I have a 59cm bike with a 7cm stem on it. It handles beautifully. If a shorter stem might make you more comfortable, try it.
On Apr 6, 2:58 pm, happyriding <happyrid...@yahoo.com> wrote: > I wonder if someone can speak to the concept of using short stems > on big frames to get the reach right. The Bombadil has a longish top > tube for me. With drop bars, if I want to sit more upright than on a > road bike, for example when touring, I would have to use a very short > stem. From what I've read that affects the handling--negatively. A > large frame should have a 12, 13, or 14 cm stem so that one's weight > is distributed properly between the front and rear. It seems like > the > Bombadil was designed for mustache bars that extend backwards, but > how > does that affect the handling? > > Hi, > > On Apr 6, 3:56 pm, Dave Craig <dcr...@prescott.edu> wrote: > > > I have a 60cm Bombadil and it does indeed have a long top tube for me. > > Thanks for posting. That is the size I would slot into. > > > I seem to recall from the beginning that Grant designed the Bombadil > > with the dirt drop stem in mind. There are few stems shorter than the > > 8cm dirt drop. > > My Bombadil has an 8cm dirt drop stem and I've used it fully loaded > > for long distance touring. With 48cm drop bars and front panniers, the > > bike handled predictably and easily. I was amazed at the low speed > > handling *and* stability on fast descents. I have noticed that > > unloaded as an MTB, using relatively narrow flat bars (48cm flat end > > to end), I'm not very comfortable with technical, off road trails. All > > of these trails are ones that I can manage easily on other bikes. The > > steering feels too responsive and I get a little sketched out. I'll be > > putting wider bars on soon - extra bar width should compensate by > > slowing down the steering response a bit. > > Of course, a longer stem would also slow the steering down. It's > interesting that the Bombadil doesn't handle as well when used off- > road--when it is marketed as a mountain bike. > > On Apr 6, 4:13 pm, "Jim M." <mather...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > 48cm flat for off-road is very narrow. I use bars that are about 68cm > > with a little sweep back on my MTB. > > > jim m > > wc ca -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
