I was fitted by an expert fitter a few years ago and he installed a 115 degree stem to give me more rise for my arms which were too low. I agree this was definitely the right choice and I’m now very comfortable. Now if I’m looking for a new bike, does this mean I should be looking for one with a much larger head tube so I can reduce the angle of the stem. The 115 deg. ones are hard to come by in oversize handlebar sizes, 31.8.
I’ll note, I ride a Giant TCR with a 13.48cm head tube and 73 HT angle.
Any information would be great.
thanks
Barry
Barry,
Assuming that all other factors are equal, ie tt length and your flexibility/range of motion, yes. A slightly taller head tube would allow for a more “normal” rise stem. The other factor to look at is your current top tube length. could it be a little long? A highly angled stem also serves to shorten the reach to the bars, when the stem angles up , it also comes back. Perhaps a slightly shorter top tube would also help. My biggest beef with Giant is the wide range of sizes expected to fit into their broad size range. Good luck. Hope this helped.