Saturday, April 25, 2009

Before and After - part 1: flip the stem

When I shopped for my road bike, it was the first time I was riding with a dropped handle bars; by body, especially my back and my neck, was not used to the extended more aerodynamic position.  In an effort to reassure me of the fit and close the sale, the shop said it could raise the bars some to allow for a more relaxed position.  

Road bike stem BEFORE on Twitpic
At that point, I had no idea how into riding I would be, and much less that I'd begin training for racing.  This slightly less aero-dynamic change was probably unnecessary for me, but I wanted to ease my way into the sport.  Among some of my longer rides with more experienced cyclists, they suggested that I was "ready" to flip the stem.  I had no idea what they meant, but they explained that, as long as I was still comfortable, allowing the handle bars to go lower would not only make me more aerodynamic, but also increase my handling of the bike.  The increased handling is what really made me think about this more since I was afraid of losing control of the bike on fast descents.

I started reading into this and I'd see online forum discussions talk about this as if it were a question of religion.  What I have noticed is that ultimately, the racer tends to have the stem pointed down, it does increase handling, and it does make you more aerodynamically.  However, none of this should be at the cost of comfort for fear of back or neck pain.

Road bike stem AFTER... yeah!  We're going faster this year! on Twitpic
I decided to flip the stem myself (I'm a little afraid of some repairs, I don't want to break the bike)!  I referred to this how-to post to guide me through the process, and it ended up being a success.  The key is making sure you have correctly adjusted the headset.  I've now ridden the entire 2009 season so far with flipped stem, and I have no discomfort in my neck or back, and it certainly is good to feel the wind go by a little faster in the drops.

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