem but the price is ok and I think it will get me closer to what I need to ride comfortably. Is this a decent enough piece of equipment or should I just go ahead and look at something fixed from Ritchey or Easton? I think a standard 6 degree stem will work fine if it were 80-90mm. Would the adjustable stem be of benefit while I'm still dialing in? I'm sure there'd be some eBay value to recoup at a later date.

Opinions welcome, thanks.

DrPete 

I have a ritchey stem for cheap... 26.0mm clamp, 100mm, 6 degree. PM me if you want it.

And I'm not saying this because I want to sell my stem--20mm is probably the biggest change I would make at one time.

dnslater

I would just buy a standard fixed 90mm stem. You can flip it either way so you have two options for fitting. Have you cut your steerer tube yet, or do you have some flexibility here with spacers?

khatfull

Not yet cut, so spacers are still an option.

Campag4life

Adjustable is good for finding the sweet spot but easy to be deceived if you don't know quite what you are looking for. If you run spacers...where you bolt the stem to the steerer affects reach because the head tube slants rearward. I am particular about fit and have had many stems on my bike.
Stems are not expensive and a fixed stem is best once you determine the right amount of rise and horizontal reach which for many is trial and error because fit at the end of the day is a feeling and not an algorithm for both comfort and power.

khatfull

Thanks for the help folks. Gonna go with a fixed stem 90-100mm and see how that goes. On todays ride I kind of simulated 20mm and 30mm back from where the hoods are now and, dangit, it just feels better. DrPete, be back to you later tonight.

z415

If you don't go with DrPete's stem, which you probably should since Ritchey stuff is good no matter what the level, Sette stems from Pricepoint.com are good for the price.

JMT114

Check the clamp size of your stem before you buy a new one. I think most newer bikes use 31.8mm handlebars. I could be wrong about the clamp size on your bike, but it would suck if you accidentally bought the wrong size.