when building a road (not tri) bike, how do I go about choosing the right stem? Length, rise, material, does it really matter between a Ritchey WCS, or a Thomson, or carbon, or a cheap, no name $20 stem? How do I know before taking the bike for a fitting?
no one has an opinion?
sorry, I can’t help
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You DON"T know before taking the bike for a fitting. Thats what the fitting is for!! My shop trades out stems if it the wrong size during the fitting, or they give a discount on a new stem if yours is the wrong size.
BTW - They also keep all the data in a computer so they always have your measurements should you get a new bike!
You try 18 of them. They are all wrong, so you buy another one of the stems the shop originally set you up with. It turns out that was correct after all.
I have been at it for five years. I am not sure I have the right one yet.
With the old quill stems, you took a shot on the size(trying to get close) and then got used to it because it was such a hassle to change. Now in the threadless world, change is much easier, but that also can lead to more fiddling around trying to find EXACTLY the right stem as they all seem to be a little different with length, rise, feel etc . .
I use two. A 12 cm one for everyday road riding and then when I put on my clip on aero bars a shorten up the stem to a 10cm to make the cockpit a bit shorter. The great thing with the threadless steerers is that you can make this stem change in a matter of minutes with minimal fuss.
Fleck
check out www.roadbikereview.com discussions and do a search. A couple of suggestions I’ve read there where interesting. One is to set up your bike on a trainer without stem/handlebars and then reach an imaginary handlebar. You’ll need to have someone then take measurements and then set up your stem/handlebar accordingly.
Chris
thanks for the advice. that’s kind of what I thought.