I have to say, Owen has quickly become one of my favorite presenters… keep killin it!!!

Hey! Nice to see Owen out there on his bike!

I found bars and levers rotation make a greater impact. They force change in palm rotation and elbow bend, which effect steerer to shoulder distance* in a much wider range than any mtb stem length variation could (I'm not talking switching from -17 deg 120mm road to +80mm riser 0 length mtb though) * and it is shoulder position and knee bend that drag your whole body fore and aft

Great video! I may not change my stem, but this video did make me think! Very good video Owen!!!

Couldnt agree more! I found that changing the stem on my bike made a big improvement in fit and comfort for me.

Thanks for this vid, I already know that this is going to help me with my setup

Great video.I would suggest videos on handlebar and lever positioning,along with crank arm length and seat positioning.

The component that makes the biggest difference for me is the handlebar. Specifically, the rise of the handlebar. I'm tall (6'-4"/1.93m) and most bikes come with low stack heights and XL frames already require longer steerer tubes. I have 60mm rise bars on all of my bikes just to get the grips level with my saddle and this really helps relieve back pain and boost confidence on steep downhill sections. It's not for everyone but it works well for me!

Riding mostly DH, stretching the wheelbase with more slack in the steering has been my go-to change. Adding 20-30mm to fork travel with an offset headset can throw the front wheel out there by a similar amount to significantly shift weight and handling rearward for steep descents.

Makes me laugh when brands claim size specific geometry and change the chain stay lengths by 3mm between size med and XL 😂

I'm all about the descends and tech, 32mm stem has been installed on my bike for a while now and love it! But that's after riding a Mondraker with 30mm stem and I loved the direct steering feel

I need to do that, making sure my stem length fits me. Just got a new bike but am waiting for a work injury to heal few more weeks before

dropping my stem from top to bottom position on the steerer tube made my trek remedy (2019) a different bike, better for climbing as well as descending in my opinion

Probably has already been mentioned, but I need to note that Owen sounds a bit like Richard Hammond... and I like that.

never realised how good owen is!

I downsized when I got my last bike and therefore got a 55mm stem instead of a 35mm. I like the extra weight it puts on my front wheel for confidence in turns.

Stem is usually the first thing i swap on a bike. I've tried to turn my x caliber into a roscoe-ish bike with a shorter stem higher rise bars, 120mm fork, and a -2 degree headset.

Good informative video 👍 When riding you play around d with your cofg and starting with the right stem for the ride helps alot.

My new emtb came with a 50mm stem over fox 38 170mm was to far over front end tried the 35mm stem to far back then Funn came out with the new V2 Equaliser stem in 42mm its absolutely spot on for my weight distribution! It looks as short as a 35mm and can be used upside-down if need a higher rise but the down position with burgtec ride high 38s really got it dialled over the front end like and now corners like it's on rails haha but getting abit more brave into corners don't want to get to cocky 😂

Raceface turbine r 35x32 I love it !!

I changed the Specialized tires that came on my Turbo Levo Alloy Comp to the Pirelli and the difference in rolling with the same tyre pressure was amazing. They just roll on for ever compared to the Specialized Butcher tires. Also a 80mm rise on my bars has helped take the weight off my shoulders and wrists as I am 6' 3".

I find 60mm rise bars work great for me. I’m about 190cm so keeps me in a comfortable climbing position plus keeps my head up on steep descents

There is another point to the stem length you did not mention. It changes the angle of your arms to the bars. The angle of my arms while riding downhill felt rather steep. On fast downhills I moved back ( and down) from my knees to lessen the angle and to not get thrown over the bars when the frontwheel got a backward impact from rock gardens or roots. Because of that I could not last long as the deep position was extreme tiring for my upper legs. The longer stem solved the problem, No burning leggs anymore. More weigth on the front is good for slow steep downhills to control your speed over mainly the front brake to get more grip on the front tire. One could also argue my bike has a to short reach..

Quality video, would it make any difference if it was a n e-bike guessing it’s just the weight of the bike as a whole?🤔

Stem length minus bar setback to get as close to matching fork offset as possible makes for ideal steering in my opinion. Longer stem pushes the steering center forward slowing steering response but also weights the front wheel a bit more. The opposite is the case with a shorter stem. I tie a string at the center of the grips from one side to the other and us it as the line of reference. From there measure from the center of the stem to the string. It makes for easy and repeatable measures when making bar and stem changes. You would be amazed how much flipping a stem or rotating the bars adjusts the steering center.

you forgot the raised reverse stem. saw that run person recently. rather interesting.

My TREK MARLIN 8 2ND GEN ...I CHANGED THE STEM SHORTER AND IT MADE IT SO MUCH BETTER

But the main question remains: is this the closest to Owen actually riding we will ever get?

I think tires are the number one thing that affects how your bike rides. As far as feel if you've ever ridden downhill casing tires you really begin to understand that your tires are part of your suspension even if it takes an extreme change to really notice it

Pedals!! I swapped mine and it made a huge difference

Interesting subject!

I'm between the medium and large frame sizes. I chose to size down my Roscoe to the medium. It felt fine in a seated position but i felt almost over the bars when out of the saddle. Added 50ish mil stem (don't remember exact length) moved the bars out just enough I love the fit.

I’ve been meaning to do the same myself

Lol @3:05 My old bike I submitted some years ago! Long gone.

regular guy wearing glasses , very relatable !

I'm pretty sure that's not what you had in mind, but in my opinion, the biggest confidence booster is the dropper post. Great video BTW ❤

Completely agree - but running bars and stem from different manufacturers does decrease your style by -17% - don't ask me for the science though

Of course there’s truth in this test but it’s really showing how vital it is to have the right reach and chainstay length. And head angle. (Plus bb height of course) Altering the stem length (or, to a lesser extent, bar roll) will significantly change the relationship between hands and steerer tube axis. How much this alters the ability to load the front tyre is a very important consideration here. (To be fair slowing or speeding up steering is mentioned) Body position and shoulder height (plus elbows out/ forward) on the right size bike is how to control load on the front tyre contact patch for turning, rather than doing that by making the stem longer.

Great vid to explain the effect of stem on geometry and riding. However just to be more precise in the measurements you shouldn’t use the stick so that changes the distribution of your weight causes a % of your weight goes to the stick

I just built up a new frame and usually run a 35mm stem but even though the reach on my new bike is longer it feels shorter and had to run a 50mm stem to feel centered on the bike . The shorter stem made it feel like i had no weight on the front and made the bike feel twitchy. 50mm stem and slightly lower handlebars feel better on the new bike .

What about saddle position fore and aft? That will make a difference to weight over bottom bracket, but surely pedalling efficiency. Is t there supposed to be the vertical line from front of knee through pedal spindle at 3 o clock? I suppose it’s personal preference and what you are using the bike for.

Don't forget the mixed result of setback of the handlebar. If you change stem and handlebar at the same time, your changing two variables and you may have just undid the reach adjustment with the backsweep of your new handlebar. Not all backsweeps result in the same setback, so it's important to know that spec of your changing both at the same time.

Changing saddle position fore/aft

My next MTB component purchase will be 2 weighing scales 😄

The distance between hands and feet matters. But the distance from contact patches to feet matters more.

Scales should be level for more accurate results

My girlfriend left me because she said my stem length wasn’t long enough.

I don’t know but the component that would improve my riding the most right now would be my left knee

What about handlebar width when changing the stem, shouldn’t that come into consideration?

a bike fit only really works if your going to spend all day sat in the saddle and not move around the bike otherwise it's kinda wasting your money just go with your ball park frame size and tune the components to get the fit you need.....how the bike feels is way more important - i'm 5'10 and only ride small bikes - 70mm stem and 125mm dropper

As far as I know there is only one book on bikefit and it is very focused on road bikes. I think that if the industry wants to be taken more seriously it needs to show theory and studies, not just products.

88 you AND the bike😂 omg i have to loose some kgs😅

Doesn't moving the seat fore and after do the same for weight distribution?

I would say 100% the component that changes your confidence while riding is tires, I used to hate any loose dust or mud while using XC tires once i switched to something with more grip it was game changer

I chose a 80mm stem for the knarly look!!!

I finding my self wanting to take some weight off the front end. Granted it is a E so the battery is putting some of weight there so the same bike in non I'm pretty sure I would setup different. That would be interesting to do a video to do due about bike fit and setup on something like a Reign and Reign E or other bikes that have E and non E version💡

It seems you neglected to mention stack height/stem height

Please do a video about Ochain

People seem to be talking about crank lengths now.

I think that the main things that change the riding are : suspension, tiers, handlebar, stem and brakes ( maybe )

The component change you can make which affects ergonnomics, confidence AND efficiency of energy is raising the angle of your brake levers so you aren't reaching around the bar for them. A higher position matches the angle of your arms during serious decending, increasing ergonomics, decreasing reliance on your thumbs to stop you going over the bars by placing the grip back into your palm again, giving you confidence. Arm pump is also decreased which means you can ride better for longer or more aggressively instead. By this rationale mind, you should be adjusting your levers depending on the general steepness of each track you 're at. Not sure I could be added with that...

You should ride with "heavy feet and light hands" while descending, so your feet position should theoretically have more impact on a weight distribution than subtle changes in stem length

wouldn't making your front end stiffer also move more weight back and vice versa? not sure, but I think motorcycles manage the weight distibution that way...

Dude is that a WHYTE Bar on your Canyon BIke :D

The mountain bike industry is wrong about stem length. Stem length should be a function of steering geometry (PERIOD). Change your bottom bracket position and reach instead. (yes, a correct sized frame). Most of your body weight should be transferred through the bottom bracket, not the stem.

assuming a stem length of 40mm, most important is to fit the bike per your RAD/Reach. then cut your bars, if applicable, to your height in cm x 4.4 (example: you're 170cm tall, your bars should then be 750mm wide) face the elephant in the room, fellas.

Weight biais isn't that critical your body adjust your position following muscle memory to weight and unweight the front and rear when you ask it to. I'm often riding sitting back a bit but front wheel washout isn't something I ever get. It's more about having the space and willingness to be proactive and not be along for the ride...

90% of modern bikes comes with proper stem. Component no.1 that will effect how your bike ride, are tires. Invest in good tires according to your riding style.

Stem length is huge. If you bought a bike, that’s too big for you having a shorter stem makes it far more rideable.

I moved my seat back as far as possible and so much better, i have a better grip on the bars now.

Old bikes have awful weight distro for us small riders. It's no wonder they were endo-machines, with so much weight up front, and why old coaches suggested that we hang our butt off the back in technical terrain. Shorter stems got offset by wider bars, not really making that much of a difference in the big picture. It's no wonder there was a period of people upsizing frame sizes, increasing fork travel, and slackening their HTA for trail performance, to get the front wheel kicked out further. Also, it's no wonder why much taller people preferred short travel bikes (too little weight up front on long travel bikes, compensating for it with super draggy front tires). If only mfgers paid more attention to this on newer releases, rather than spec the same setup on every bike, with nothing more than a difference 25mm in reach, 10mm in stack, and 40mm in STL between sizes. Size-specific HTA and mutator chips of the new Geometron seemed like a good progression from size-specific CSL. 60:40 to 62:38 (Rear:Front, level ground) seemed like a sweet spot setup, from my own testing with scales under each wheel. Too much weight on the rear made the front too easy to lift on steep climbs, with front traction not being as confident in corners. My next step after that was to retain that distro between sitting and standing position, which I tried to get by steepening the STL and pushing the saddle forward to reduce the difference between sitting and standing, and making up for the extra weight up front by pushing the front wheel out further with a more upright position from cockpit tuning. Having similar seated and standing position meant less compromise on suspension too, no longer feeling dive-prone up front when standing or not sensitive up front when sitting, or rear being too saggy when sitting. Having less weight up front makes sense, since we unweight the front so frequently when riding technical trails. I just kept experimenting with less and less weight distro up front, until the detriments started bothering me, then I dialed it back to discover the sweet spot I could settle on. With these experiments, I also found out that wheelbase dictated the ride experience a lot, with shorter promoting flickable riding styles with wheels often off the ground, and longer promoting plowing with wheels closer to the ground. It took more speed and fitness to enjoy the long wheelbase bike. I found that for trail riding, a wheelbase of 1230mm was my sweet spot, but if I were more fit, I'd rather move up to 1250mm than move back to 1210. I also found that 435mm CSL worked great with 1230mm WB, and that STA between 75-77 weren't steep enough for me, with 75-76 feeling so slack that it was better to push the saddle back, rather than try to emulate a steeper STA by slamming it forward. I feel that STA can go steeper than 81°, but a long travel dropper is an absolute must, as the nose of the saddle will try to occupy the same space as the spine if you try and put a foot down while keeping 1 foot on the pedal.

And what does it mean to a regular, but not professional MTB rider? Nothing!!! I wish there was absolutely proved formula for creating your bike geometry and setup. But all this is so vague and uncertain… Hey, I’m still riding my hardtail 😅

nice1!