mpearson

I have a 2010 Fuji Finest 1.0. Specs are here: https://www.fujibikes.com/Womens/Sport/Finest10.aspx

I had a decent fit session at the LBS and they told me at the time I may want to switch out the stem to one that is just a tad shorter at some point depending upon how aggressively I wanted to sit/ride. I didn't do it at the time because I wanted some time to try it out. Well, I think I'm ready to switch it out.

My current stem is 6 degrees and 100mm. The reach is just a little bit too long for me to be comfortable on rides that are longer than 20-25 miles.

What size stem should I be looking for? Where should I look for it? The LBS where I bought my bike doesn't have anything shorter than what I already have and they haven't been super helpful. If I can find it online, I'll go that route.

LowCel 

What size bike do you have? Each size comes with a different sized stem but honestly nobody here is going to know what size is going to be right for you. That is something that you have to figure out or just take a guess and hope for the best. Only other choice is getting a recomendation from your local shop.

As for where to get a stem you can get look at www.performancebike.com, www.nashbar.com and many other websites. You will need a stem that is for a 1 1/8" fork and a 31.8 handlebar.

datlas 

You could certainly try an 80 or 90 mm stem. I suggest a forte from performance, they are decent quality and the price is reasonable.

darkadious

do you have short arms and/or torso or are you new to biking?

LowCel 

If the op has an extra small or a small then it already has a 90mm stem.

mpearson

I have a size Medium (50) bike. I am short, but i have long legs for my height. I have fairly short arms and a short torso. I am new to cycling this season and this is my first bike. I rode a Small in the same bike and felt like a giant. We had to hike the seat way up and my knees were still bent to much at the bottom of my pedal stroke.

I feel great on this bike for the first 10 miles or so. Then, my core starts to get a bit tired and I find I'm leaning too much on my hands and my left elbow starts to ache. I feel like I am not strong enough in the core to reach out to my hoods or drops and hold myself up off my hands. I am most comfortable in my drops at the start of a ride and then move to about 1/2-1" closer to my body than my hoods- if that makes sense. So, I'm thinking a shorter stem will give me a more comfortable reach. Does that sound reasonable?

LowCel 

You can drop to a 90mm but be careful going with an 80mm stem. Getting that short (and shorter) will make your bike steer quicker and could make it a little twitchy. You can always find a really cheap 80mm and 90mm to try out, then if you choose buy a nicer stem in the length that you like best.

cave12man

I had the same problem. Bought the bike with a 110 Ritchey stem and switched it out for a 90 Forte PRO stem. Sold the Ritchey on CL, solved my problems and made $15.

adriano 

lots of folks bash short stems without any first hand experience. indeed steering is slightly faster, but the change is subtle and having the right reach is much more important.

LowCel 

Since I am the one that said to be careful getting a much shorter stem I think it is fair to assume that this comment is directed towards me. I have been riding for a while now and do have first hand experience riding with several different sizes of stems. I also have experience working in a shop and sizing people on bikes as well as hearing people talk about how their bikes handle with different components on them. Having the correct reach is important but so is feeling confident on the bike. Having an overly twitchy bike does not instill confidence, especially for beginners.

I still say that no one here can tell the original poster what size stem she needs. That needs to be done by someone that is actually able to see her on the bike.

grahny

Sounds like it's due to not being conditioned for riding longer than 20-25mi than bike fit. You'll never escape a distance where your body eventually fatigues... it's just continuing to condition yourself to extend that point of fatigue to longer hours/miles on the bike.

To add... this of course is assuming the original fit was a good one. Fit can change over the years as well anyway.

adriano 

weight distribution:

the frames compared are a merlin aerial 53 and a specialized roubaix 59.
both with a head tube angle of 72.5, the difference in head tube length, 10.3cm and 22.5cm, puts the stem clamp 3.7cm farther back on the larger frame.
22.5cos(72.5 degrees)-10.3cos(72.5 degrees)
the fork lengths, approximately 34.5 and 36cm, and rakes, 3.5 and 4.9cm, puts the front axle 1.8cm further forward on the larger frame.
(36cos(72.5 degrees)+4.9cos(17.5 degrees))-(34.5cos(72.5 degrees)+3.5cos(17.5 degrees))

so a 50mm stem on the smaller frame will put you in the the same position relative to the front axle as a 105mm stem on the larger frame while having a less rearward mass distribution to compensate for.

'twitchiness'

twitchiness would be based on distance of the point of steering from the axis of rotation along the plane perpendicular to the axis.
a setup with 42cm bars and a 50mm stem has the hoods 28cm from the top cap bolt.
a setup with 42cm bars and a 100mm stem would have the hoods 31cm away.

while this is a sizable difference, a 50% shorter stem will result in 9% not 50% faster steering. shoulder to palm and shoulder to shoulder measurements vary by a range much greater than that.

to say that using stem shorter than x mm will be twitchy is ridiculous. provided that the reach is correct, moving from a shorter top tube with longer stem to a longer top tube with a shorter stem should take a day at most to become accustomed to.

im not directing my statements towards anyone, but i think you could benefit from looking at the numbers.

LowCel 

Adriano, very good post and very informative. I stand corrected.

darkadious

if you still haven't ridden around 50-100 miles your body may just not be used to that kind of stretching. if you have and the problem still persists, then a shorter stem will do you better.

sbxx1985 

Good to know. Thanks for the info.