+100 pts: 150mm stem
-100 pts: like an inch+ worth of spacers
I’m going to say it; I prefer the “7” style of the old quilled stems. You didn’t see Merckx with any slammed stem.
http://slamthatstem.com/image/7117287779
http://slamthatstem.com/post/12972745619/slammed-quill-stem-700-650-wheels-spinergy
That last one has bonus points out of its butt
I posit that modern-day stem slamming is a side effect of Vroomen’s “Everyone must have headtubes the size of trucks else everyone will constantly crash & die” philosophy
pete does raise a pretty good point that long, negatively angled stems are pretty stupid if they have a bunch of spacers under them.
BUT, they still look better than a +6
this is stemming a good discussion. I’m stemulated by these links. Thanks
I think it’s simply better to skip the stem when you want some drop…
It is a well known fact that stem length reflects penis size.
IMO a big part of the stem slamming comes from the pro-trend to ride small bikes resulting in huuuge seatpost heights and then needing cockpit stretch to fit all that torso in.
And also the pro trend to fit their bikes for the last 500m of the race/stage and not the 140+ km before.
Both my road bikes and MTBs are actually set up fairly close to shorter versions of the old “7” quill stems, MTBs have a slight pos-rise though. They did get some geometry and fitting right back then.
Mike speaks the truth. Moreover, riders with slammed stems are shown to have greater lifetime earning potentials both on and off the bike.