Road Bike Stem Sizes

Road bike stems vs mountain bike stems road bike stems are available in lengths from as little as 60mm up to a very long 130mm and beyond.

Road bike stem sizes. Mainly bmx older mountain bike bars. This size was also used for older british steel drop bars. Aside from length you ll also find that stems are available in a range of different angles effectively altering the height of your handlebars. As a rule of thumb on a road bike you shouldn t run a stem much shorter than 90mm or much longer than 130mm.

There are shorter and longer stems available if you re short or very tall and ride a frame size at the extreme end of the size range. However in terms of attachment standards important dimensions are the handlebar attachment diameter and steering column attachment diameter. Lenghts and angles differ and are important when fitting a bicycle to suit a rider. Picture 2a shows a quill stem with a shorter neck angled downwards next to a threadless stem with a longer neck.

Good bike shops will be very helpful in helping you get the right stem length on your new bike or buying a new stem doesn t have to cost a lot of money. Shorter stems result in noticeably quicker and more responsive handling that is a definite advantage on technical singletrack and gravity riding. 22 2 mm 7 8 22 2 mm 7 8 steel bars. Most road bikes come in two styles racing road bikes long in the top tube and low at the front for faster riding and sportive road bikes which tend to have shorter top tubes and higher front ends for extra comfort.

Road bike sizing guide. If you need a stem length beyond those extremes your bike frame is the wrong size. Riders like to get a long small and aerodynamic position of the bike e g spirited racers can choose for a longer 1200 mm stem for optimum stretch. In depth the most significant thing while choosing a road stem is the length of the stem may be the key factor for overall fit of the bike.

Generally speaking stem lengths on road bikes vary from 80 to 140mm with 100 to 110mm perhaps the most common sizes. Stem clamp size grip area size application. Some manufacturers specify different length stems in relation to the frame size to try and offer the best fit. Sometimes you might need to customise the stem length yourself though.

Whereas road riders tend to choose stem length based solely on overall bike fit and positioning for off road riders the length of the stem is critical in determining how the bike handles.