Stems n' flipping....

[LosingFocus]

I've got myself all confused here.

When I got my road bike, it came from the shop (and yes, that shop is Halfords) with the stem angled a bit downwards. I found it a tad daunting, so I unscrewed the bars etc and flipped the stem so it pointed slightly up and gave me more height. This, I assumed, was "flipping the stem", as I had changed how the bike had come.

Now, during my bike re-fitting playing at the weekend I was browsing various internet resources and found a few saying that the stem pointing up is normal, and the "flipped stem" is therefore the one that points down.

So, esteemed members on CC... which is it? Is my current (upwards) stem flipped; or do I flip it to point it down?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I reckon that ''flipping'' is just the process of turning it over. The only time I've done it, I went from angled down to angled up like you but I'm sure I could flip it again and end up where I started.

 

[Rob3rt]

If you want to be anal about it, then you should probably look at the the spec of the stem, if it is sold as having a downward slope/drop then fitting it pointing upward to give a rise, that would be a stem that has been flipped, if it is sold as having a rise and you fit it in such as way as to drop the bars, that would be stem that has been flipped.

I would personally just say, if its on a road bike and it is in an orientation that gives the highest bar position that it can, then it is a stem that has been flipped.

All in all it is not important!

 

[black'n'yellow]

as above - 'flipping it' is the process of reversing the angle, regardless of what position it was originally in.

 

[youngoldbloke]

- depends where you're starting from - if you change it back you will be flipping it again won't you? Don't worry about it. If I really wasted time thinking about it I might decide that the 'normal' position is less angled-up. Looks more 'sporty' anyway. Rare for the stem on an average road bike to actually slope down.

 

[defy-one]

Most manufacturers will have their stem facing straight or down on a race bike. They are after all trying to sell you the lure of speed. Therefore this is the default position. Flipping the stem means inverting it to do as many of us do "up".

 

[Rob3rt]

Most manufacturers will have their stem facing straight or down on a race bike. They are after all trying to sell you the lure of speed. Therefore this is the default position. Flipping the stem means inverting it to do as many of us do "up".

Most will point upward's still despite the angle countering the head tube angle!

 

[youngoldbloke]

- and lots of stems have logos that read both ways up anyway.

 

[Rob3rt]

- and lots of stems have logos that read both ways up anyway.

And face plates that can be fitted either way up


It really doesn't matter so long as the bike fit is good for you!

 

[LosingFocus]

Thank. Rob3rt seems to hit the nail on he head. I hadnt considered differences between road and offroad bike setups.

 

[Widge]

Yup.... I 'flipped' my stem from 6 degrees down to 6 up..........the writing reads both ways..........flippin' clever!

 

[MattHB]

Some also have angled inserts in them which allows you to fine tune the angle up and down. If going from flipped up to flipped down it can be useful to do it in stages so your body gets used to it.

 

[RWright]

I am going to go flip my stem and see if it is higher or lower and see if I can still read the logo.

Update: I flipped it and it had already been flipped to the higher position. I did check while I had it apart. About 3/4 of an inch higher with it flipped. I left it flipped.