Adjustable stems

[short cut sally]

I was going on my 3rd stem on the bike, just couldn't find one comfortable enough and bike shop was about up to their ears with me swapping and trying and they gave me an adjustable. Yes, its silver, ugly, squeaky and won't stay tight. But, it will give them a better idea as to what size and height stem i will need for my last swap.
ps. if electrical tape doesn't work as mentioned above, cheap can of spray paint!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Sandra, I would be very leery of getting a super-short stem like a 5 (50)- it will definitely make your steering less stable. Try a 7 first, really.

[sandra]

I don't think he was going to order a 50 and I did ask if it would make my steering wobbly and he said no. Seems like he mentioned something about a 63. Is that possible?

How much is a new stem anyway, anybody know? I didn't ask. I'll be keeping my old one for sure, so I can always go back.

[KnottedYet]

My new quill stem was $40.
My new threadless was $27.

[sundial]

Well, my LBS didn't have a shorter stem so I opted for an adjustable stem on my bike until I can find just what I need. Hubby likes his alot and I will try mine out tomorrow.

[sundial]

I can say that with my new adjustable stem I've just about nailed the fit on my bike. The head is pretty much maxed out with the spacers, so with my new stem it added 5/8" in height and with it angled 40 degrees, it brought the stem reach to 80 mm. Wow! What a difference! I didn't experience pain in the front of my shoulder on our hill rides today. I didn't have to stop to stretch my shoulder and for once, I can actually feel balanced on my bike.

DH reports that he had little numbness and tingling in his hands and he's very pleased with his stem.

Now I'm thinking of finding a permanent stem with this geometry and maybe try a different bar.

[sandra]

That's great! After today's ride I'm wondering if I really need to change my stem. It was much better today. Also, I'm more interested in the adjustable stem now that I found the black one.