Thanks to the 16 people who signed up to Patreon this week, along with those who sent one-off donations! As you know, my hourly rate without any support is in the cents - and this now likely brings me into the dollars. How good is that?! 😎 www.patreon.com/cyclingabout

Bike nerds unite!

Pokeball at 7:23 gotta catch all the stem lengths!

This information is literally life saving. After a road bump induced crash, I have learned to lower the tire pressure as low as possible. Now I will fit a slightly longer stem and wider drop bar.

I love this science behind cycling 🤩....

Very good video and well explained. I’ve been looking for a video about how stem lengths could affect our riding, and this just answered all my questions. Thank you!

Thank you kindly for these uploads as of late, hope you are staying safe and looking forward to your touring impressions up in my neck of the woods!

I’ve effectively been using a 0mm stem for the last decade. I have a 50mm stem, but with butterfly bars that put my hands on the steering axis. I have only had that one set up for all that time so I have no basis for comparison, but it has never been even the slightest of issues for me. Works great in fact.

Man, I just love your content! You answered a whole bunch of questions that have been swirling in my head for decades, and a whole bunch more I've never even thought about! I enjoy every one of your videos and have your books, too! Keep them coming!

I seriously learn so much from these videos. Made me realize just how intricate bike design and optimization can be. I knew I didnt know much, but every time I learn something new I realize just how wide that knowledge gap can be. THANK YOU!

Brilliant sir! Alot of our brains work in this way and are needing presentations like this to really help make sense of it all while dialing in our rigs and this is just so very helpful. Thank you! ☮️

these are very good videos, thank you for all the work you're doing

great video very helpful cheers for posting

Thanks again Alee for your thorough explanation of Bike Tech. All this is so usefull for me, being a Signature Advisor @ Koga ( and Bike Nerd..). Looking forward for new a episode. Keep it up!

this was very very very informative. Thank you very much!

Great and insightful video again! Hope you can make a video talking about galvanic corrosion in the future.

7:24 - still here. Yup, I'm a massive bike nerd as well. Cheers

Big fan of this video. Will take a while to digest all the content, thanks again for making this. Its going to help a lot on my conversion of an old mtb frame to a drop bar adventure bike.

this is just what i was looking for. thank you for this very comprehensive yet well worded explainer

Tim here again in ColoRADo. I am a pro mechanic and a bike nerd. Once again we’ll done. I stumbled on tour channel and I am impressed again. I will become a Patreon. Keep up the great work and keep the rubber side down.

This is fascinating! thanks for doing this video

Good analysis. Thanks

Love it dude!

Summed it up pretty well at the end there. Couldn’t find this info anywhere else, super informative. Wanted to see if I could get away with a short mtb stem on my surly straggler if I get some 52cm salsa woodchippers. Seems like a go for me plus I carry a lot of weight in the front so the wide bars should help that. Thank you!!

"if you're still here, you're probably a massive bike nerd like me" Hey! Oh... yeah...

Very helpful. Thank you. You confirmed I made the right decision to a shorter stem. The original stem on my GoGoBest ebike GF750, was way too long bringing tha bars far away from me making my arms straight , elbows almost locked.

This is the most definitive, numbers backed, insight into bike stems. Off to change my bike's stem from 70mm to 50mm, which was already down from 100mm and compensate with wider bars for a more upright riding.

This video made me sub to your channel. That was super informative. thank you so much for sharing all that

When talking about Dutch Bikes you should mention that a lot of them have a Spring between the Fork and the Frame to counter the twitchiness and pull the fork straight

Very cool video. Very cool mission.

This was absolutely awesome! I am new to all this and trying to figure out how to design a fixed gear bike. Do you have a video about how to go about designing a bike? What is most important? The frame? The geometry? The gearing? The handlebars? The wheels? Thanks!

I’m never disappointed by your videos 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 excellent explanation even a dumb like me could understand, big fan of your work and your energy 🙏🏾

Interesting video. Thank you. I don't know how much you have covered chainstay length. People might like to know more about, or be clearer on, how chainstay length affects handling. I like the way long chain stays add stability on gravel road descents. They can really make a difference. They can also help with rear pannier positioning and clearance, and have other effects.

Weight distribution has an enormous affect as well as the figures you discuss. On my ustom steel road frame the designer started off choosing the fork offset and stem length for the application then designing the whole frame around that. He designed for a 120mm stem, I've run the bike with stems of 100-130 mm and 130 mm is by far the best for handling and cornering at speed. It's poor for commuting speeds and tight low speed manouevers at traffic junctions. ! like to run 130 for road racing and crits, 110 for cx and 90-100 for XC. Of course, reach and fork offset/trail play a part as well, but I always experiemnt with +/- 10 mm on each bike to get weight distribution right.

Awesome, seldom talked about subject.

glad to check in here for coverage of those nagging questions I often contemplate during long rides!!

thanks man, i have back and neck problems im going to try a 0 degree stem, all the best

Becuase of my body size, I have had to run short/0 stems on multiple frames. Took me a long time to realized this is why they handle like that.

Thanks a lot for this science, it makes me feel better running a 30mm stem and 48cm flared handlebars on my Kona Rove ST, I always wondered why it felt so stable despite de short stem .

Hi Alex, great video! I just want to clarify that you recommend minimum 75mm stems for bikepacking handlebars with back sweep? I am changing from Velo Orange Crazy bars to the Soma Dream Riser on my Surly ECR, and want to also confirm that you recommend that your hands are always in front of the steering arc no matter what the handlebar is.

Love your videos! Amazing Quality Content! What do you think is the slackest HTA you would go for that is best for steep techincal climbs but also good for long fast road rides? Thanks Alee!

Such a helpful video. Analog Cycles doing some great work.

Love that action shot while your fully loaded 1:50

Spot on summary here. Highlighting the self stabilizing characteristics of the forward half of the steering arc is important and I'm glad you covered that as it is something that isn't widely known. I think there is one aspect you didn't cover which is that when steering a road bike with a long stem and narrow bars much of your movement is side to side translation, which uses a totally different set of muscles than the push-pull motion of mountain bike steering. How muscular difference interacts with the rider I don't know yet, but hope to find out at some point in the future.

Thanks so much for this. I need to order a fat bike for my fast-growing daughter (currently growing about 1cm / 4 months!) and I therefore ordered it a little big -- about as big as would fit her mom. That means I need to put a shorter stem on it to reduce the reach, and I was worried about the steering effect. Given that it's fat tire and wide bars, my guess is it will not be an issue at all, given the low single-digit percentage change you show for flat bars shortened to 0cm stem. Here, we'd just be going from 8cm to 3.5 cm.

Nice video, can you do something similar about trail and head tube angle?

It’s a drinking game. One shot every time he says “twitchy” and 2 shots every time he says “twitchiness”.

I just found out that I’m a bike nerd. Subscribed.

hey Ali, thanks for sharing you knowledge. curious what length stem you use with your denham bars? Also, if they are used with a short stem, how steering in the lower half of the arc affects handling, especially at braking from speed and on technical descents. thanks

I don't usually add comments but I think your channel is fantastic. The little things like stem length and height could make a massive difference in someone's ride. Your helping people including myself. Just one thing though. There is so much competition on KZfaq. While I do agree that your one of the best. The whole asking for money thing is slightly uncomfortable for me. Not that I don't think your worth it. It's just the way you break down your approximate hourly rate for doing this. I don't think that's a good way to break it down. But that's just me. Just one guys opinion. Great content

Great video! which 0 degree stems do you recommend? I have the surly moloko and looking for a more upright ride. Thanks

Thanks for all that info! I ride all winter in canada, sometimes in foot deep snow, and i'm trying to have the most stable steering possible. If I understand well, my current 900mm swept back bars and 25mm stem are the best i can get right?

Great vid. Can you do a video on why I have toe overlap on my gravel bike, but not on my road bike (and my toes are really far away from the front tire on my MTB). Thought gravel bikes were supposed to be longer and slacker than road bikes. I'm not the only one of my riding friends who have noticed this. Does it have to do with bottom bracket height?

Nice to know.

I have a new 2022 GIANT Escape 2 Disc. I had terrible neck and shoulder pain after riding for 2 hors...would a short stem help in any way ? Thanks.

Fantastic video. Do you have a video that is about overall bike ergonomics? Looking for something perhaps that would explain seat height/reach/stem height or length. No matter how much I tweak my seat and stem/bars, I still get numb hands. Thanks

Excellent research and analysis, great topic. 👍 Without a doubt a shorter stem decreases or shortens the steering arc from the steering axis. The width of the handlebar also affects the steering axis. And absolutely effects the twitchiness, based on my own experiments with many different size length stems. After 26 years of riding on two wheels, I know what steering input and steering output feels like, especially at higher speeds. The fact that a company is trying to sell something, and states there is no difference in twitchiness utilizing a zero millimeter stem... it's just silly. Perhaps they do not understand physics and are seemingly nothing but a bunch of talking heads. 😂🤦🏻‍♂️

what are those lights at 6:58? Thanks!!!

Will raising the handle bar without too much cutback on stem length be helpful?

Hi I've elops speed 920. Is it possible to install a new stem and handle bar stem so the length can be increased. Its leaning forward and very destabalizing

Hmm. That was really interesting. I have now a 90 mm stem and bought a new handle bar - butterfly from Ergotech - instead of the straight one I had. I am aiming for a angle-adjustable stem with the same length so that I get a bit more upright position - trekking position from sport like. I thought that if I angle the stem 45 degrees then I have shortened the stem to 78 but I would have thought that did noting to the steering. The new handlebar is almost the same width as the old one and it has its opening forwards so a part of it is going to be in front of the steering axis. I hope I haven't made a stupid decision.

Im interested in how they affect countersteering since longer stem helps switching weight

Basically if the reach is long for you you could ride a shorter stem without noticing too much, and if the reach is just right or shorter don't put a shorter stem on it bcz you'll notice it more? Thanks!

oh men, im kinda follow you, it is possible upload some spa subs for this specially technic video?

What is the bike with the orange front rack into aero bars with the custom bag? It's the one for the drop bar width illustration. Love this idea and would like to know who that frame builder is. Cheers

When trying to keep the reach similar or even try make it feel longer, how does using a wider handlebar and shorter stem work? (e.g. 760mm handlebar + 60mm stem change to 800mm handlebar + 35mm stem)

good for short people with large bikes

I'm sure this is all true. But, I have an old mountain bike with wide straight bars and a 12.5mm stem and its really twitchy as you call it. I hadn't noticed until I started cycling more and longer distances on it. Its so bad I can't really ever let go of the handlebars in the way I used to (occasionally) with my old drop bar racing bike (R.I.P) which had a much shorter stem.

I'm having a hard time with the sweptback bars part. So swept back bars put you behind the steering axis with a short stem. Is that a bad thing? My current bike has the original Velo Orange Crazy bars with a 70mm stem, putting me behind the steering axis a bit. Ive ridden this way on all sorts of tours, with everything from pavement to small ledge drops and lots of rocks. I'm looking for a new bike and trying to keep a similar effective top tube of my current bike so I know i will be comfortable, but i wonder how a slacker bike would handle with that weight behind the steering axis?

many more people need to watch such vids coz they may get into cycling and not like it coz of such things so if they learn this b4 buying a bike they will have more fun thereby getting more and more people into cycling I believe that is a good thing ? right?

Stem Extender bike good?

Would the stem angle also have an impact? For example, a 30 degree positive stem vs 8 degree stem (assuming the length is the same)

I love drop bars, but I can't see why you would need them on a bike with monster tires (6:00)?

The problem is, when you change bar heigh you alter a bike's geometry too, so it's hard to say how 0mm feels over 30mm for instance.

So If I shorten my stem from 90 to 40mm, but changed my drop bars from 380mm to 420mm, what's the formula for "twitchiness"?

Cool.

Great

Guys from Chotic say that at 65° HTA anything below 35mm is too twitchy.

well, it's all fine, but what about vibrations that hit right into the bar form the steering tube and fork? I'm aware that stem isn't like long carbon seatpost, but certainly it has some absorbtion properties.

im confused on the swept bar situation. How does using a 100mm stem make a swept back bar twitchier if the minimum length needed to steer in the upper arc is 75mm? Wouldn't a 100mm stem put the steering axis 25 mm farther into the upper steering arc?

I am wondering what 11” version would cost

My neck approves this video

Just what i wanna know

What about knee interference when standing and pedaling hard with a 0 stem?

Wow man! This goes up to 11! Great nearding! I love it! But think I'll stick to my random stem that more or less sutes me!

Does anyone have a link to the 0 mm stem? Are they the only ones that make one?

Does twitchiness have something to do with the fact that the new gravel bike I bought is impossible to ride hands free?

where can i get this stem

how about inward stem?

Anyone know what the bike at 1:35 is?

I'm trying to imagine how I can apply what I saw here to my under steering recumbent bike.

All made sense until you raised the swept back bars. You note that you want to be in the front area of the steering arc for self corrected steering but that 0mm stem is the best for less twitchiness. How can this be possible as the two seem counterintuitive. I ask because I have Jones h bars on my too big touring bike and I need to tighten the reach.

Alee Denham u so schmart

Is it me or was there a subtle Babylon 5 reference there in the form of a Shadow ship? Pretty sure I saw a Pokéball too.

So many accessories depend on the fact that you have a mounting point there. I can't sacrifice that place.

You didn't define what 'twitchy' mean. Does it effect bike stability at all or just how much bike steers?

Can anyone identify the stem at 7:10 ?

Trying to get some context after watching the viral video about the raised reverse stem

I used one of these in China and they are twitchy as hell. I thought it was my problem. I use a 120 mm stem right now.

I wonder why bike reviewers in the Mainstream Cycling Media never mention that the slow or twitchy steering of a bike they are reviewing can be changed with a different set of bars and a different stem?