Shorter stem?

[Lyratenee]

Hey everyone, so I am 187 cm tall, have an XL road bike (Focus Cayo) and I did my own bike fit where I measured my angles with a camera and everything looks alright, however I do have a feeling that my reach is too long so I would like a shorter stem I guess. When I ride its like 50/50 some rides I feel like I'm not very comfortable and some rides I feel great. Should I just stick with what I have and get used to it or try out a shorter stem and compare? Cheers.

[Jesper]

(12-04-2025, 06:18 AM)Lyratenee Wrote:  Hey everyone, so I am 187 cm tall, have an XL road bike (Focus Cayo) and I did my own bike fit where I measured my angles with a camera and everything looks alright, however I do have a feeling that my reach is too long so I would like a shorter stem I guess. When I ride its like 50/50 some rides I feel like I'm not very comfortable and some rides I feel great. Should I just stick with what I have and get used to it or try out a shorter stem and compare? Cheers.

Kind of a personal choice. Does it matter if you are in the drops or riding the hoods or top of the bar?
How about on long or short rides?

You will probably need to put in some long rides staying in primarily one position to determine where things feel a bit off. You should be able to ride the drops for a substantial amount of time. It might be best to just use a more shallow drop bar versus changing stem length if you feel fine aside from that.

Then it comes down to how much length change you want. I have most sizes from 90mm to 130mm in quill and threadless types so its easy for mecto dial it in. The only way to tell is to try different sizes; but be advised that changing by 25mm (1") either longer or shortrler is a substantial amount. Changing by 5mm increments is the best practice.best.

I assume you have a threadless set-up so easy to change. Also, do not ignore angle change. Try flipping the stem and see how it feels. Try removing or adding steerer tube spacers if possible. Do not consider only the stem length.

Ask your bike shop if they have some spares you can try.

[meamoantonio]

if you used an app to bike fit yourself it usually lacks the ability to factor in your core strength, without any idea on how your body looks it'll be hard to give real advice but do try out having a shorter stem or, increasing the stack height by adding a spacer or two below the stem, or maybe sitting little more backward with core engaged? there are so many ways to go about this haha id could keep going with little subtle ways to alleviate it what you're feeling

[JJMarsh]

(12-04-2025, 06:18 AM)Lyratenee Wrote:  Hey everyone, so I am 187 cm tall, have an XL road bike (Focus Cayo) and I did my own bike fit where I measured my angles with a camera and everything looks alright, however I do have a feeling that my reach is too long so I would like a shorter stem I guess. When I ride its like 50/50 some rides I feel like I'm not very comfortable and some rides I feel great. Should I just stick with what I have and get used to it or try out a shorter stem and compare? Cheers.

Try a shorter stem. It costs almost nothing and takes ten minutes to swap. If it feels better, keep it. If not, go back. Do not overthink it.

[GirishH]

@Lyratenee, I agree with others here..

Just find a spare from your local shop and give it a try. Then you will know if it's actually the stem or something else..

Cheers.

[meamoantonio]

I'd like to add new info here, so I spoke with my bike fitter and we usually have different levels of fitness during our cycling journey, the recommends to keep at least 3 stems

1.) Short one below 80mm or below for when you are coming off a break or long period of rest
2.) Normal Length 100-110mm for when you develop more core strength from riding
3.) 120mm or more for race day

these will have significant differences on your reach and position on the bike and will definitely activate a lot of core muscles used to bring out the maximum watts available for use on days when you need to give it your all

I hope this helps