Shortening stem by 2cm?

[rentagreement]

Hi,

I have a Crossracer which I use mostly on the road and on my rollers - with slicks.
Getting older I somehow feel quite stretched on the bike and not comfortable in sitting over ling time. I have pushed my saddle forward as much as possible and also lowered it over the time.

Now I am thinking about changing the stem and shorten it from 110mm to 90mm.

Is that too short for such a cross/roadbike? Any thoughts in this?

Btw: my frame size is alright, and no plans to change my frame. So any thoughts on the stem would help. Thanks!

[splash]

Shortening the stem might affect bike handling, but if you’re no longer comfortable on the bike, maybe just try it? Stems can be cheap. You could also look for a stem that is tilted upwards more than your current stem.

[Cleanneon98]

Shorter stems lead to snappier handling. Can be good, can be dangerous. There was a notable improvement in smoothness for me going from a 100-110 so I assume going 10mm the other way would do the opposite.

True story, I tried a friend’s bike out which had a 90mm but 40* or so rise stem effectively making it something like a 70mm and first time I got out of the saddle to try and sprint I almost ate the bars cause every minor input steering wise had a drastic output.

Also probably depends on the frame size and your overall fit, I’d say going from a 110 to a 90 would feel much different from someone riding a 52cm vs a 62cm frame

[Julio1869]

How about adjusting the handlebar height?

[Power13]

A 2cm stem reduction is a LOT. Even a 5mm reduction can be very noticeable. I’d say start at a 100 before going to a 90.