bikes with super short stems & a Jones bar

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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: bikes with super short stems & a Jones bar

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

I've used an FSA Metropolis stem before. 30 degree rise and comes in lengths down to 70mm (feels shorter due to the rise). Quite handy for shorter steerers as the clamp is at the base.

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whitestone
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Re: bikes with super short stems & a Jones bar

Post by whitestone »

I had a similar problem on my fat bike. Normal Jones bars were too low so got a set of the SG Riser bars which give you 2.5" of rise. Might be an option if you haven't already bought bars for your wife.
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Mart
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Re: bikes with super short stems & a Jones bar

Post by Mart »

Jurassic wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2019 3:22 pm
Mart wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2019 3:14 pm
It does make you sit a little back, more upright
Upright on more challenging terrain would probably be a good thing though eh? Plus you can still stretch out to the loop section for road and easy tracks.
To be fair there are a lot of variables which probably mean there's no single correct answer to stem length (frame size, saddle position, top tube length, personal anatomy and personal preference).
Ive tried it with longer 90mm stem and couldn't get to the front of the loop without stretching
Aslo
Tried it with a shorter stem and felt too cramped and twitchy

My approach was basically trial and error and see what feels best after a few days riding
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middleagedmadness
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Re: bikes with super short stems & a Jones bar

Post by middleagedmadness »

First time I've used mine on technical terrain today , was fine until it got really steep then there seemed to be no natural position ,I was either too far back or too upright and it got a bit twitchy around the rear end( mine more than the bike) ,think it's just a learning curve or hoping so as they were so comfy for the rest of the ride( never changed my stem still got the stock 60mm that came on the longitude)
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Jurassic
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Re: bikes with super short stems & a Jones bar

Post by Jurassic »

I swapped my stem for one that is 1 cm shorter (70mm-60mm) this afternoon and the went for a short ride to see how it felt. First impressions are that it's better, I can use the front loop aero position comfortably now (indeed that position felt great on road and cycle path sections) and the "normal" position didn't feel particularly compromised by the shorter stem. I need to have a longer ride on the bike now to confirm the improvement but I'm feeling good about it so far. FWIW my bars sit about 2 cm lower than saddle (by eyeball calculation).
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thenorthwind
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Re: bikes with super short stems & a Jones bar

Post by thenorthwind »

Seems there's quite a few people thinking the same way, and there's some good possible solutions.

Thanks for the Decathlon link Landslide.

Those FSA Metropolis stems seem to be like hen's teeth.
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I presume that's a reference to some guy jumping in and basically saying "your niche bikes are sub standard, go ride proper bikes" but less politely... bit weird that, but assumed he knew one of the other people in the conversation and it was some sort of in-joke. Maybe not. I feel I should say a few words in defence of STW though. Yes, there are a lot of dicks, but it's a big forum so it's statistically likely, as in any large group of people, and they always shout the loudest. If you ignore that, there's a lot of good. There's a community feeling, and lots of examples where people have genuinely been helped. I've been on the receiving end of that from time to time, and in fact there's a guy's car parked outside my house right now after he posted looking for somewhere to park to avoid the extortionate ferry port prices. There are quite a few on here that post on there too, so it can't all be bad :wink:
jameso
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Re: bikes with super short stems & a Jones bar

Post by jameso »

This may have been covered .. but for an average MTB I find Jones bars work well when you get the widest part / tips in line with or just ahead of the steerer tube so that when hloding the bar at the furthest part where you can get a finger on the brake, your hands sit in a similar position (body-weight / position wise) as they would when using a 40-60mm stem and flat bar. You then shift forward and narrower for climbs or long. easy flatter sections. I do think the 710mm width bars messed all that up though, I don't like them. The 660s have enough range, range dictated by brake access. The 710s have more range than I can use well so I cut the last set back to 660mm and never missed the added width. If you need wider, maybe loops aren't the right shape?

Much shorter than 70mm stem brings them too far back, though Jeff recommends that for some longer MTB geometries. I'd see it as a fix for a long bike when you really want a short bike, but same thing. I like how the Jones bar lets me ride an effectively fairly short bike but still have room to stretch out more as needed. TBH I've got so used to the ability to move around like that on the MTB as I would on a drop-bar bike that I can't see why I'd want flat bars on anything but a bigger FS bike, a fairly dedicated descender.
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whitestone
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Re: bikes with super short stems & a Jones bar

Post by whitestone »

Not sure how big you are James but I'm a 105cm/42" chest and I find the 710mm width just about right.

My "natural" hand position is maybe 10mm in from the bar ends and I've set the brakes that I can just reach them from that position which isn't the "up by the join" location that Jeff recommends. I've Hope brakes which are a little industrial in their shape, particularly the master cylinder, and having the brakes further down means that when I've my thumb hooked in the loop and hands resting on the join then the brakes aren't digging into my palm. The bars are taped down to the brakes with 3mm tape. Makes sense when you sit on the bike - honest :lol:

Anyone who's at this weekend's South Lakes Bike fest is welcome to try it out.

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Using a 70mm stem puts the heel of my natural hand position a little behind the centre of the steerer following your rule of thumb so maybe an 80mm stem might be better.

The fat bike with the SG Riser bars has a shorter stem but I want to be a bit more upright on that anyway.

We're all trying to get a "standard" item to fit us on different bikes with different geometries for different needs. I doubt there's going to be a single solution.
Last edited by whitestone on Thu Aug 29, 2019 9:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ScotRoutes
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Re: bikes with super short stems & a Jones bar

Post by ScotRoutes »

With the 660s my controls were right up at the weld. Now, with the wider bars, they are about 40mm back from that.
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Re: bikes with super short stems & a Jones bar

Post by BreninBeener »

@scotroutes....
Thanks! That looks great

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jameso
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Re: bikes with super short stems & a Jones bar

Post by jameso »

whitestone wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2019 8:37 am Not sure how big you are James but I'm a 105cm/42" chest and I find the 710mm width just about right.
6ft, average shoulder width, ride from 42cm road bars to wide flare drops. It was the length of the extensions I found was the Q, longer than I could use, if I wanted a wider Jones bar I'd rather see the width added to the central tubes. I'm probably just used to the 660s also. I haven't felt I wanted them wider so they're sufficient / just right for the bike they're on.
We're all trying to get a "standard" item to fit us on different bikes with different geometries for different needs. I doubt there's going to be a single solution.
... exactly. 10mm here or there may be no issue on one set up and make/break on another.
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