New stem - where to begin?

[MattDB]

I've been commuting for years on a mixture of mountain and hybrid and recently a very old Raleigh. I'd wanted to try a road bike for ages and I bought a Felt F95 last year. I've got a bad back and it's been getting worse, I don't blame the cycling but I'd like to try not being bent over quite as much. I know that there are different types of frame geometry and I've read forums with people finding this bike quite uncomfortable. I'm actually not too bad when I'm riding but very sore afterwards and I wondered about trying a different stem. However I'm not really sure where to start - do I need to go simply for a shorter one or also for a steeper angle too to raise the bar too? How about the adjustable kind?

I currently have this one - Felt Superlite, +/-7 degrees rise, 31.8mm, 120mm (61cm frame)

but wondered if anyone with experience of changing stems could suggest anything?

 

[MichaelW2]

Ideally, get an adjustable one to try out positions, and replace it with a stronger fixed one when your position is sorted.
Re-asses your saddle position at the same time.

 

[lpretro1]

Go and get a proper bike fit before you start messing about

 

[Sharky]

Assuming you were comfortable on the hybrid, try and emulate the relative positions of the saddle, bottom bracket and the hand positions on the hybrid, to the hand positions on the top of the brake levers on the road bike. When you have the measurements, you should have a target to aim for.

good luck

 

[MattDB]

Assuming you were comfortable on the hybrid, try and emulate the relative positions of the saddle, bottom bracket and the hand positions on the hybrid, to the hand positions on the top of the brake levers on the road bike. When you have the measurements, you should have a target to aim for.

good luck

Thank you that is an excellent idea!

I was thinking about going for a bike fit anyway - are they able to help work around injuries? I.e. I've got several old injuries which flare up intermittently so my thinking was that the most technically correct position may not be the one that is achievable in terms of managing bad knee, back, hip, wrist (to name a few). I may well be completely wrong about this.

 

[Gravity Aided]

You may well be completely right, as well. Every cyclist is different, and the fit for you may well be different from the standard cycling fit. If they can work around the constraints of your injuries, you'll have a better experience with the road bike, I'm sure.

 

[crazyjoe101]

It's quite a hard process, I was geting to the stage before summer where the intensity of my rides was just starting to expose the shortcoming of my rough by-eye setup. I was getting a sore neck and lower back and as it happens this is because I was too bunched up and this caused a bend in my back. I now have a longer reach and although this might seem counter-intuitive, I am now much more comfotable, even though my position is longer and lower just because my back has room to stay straight and my neck is not at as much of an angle because of that.
I can highly recommend getting a fit, especially if you have a few niggles which can annoy you when riding. You can settup the bike without a fit, but quite honestly it is more accurate and easier to get a fit done.

 

[MichaelW2]

Record your bike position by noting the points of contact (pedals/saddle/bar grips), in an [x,y] corrdinate system with the bottom bracket as [0.0]. This will eliminate all angles, which can vary from bike to bike.

 

[Sharky]

Thank you that is an excellent idea!

I was thinking about going for a bike fit anyway - are they able to help work around injuries? I.e. I've got several old injuries which flare up intermittently so my thinking was that the most technically correct position may not be the one that is achievable in terms of managing bad knee, back, hip, wrist (to name a few). I may well be completely wrong about this.

I've never had a bike fit myself. I was fortunate that my dad had been a cyclist and raced before the war and he helped me with bike sizes etc. Over the years, I've raised/lowered saddles, bars etc and each time it seems better, then after a while, I go back to an old setting, and each time it feels better! Having independent advice via a proper bike fit or advice from club mates will help, but in my case it's just been years or self assessment and micro adjustments.

 

[MattDB]

It's quite a hard process, I was geting to the stage before summer where the intensity of my rides was just starting to expose the shortcoming of my rough by-eye setup. I was getting a sore neck and lower back and as it happens this is because I was too bunched up and this caused a bend in my back. I now have a longer reach and although this might seem counter-intuitive, I am now much more comfotable, even though my position is longer and lower just because my back has room to stay straight and my neck is not at as much of an angle because of that.
I can highly recommend getting a fit, especially if you have a few niggles which can annoy you when riding. You can settup the bike without a fit, but quite honestly it is more accurate and easier to get a fit done.

Interesting re you being bunched up! Yes intuitively I assumed I'm overstretched but could be the opposite!

 

[MattDB]

Just a quick technical query: if I have a stem which is 30.8mm is that the headset end? Handlebar end? Both? Stems I've looked at just state one measurement plus length and elevation.

 

[themosquitoking]

If you can post up a photo from the side of you sitting on your bike with the leg closest the camera at 6 o'clock on the pedal stroke we might be able to tell if you need a different stem.

 

[Nibor]

Just a quick technical query: if I have a stem which is 30.8mm is that the headset end? Handlebar end? Both? Stems I've looked at just state one measurement plus length and elevation.

Most likely 31.8mm white is 1 1/8th inch and if this is the case it will be both the steerer and the handlebar are the same diameter clamp

 

[MattDB]

If you can post up a photo from the side of you sitting on your bike with the leg closest the camera at 6 o'clock on the pedal stroke we might be able to tell if you need a different stem.

Is this pic helpful at all?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2hkfzcqXvzxWHBtVGZNd0Rxd3c/view?usp=docslist_api

 

[themosquitoking]

Is this pic helpful at all?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2hkfzcqXvzxWHBtVGZNd0Rxd3c/view?usp=docslist_api

You don't look overstretched. I'm assuming your stem has already been flipped and is pointing up?