I recently switched my 26er hard tail over to a 110. I am 6’1″ 185 lbs riding an 18″ bike so I always felt the cockpit was just a little small, but I wanted the control when I hit the tight single track. With this application I immediately noticed how twitchy the steering changed on the bike first time out and I had the tendency to oversteer turns. I also dropped the rise on the bars, opting for the low rise Easton so I violated the basic rules of scientific experimentation changeing 2 variables at the same time. I think I am getting a better handle on the bikes characteristics each time out. Thanks for putting the poll together its a great way to see how everyones experience comestogether on specific issues.

Stem length – I climb hills with obstacles going up – I like to use a 90mm to lighten the front to help go over them and float over sand on the flats – also between a large and medium frame – and that size just works out for me.

Different stem lengths drastically change how the same bike with the same components reacts with the trail. If you put on a 70mm stem and then switch to a 110mm stem…you are going to notice that the bike handles much differently on both climbs and descents. That is the reason behind asking the question and I was also interested to see if riders change their stems from stock as it also changes the fit of the bike.

And I use dual ring setups on everything but XC race bikes (triple) and DH rigs (single)

It has to do with where your weight is in relation to the front axle. The farther forward you are on the bike, the easier the bike turns (also gives that twitchy feeling to the front end on long descents and jumps). The flip side is that shorter stems can wander on climbs because your weight is farther back behind the front axle. You are also able to turn the front end of the mountain bike easier with longer stems due to the increased leverage on the steerer tube. While you are moving your hands farther across the axis…it is easier than with shorter stems.

>This goes against logic, and what I’ve learned through the years. The farther your bar from the steering axis is, the slower your steering will be. Wider bars would somewhat offset the quicker steering of shorter stems.