lowering my front end
#1
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lowering my front end
i'd like to start slowly lowering the front end of my road bike. i think i've got room to get more aggressive while not sacrificing comfort.
does it make sense to remove spacers first? or lower the stem angle first?
naturally, i wont go too drastic and will give myself plenty of time to adapt to a new position.
fwiw - my current stem is a specialized with an adjustable angle insert.
does it make sense to remove spacers first? or lower the stem angle first?
naturally, i wont go too drastic and will give myself plenty of time to adapt to a new position.
fwiw - my current stem is a specialized with an adjustable angle insert.
#2
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I'd go the the stem first and fine tune with the spacers later as needed.
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Flipping a stem isn't hard at all. I would start by doing that. Mostly because slammed stems flipped up look dumb.
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i would adjust the angle my stem first
I don't think anybody read the last sentence of your post.
I don't think anybody read the last sentence of your post.
#10
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If you have something like a Specialized Comp-Set or Pro-Set stem with angle shims, just change your stem angle by swapping shims or reversing the one you have installed. That'll give you a less drastic change than flipping the whole stem. Of course, you can flip the stem if you want more change, and you can still swap or rotate shims to dial in your angle.
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So...like all things in life it's a tradeoff. You're not necessarily going to go faster with a lower stem. You're not necessarily going to be more aero with a lower stem. You're most likely NOT going to generate more power with a lower stem either.
So...why do it? Kids in really good shape that have a lot of flexibility seem to be able to generate a great deal of power in just about any position you put their body in (TWSS). In that case lowering the stem will usually result in a more aero position for them (it doesn't require them to stick their arms out wider to gain breathing room) - resulting in a beneficial trade off in the power to drag balance.
If you're in Bloomington, IL then are you just wanting to do this so you can be more like Nick Ramirez or Chris Curran?

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#15
SuperGimp

Go cold turkey if you want - flip the stem and remove all the spacers. Put them on top of the stem until you decide whether you like your new position or not. Just don't post any pictures of your new periscope style cockpit in the Hot or Not thread and you should be fine.
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And flipped stems on top of a big stack of spacers look dumb too. 
Go cold turkey if you want - flip the stem and remove all the spacers. Put them on top of the stem until you decide whether you like your new position or not. Just don't post any pictures of your new periscope style cockpit in the Hot or Not thread and you should be fine.

Go cold turkey if you want - flip the stem and remove all the spacers. Put them on top of the stem until you decide whether you like your new position or not. Just don't post any pictures of your new periscope style cockpit in the Hot or Not thread and you should be fine.
A)

or
B)

Both images pulled from Google.
#17
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Hi,
Just lower it and see how you get on. You can use the adjustable
stem to work out the ballpark your spacers should be set to.
rgds, sreten.
Nothing wrong with A) if gets rid of spacers not needed.
Just lower it and see how you get on. You can use the adjustable
stem to work out the ballpark your spacers should be set to.
rgds, sreten.
Nothing wrong with A) if gets rid of spacers not needed.
Last edited by sreten; 07-15-13 at 04:28 PM.
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I'm always amazed by the number of people who are more worried about how something looks than how it works for the rider
Everyone has different body mechanics, flexibility, fitness, riding style, and personal tastes. What is "dumb" is putting up with a less comfortable position because you don't want the stem police to laugh at you.

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Remove spacers first.
The average spacer is 5mm. Removing one spacer lowers your handlebar by about 5mm.
Flipping a 6 degree stem will change the overall angle by 12 degrees, which on a 100mm stem is almost 2cm. It often is best to make fit changes gradually.
The average spacer is 5mm. Removing one spacer lowers your handlebar by about 5mm.
Flipping a 6 degree stem will change the overall angle by 12 degrees, which on a 100mm stem is almost 2cm. It often is best to make fit changes gradually.
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Before you do anything OP, take inventory of how you ride. How often do you ride in the drops? 1/8 of the time? 1/4 of the time? All the time?
I ride with all kind of guys..every shape, speed and form. My handlebar position is higher than most. This is for the simple reason that I prefer the drops position for general hammering. I live in the drops because they are the most comfortable to me. So I tune my bar height for the drops and not for the hoods. So before you do anything, assess how you ride. If you don't use your drops much then your handlebar maybe too low and not too high.
As Rob said, moving your bar position has pretty much nothing to do with speed. Many will produce less power when closing the hip angle but aero profile trumps slight reduction in power...but the important point is, there isn't necessarily a correlation between handlebar height and aero profile either. Your arm and elbow position changes more than torso. Arms more horizontal produce less drag and a higher handlebar can be more aero...especially if you use the drops more.
I ride with all kind of guys..every shape, speed and form. My handlebar position is higher than most. This is for the simple reason that I prefer the drops position for general hammering. I live in the drops because they are the most comfortable to me. So I tune my bar height for the drops and not for the hoods. So before you do anything, assess how you ride. If you don't use your drops much then your handlebar maybe too low and not too high.
As Rob said, moving your bar position has pretty much nothing to do with speed. Many will produce less power when closing the hip angle but aero profile trumps slight reduction in power...but the important point is, there isn't necessarily a correlation between handlebar height and aero profile either. Your arm and elbow position changes more than torso. Arms more horizontal produce less drag and a higher handlebar can be more aero...especially if you use the drops more.
Last edited by Campag4life; 07-16-13 at 07:28 AM.
#23
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Most likely lowering your stem will never generate a power increase. You're going to generate more power in an upright position, but being in a more aerodynamic position will lower the amount of power required to achieve a given speed.
So...like all things in life it's a tradeoff. You're not necessarily going to go faster with a lower stem. You're not necessarily going to be more aero with a lower stem. You're most likely NOT going to generate more power with a lower stem either.
So...why do it? Kids in really good shape that have a lot of flexibility seem to be able to generate a great deal of power in just about any position you put their body in (TWSS). In that case lowering the stem will usually result in a more aero position for them (it doesn't require them to stick their arms out wider to gain breathing room) - resulting in a beneficial trade off in the power to drag balance.
If you're in Bloomington, IL then are you just wanting to do this so you can be more like Nick Ramirez or Chris Curran?
So...like all things in life it's a tradeoff. You're not necessarily going to go faster with a lower stem. You're not necessarily going to be more aero with a lower stem. You're most likely NOT going to generate more power with a lower stem either.
So...why do it? Kids in really good shape that have a lot of flexibility seem to be able to generate a great deal of power in just about any position you put their body in (TWSS). In that case lowering the stem will usually result in a more aero position for them (it doesn't require them to stick their arms out wider to gain breathing room) - resulting in a beneficial trade off in the power to drag balance.
If you're in Bloomington, IL then are you just wanting to do this so you can be more like Nick Ramirez or Chris Curran?

i actually had never heard of those guys until your post. i looked them up and it seems they might know a thing or two about cycling.

#24
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Before you do anything OP, take inventory of how you ride. How often do you ride in the drops? 1/8 of the time? 1/4 of the time? All the time?
I ride with all kind of guys..every shape, speed and form. My handlebar position is higher than most. This is for the simple reason that I prefer the drops position for general hammering. I live in the drops because they are the most comfortable to me. So I tune my bar height for the drops and not for the hoods. So before you do anything, assess how you ride. If you don't use your drops much then your handlebar maybe too low and not too high.
As Rob said, moving your bar position has pretty much nothing to do with speed. Many will produce less power when closing the hip angle but aero profile trumps slight reduction in power...but the important point is, there isn't necessarily a correlation between handlebar height and aero profile either. Your arm and elbow position changes more than torso. Arms more horizontal produce less drag and a higher handlebar can be more aero...especially if you use the drops more.
I ride with all kind of guys..every shape, speed and form. My handlebar position is higher than most. This is for the simple reason that I prefer the drops position for general hammering. I live in the drops because they are the most comfortable to me. So I tune my bar height for the drops and not for the hoods. So before you do anything, assess how you ride. If you don't use your drops much then your handlebar maybe too low and not too high.
As Rob said, moving your bar position has pretty much nothing to do with speed. Many will produce less power when closing the hip angle but aero profile trumps slight reduction in power...but the important point is, there isn't necessarily a correlation between handlebar height and aero profile either. Your arm and elbow position changes more than torso. Arms more horizontal produce less drag and a higher handlebar can be more aero...especially if you use the drops more.
does that change your perspective at all?
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good thoughts and definitely gives me something to think about. given that i want to do more TTs in the future, but dont have the budget for a TT dedicated bike, i'm thinking as much about positioning in the clip-on aero bars as i am the drops/tops/hoods.
does that change your perspective at all?
does that change your perspective at all?