Get it right! | Finding your perfect stem length

Your stem is one of the go-to components for getting the fit right on your bike. Here's a rundown of what your stem does, how to measure it and how to get a stem that perfects your bike fit for better comfort and power!

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⚫️ In this video
0:00 Intro
0:41 Lets get down to business with stem Q&A
1:14 Handling and ride feel
1:50 Looking for a happy zone
2:30 The rise
4:03 What could be wrong with my current stem?
8:11 What type of stem do I need?
10:29 Will changing the stem length affect anything else?
10:57 How can I experiment with stem length?

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[krider]

Thank for making one of the best and most honest videos about stem length. I admire you for letting it all out on the table and hopefully the fashionista cycling world will pick up on you common sense approach and focus on proper fit.

[weeringjohnny]

Nice calm, scripted delivery with lots of solid, practical info. Many thanks.

[jcsrst]

I spent a lot of money on a bike fit and all the "fitter" did was move my seat up .5 cm! I definitely felt ripped off. I have been riding a long time and always have done my own fits and been just fine. I let a friend talk me into the fit. I understand some people could benefit from a fit but NOT everybody. I am a 58 year old female and I ride in quite an aggressive position, long stem and slammed. This is COMFORTABLE for me! I came into cycling many years ago riding a tri bike so this position feels great! Everyone has a different body, so what works for one might not work for another! I have had people comment that I was trying to look pro and this is not true, although I will say that the bike does look great!

[bengt_axle]

To get the right stem length, start with your saddle! You must have the right setback to get the right the balance of upper torso weight on the bars. When you are pedaling with moderate effort, your hands should rest just lightly on the bar hoods. Too much pressure? Bring the saddle back and work on core strength. Not enough power in seated climbs? Bring it forwards. Once you have got the right setback, choose the stem length that best accommodates a proper angle between the torso and the humerus (about 90 degrees) or one that just feels naturally comfortable. If you do a lot of climbing out of the saddle, a longer stem will give you more leverage to pull on the bars; if you are just casually pedaling a flat course, or touring a shorter stem will give you a better upright position.

[khalidagha]

Nothing to ask, Just wanna say, its the perfect form of content someone can probably produce, perfect job, literally worth countless views, and you should know when your viewer is this happy you are going to get much more views if you keep producing similar quality content

[paulwalker]

Makes good sense and sums it up around 5:10 > 6:58.
I'm starting with correcting my stem length so my bar's grip position is aligned with the fork tube. Then, I can easily tell where my Saddle needs adjusting.

[pirminborer]

First saddle height, setback and tilt. Adjust setback and height to have good control over top and bottom of pedal stroke. Then weight on hands with saddle tilt. Last the stem length to accomodate the reach of that position.

[jinngeechia]

The other thing you can alter is the handlebars reach. Some bars have shorter reach. Use this in combination with the stem length. Anything with a reach shorter than 80mm is considered short. The Specialized Short Reach and the Aerozine XB1.2 is the shortest I know at 65mm.

[abalem]

NIce video, that avoids intelligently to fall into all the bells and whistles of the time, but still adresses them all!

[richarddavis]

Very professionally delivered. Well done.

[marcosad]

got fitted by one of Steve Hogg’s approved fitters.. he gave me a 140mm stem and I have never been more comfortable on my bike

[robkunkel]

Nice voice, nice organization, good questions. A good job telling me many things that I did not know.

[jamesturner]

I am capable of a reasonably aggressive position on a bike. I often will run an aggressive negative rise stem with some spacers below rather than neutral rise slammed. Same bar position but easier resell as a potential new owner has greater adjustment options. Additionally it’s not really about the stem, it’s the position of hand poison/controls in space. The bar plays an equal role in this on a road bike.

[anandutsavkapoor]

I was comfortably numb on my bike untill I saw David Gilmour do this very helpful video. Thank you

[th]

I went from a 90 mm to a 120 mm stem. I have long arms. It was a huge improvement.

[jonnythelegs]

Oi oi a fellow mtber from 90's, good to see you're still in the game Justin, are you a roadie now or you like me and love it all and have far too many bikes to be considered normal even by other cyclists.

[RandyFromBBlock]

That was very informative. Thank you. Thank you, James Hetfield. Subscribed

[alterntive]

Great to see Justin present on here, brought back great memories from MBUK. Hope he appears more frequently. Thanks for the upload, very helpful for my recent bike build.

[KingCollagen]

This is such a good video, packed with honest, clear information. Thank you so much, I learned a lot!

[estbloc]

Thanks for the clear explanation! Great work!