Finding a New Stem

[Skyguy9999]

As you may recall from this thread: http://forums.bicycletutor.com/thread-954.html , one of the things I mentioned was raising the stem on the handle bars.

Actually I mistyped in a way - the stem won't go high enough (for the minimum insertion line). So when I ride this bike I end up sitting downhill on the saddle. Not much problem 9 times out of 10, as long as I don't hit the brakes too hard, but on longer rides it doesn't help.

So to get this bike to fit better, I figured out I need a new stem (or something). But I'm not locating what looks like what I need (it's a threaded one). Is there a term that I don't know, or is it that I need something else to do this? And what are the specs I would need to find out when I get ready to order this part?

Thanks.

[Joe_W]

First let me ask: what do you mean by "as long as I don't hit the brakes too hard"? Could it be that the cockpit is just too long? My saddle is above my handlebars on both road bikes, I also usually ride in the drops but I have no problems braking very hard. I simply push myself backward when braking to create a counter-acting angular moment to compensate for the angular moment from the front brake.
On the other hand, you wrote "on longer rides", so maybe it is just uncomfortable after some hours.

Important measures:
- stem diameter (new stems don't fit in old french head sets without some work)
- handlebar diameter
- stem length (forward), centre to centre
- needed stem height

Basically any bike shop should have some of them. They usually want to get rid of them anyway as they are no longer used except on very low end bikes. One of my colleagues got a stem + handlebar for about 15 EUR (we had to sand it down a bit to fit inside the old French headset).

[Skyguy9999]

(02-04-2010, 07:34 AM)Joe_W Wrote:  First let me ask: what do you mean by "as long as I don't hit the brakes too hard"?

I mean if I hit my brakes too hard, I go over the front of the handle bars. The downward slope I'm sitting in would make it a certainty.

And yes the stem is too short. It's almost like doing a push-up if I go down there. Have to stay on the hoods to ride the bike at all.

[cyclerUK]

You can get stems like this:-
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/ST306H00-Kalloy+Adjustable+Threaded+Stem.aspx

You can also get stem raisers:-
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/stems/index.html

There is also threaded to threadless converters which would allow fitting an "Ahead" stem.

In the main though it sounds like you have the wrong design of bike for what you want?