Mtb Stem, long or short ?

Should you keep that long mtb stem on your bike? If your a trail rider that enjoys the downhill/single track sections, you may want to change out that stem to a shorter one. Enjoy and happy biking...

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Mtb
• Stem
• Mountain Biking

[Raw2v07]

@healthynactive thanks for the vid, raised points that I didnt know. Who is the background track by

[HealthyNactive]

@Raw2v07, Evanescence, song is tourniquet

[blackdubsociety]

I have been playing with stem length lately after seeing this video, and I believe the 70mm is perfect but I want to try a 60mm. I went from 110mm to 100mm to 90mm to 70mm. I do prefer the more upright position, and most important i can still climb with 0 difficulty.

[HealthyNactive]

@blackdubsociety, Most people in general will find that a 70mm will work well as it is close to the middle as it gets as far as mtb stem length. In your opinion, how did your bike change when you went to a shorter stem?

[blackdubsociety]

@HealthyNactive The front grip through turns is the biggest change i find. I will be a little more clear also. The 70mm stem is on my 26er, and I want to try the 60mm on my 29er since it's got about a 15mm longer top tube than my 26er.

[HealthyNactive]

@ThePanzerfist44, for a riser bar, check out the Easton Monkey Lites. They are carbon fiber, pretty light and really strong. I've had mine for 4+ years with no problems.

[HealthyNactive]

@MongooseFreeRider, cool, I have the exact same problem with long stems, very hard to lift the front for 'manuals' and getting over logs, larger rocks, etc... Riders just need to find a happy medium. Maybe a 65/70mm length would be ideal... For XC racers, 100mm is usually fine as they need it for climbing.

[MongooseFreeRider]

I got two bikes where i can pop wheelies on it no problem with the short stem where as the other bike with the stem 30mm longer is harder to do.Thanx man i just learned something new :)

[ThePanzerfist44]

@HealthyNactive Thompson elite for 25.4mm bars eh ? Ive got some race face bars in 25.4mm that I want to use for a rebuild but I cant find a nice enough stem for them ( they mostly tend to be 31.8mm ) - think i'll check out the thompson elite( they do a nice layback seatpost too )

:-)

[ThePanzerfist44]

@HealthyNactive - Thanks for this video , I am having the same dilemma with a 98 GT arrowhead ive just rebuilt - its got a 120mm FSA XC stem and feels very cumbersome as I am only a short guy , ive been looking at either a Thompson x 4 or a Hope am stem both are 70mm , then i'll have to find a suitable riser bar

thats the 1st thing I noticed when I got into rebuilding retro MTB's - narrow bars and long assed stems ( arrghh)