Been riding a 51cm Salsa Casseroll for a year with all stock components. I recently rode my ladies' bike which was a little smaller and I loved the way I didn't have to stretch to reach the brakes on the handlebar, and in fact hadn't noticed i was stretching to reach all this time. Its not uncomfortable and I'm not getting a smaller bike anytime soon, so I tried to raise my handlebars on mine to get my brake levers closer, didn't work. Started to look at aftermarket stems which is where i'm at now. Is it advisable to get a stem with more of an angle to get the brake levers closer to me? Any suggestions on one?

You can get a stem with a different length. That would be a more direct way to move the bars closer or farther away.

Raising the bars will effectively bring them closer but only by a small margin. You can see a bigger difference by going to a shorter stem. How long is the stem currently?

You do realize that graph hurts most people's head, right? lol.

most head tubes are between 71 and 73 degrees and most stems are 8 to 10 degrees so you'll be looking at the 10degree and 30 degree angles the most.

the stem is 90mm, 90 degrees, and the head tube is 72.5 degrees.
so would changing the angle effectively achieve the same results of raising the handlebars? if so then the best case is to get a shorter stem (i have a good amount of steerer that allows me to pull spacers from above the stem to put them below to change the height)?

You might have to hunt a little bit, but a 70mm stem isn't too hard to find.

This might open another can of worms...but you can also shift your saddle forward to shorten your reach to the bars. If the saddle is too far back, for instance, then the bar might feel too far away. Another thing to worry about, but I would always make certain that you have the saddle height and fore-aft position dialed in before messing with anything else.

And, if I understand correctly, the saddle should be positioned fore and aft so that, with your right crank horizontal forward, a plumb line dropped from the back of your right kneecap should touch the middle of the pedal.

flip it

That's one approach that can be used asa starting point but does not automatically result in the best position. Search for KOP or KOPS for more information...

That's about right. I feel for the base of the kneecap where it meets the tibia. But it is just a guideline - I generally ride with allen heads and see how little adjustments feel. I'd be more inclined to adjust to a little ahead of KOPS, see how that feels for a hundred miles or so, then adjust a little behind it and see how that feels in comparison. The only way to find out how different positions feel is to try a good variety, rather than set the bike up the way some formula says and then expect your body to adapt.

On the stem thing, you might talk to an lbs about trying out some different lengths too. I know mine has a bin of various used stems they've accumulated that they use for fitting.

With the right stem, you can raise and move back the bars. I keep a few of these stems in a parts bag, for anyone who wants taller and closer bars:



30 degree rise, 80-120mm.

assuming your current bike is not completely a poor fit, you can just get a shorter stem (70mm or 80mm) and play with the stack height. a 1cm difference in tt or stem length can make a huge difference in comfort and feel. sliding the saddle forward by just a few mm also has this effect, as mentioned. i would go this route before opting for an ugly (IMO) riser stem.

Thanks for the input. I also found out my stem is on a recall notice!! So I'm sending it back in and trying out a 80mm 105 degree stem, I'll let you know how it turns out.