The Process of Lowering One's Stem
 

Because I'm in flagrant violation of Rule 45, I've decided it's time to lower my stem. I have 3CM of spacers underneath and none above, which is sacrilege in mind, body, and deed. I've been working on flexibility and have been putting in pretty decent distance, so I think physically I am ready for the next step.

But how do I know? And how fast do I go? And what's the deal with cutting the steerer? I'd be happy dropping my stem 2.5CM, leaving 5mm under and 5mm over, but is that too much of a change? (I'm talking about an endurance road bike with a fairly healthy stack, for what it's worth. Dropping that much and it'd still probably be as high as its CAAD10 brother. I just don't want to rock the boat.) And is it better to leave the steerer uncut to start out with?

BikeForums, help me.

Lower it ONE spacer. Get used to it. If you are able to, repeat every few weeks.

Put the spacer ABOVE the stem. Don't cut steerer until you are POSITIVE you like the new setup.

Also, if you are considering selling the bike, do not cut steerer as your slammed stem might not be attractive to some buyers.

Couldn't have said it better.

Make small, incremental changes. Ride. A lot. If your body doesn't complain, go lower. Repeat the process.

Don't cut the steerer until you can ride for hours at your desired height and you don't care about resale value of the bike.

I see I must resurrect the "slammed stem" pics......Below is the ONLY acceptable option for you. You inquired. Now you know. Now you must commit. /thread :p

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=389673

And actually, this 2nd pic is representative of what happens when people just get lazy. If you're not gonna commit......why bother??? I mean, why not just sit straight up? Heck, install a back rest while you're at it........


http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=389674

Drop it 5mm at a time - ride for a week and see how it feels.

cheers

I'd say more like a month. There's no real rush, and it could take that long for problems to arise. Don't forget there'd be three 5 mm drops in a two-week period if the OP were to take only 1 week between each 5 mm drop.

Slammed stem is "attractive" to everyone. Aesthetically it is how a bike should look. But it's not comfortable to everyone so don't cut it unless you're sure you like the fit and sure you will hang on to it for a while. It wont' hurt your ability to sell the bike but it might effect the price you'll get.

Also if you have a carbon steered you may be required to run a certain amount of spacers above the stem. I'm assuming it's not the case since you don't have any spacers above your stem currently but just throwing that out there

I just did this today, for the first time. While my Orca has roughly 2.5" drop from seat height to bar height, my Roubaix was set up w/ zero drop. I had 4 spacers below- 2 thins (.5cm) and one thick (1cm). After 3 months on the Orca, the set up on the Roubaix felt like a beach cruiser. So, today I left one thin spacer below and moved the other thin and the thick above. Felt OK riding around the block. Will know better next time I really ride it.

Thanks for the replies, all.

Everyone seems to agree that adjustments should be gradual; however, if I already also ride a bike with a more aggressive fit than this Domane would even be "slammed," does that make it acceptable to speed up the process?

Either way, I guess I'll drop it a centimeter and go from there. If only I had a torque wrench myself...

I'd say so. On the other hand ... it's a different bike, different feel, and small changes are easier to get used to.

I'm impatient, I'd have to drop it just to see what it was like. And if I couldn't get comfortable on it, had pains etc, start over and make small drops.

Hmm.. when I slammed, I just flipped my stem over to -* and took out all the spacers. No negative effect.... but nobody ever told me I couldn't.

i tried it piecemeal the first time, but after a couple of rides, i said, "screw it", and chopped it all off.

OTOH, i'm now in the process of assembling a new bike and will have to cut the new steerer tube on the fork. i'll probably leave a couple of centimeters on there, as long as i can find some spacers around here. but if i can't, i'll just ride it around the block a few times without them and see how it goes.

i bought this 50cm frame with the intent on getting my handlebars lower, so it wouldn't make much sense to dick around with spacer too much and be a p***y about it. so i'll, go big or go home, i guess.

Sure, why not. Also if you're under 25 years of age, just get a -17, slam it and chop it. Only old people have to worry about gradual change :)

Is the other bicycle comfortable over long distances? Is the purpose of your Domane to be the less aggressive bike, or just one that's more forgiving on rough roads?

If the other bike fits well for all purposes, I would try to duplicate the fit on the Domane. If Domane is meant to be more relaxed, I would set it arbitrarily to where I thought it should be, and give it a couple of weeks before cutting anything. If I wasn't sure where it should be, I would try the tallest position, the lowest position and midway between the two for a week or two each, and adjust from there.

All in all, you know you can go a lot lower, so there is really no need to ease yourself into it now. Oh, and you don't really need a torque wrench to lower the stem, just don't go crazy on the tension.

Just slam the stem and ride it. If you find its too low...then start putting spacers back 10mm at a time.

I had slammed mine, but being a 49 year old with a bad back I had to re-Fredify it. The way it's setup now I might as well be hanging out in the comfort bike forum. I'd post a picture, but other members would start weeping at its sight so I'll refrain.

You may find that you prefer your saddle higher and farther forward as you slam the stem. I would try matching the position of the other bike - but you have to match all of it, including the relationship of the saddle to the BB and the reach to the bars.

Also, crank length makes a difference - if the 2 bikes have different length cranks, they will fit differently - shorter crank = lower bars.

My process was similar to the suggestions here. I dropped a spacer at a time until I felt comfortable. Still don't have it slammed but it's at a point where it feels good and that's all that matters. Once I was convinced I cut the steerer and have no spacers above the stem. As for resale value? I'm riding this bike until it asplodes.

I would say if you like the idea of an aggressive position, just slam it and work up if there's a prob. Torque wrench? Just make sure it's tight enough to not have play and loose enough to fall left and right when you hold the front up high.
I haven't ridden rode for long, but it didn't take minutes to decide I wanted to be forward and down. My mtb style has always been a bit more aggressive, less measured, so it was an easy fit. YMMV.

No, it's not.

There are better ways to cheat rule #45 . ;)

Keep in mind too that having a more aggressive riding position has a direct correlation with the speed you ride at. At over 20+ mph I notice a huge difference riding on the drops as oppose to riding on the hoods in terms of aerodynamics as well as the lower position giving me a bit more power on my pedal stroke.

If you're toting around at 14-15mph or slower, you won't benefit much from riding with a lower stem. If anything that's where the pain and discomfort comes from. IMO nobody can truly ride "comfortably" on a slammed stem but it's definitely more comfortable if you're riding hard/fast and definitely less comfortable riding at slower speeds.

Doing it just because it looks good or people on bike forums tells you to is no bueno.