I am currently riding a Klein with a 58.5cm TT and a 10 cm stem which I find to be too stretched out. I am looking at getting a new road bike and the fit calculators say I can go either 54 cm TT with a 12 cm stem or a 56 cm TT and a 10 cm stem. Assuming I can get the saddle to bar drop the same on both bikes with dreaded spacers which would be a better fit? Will one bike handle better than the other because of the shorter stem?
In theory, shorter stems make for a twitchier handling and longer stems are less responsive. Of course we are talking extremes. You won’t note much difference between 100mm and 120mm stems. The thing to consider on these two frames is also head tube height. It will be shorter on the smaller frame. If you want to ride a bit higher you would require more spacers on the smaller frame.
I am currently riding a Klein with a 58.5cm TT and a 10 cm stem which I find to be too stretched out. I am looking at getting a new road bike and the fit calculators say I can go either 54 cm TT with a 12 cm stem or a 56 cm TT and a 10 cm stem. Assuming I can get the saddle to bar drop the same on both bikes with dreaded spacers which would be a better fit? Will one bike handle better than the other because of the shorter stem?
There is plenty to consider. A shorter stem will make your steering faster and possibly more sensitive, a longer stem will slow down the steering and be a bit more stable. How did you originally end up with the Klein and the 10 cm stem? Also the two scenarios you propose have the same reach so you will need to ride both setups if you can to see which one feels better. The stem length will endow the bike with a certain feel due to the leverage it imparts to the steering. There are so many bikes out there that you could, if going by numbers only and not looking at any particular brand, go for a bike with a 55 cm TT and run an 11 cm stem. That way if you wanted to shorten it up further a 10 would do the trick or you could also lengthen it up if you ever decide you want to. The beauty to this is that you stay is a better range of possible stem sizes to help with your fit rather thanever having to use something really long or short.
I was sized by the stand over the top tube and if you can see the front hub method. It was my first road bike. I am 5’ 11 and should not be riding a 58cm frame. The shorter head tube on the 54 will allow me to go lower if I want by removing spacers, but I guess the 56 won’t if they are setup with the same saddle-bar drop. So basically it comes down to the handling of the bikes with the different stem lengths? To make things more complicated I could also changed the reach on of the bars by a cm or so. So is there really a difference in the 2 sizes other than my ability to get low with the lower headtube?
It is not all about the stem. 54 bike will have a shorter head tube and you will be in a more aggressive position if you keep the same amount of spacers. On the 56 you will be more upright and less aggressive.
So there are a lot of different factors then the stem length.
Assume, you can get the same position on both bikes (just different seatpost extensions, spacers, stem length, etc.)…if for some reason you can’t then that frame is too large/small. Beyond aesthetics (short stems and short seatposts tend to look a bit noob) and standover height, the real issue here is how the bike handles. Having a longer stem will place more weight on the front wheel (and as mentioned the longer the stem the twitchier the handling…though I have a bike with a 120 stem and it’s not an issue). Most bikes are designed for balance assuming a 100mm stem, so the 56 will probably be better balanced than the 54 once you set it up.
So i’m leaning towards a 56 for a slightly more relaxed fit. If I plan on attaching clipons for races is it better to go with the smaller size?