Originally Posted by
am0n
Not too worried about that. Spent $400 there the other week on my first pair of shoes and pedals and a balance bike and helmet for my daughter. I'm sure they'll get money from me.
I'll keep that in mind regarding the handlebars. Is there any difference in handling changing handlebars vs. stem length? What about stem angle (more upright would shorten reach while behaving like a spacer?) or crank length (longer crank means I can move the seat a little more forward to reduce reach, maybe?) as ways to adjust the for? Or do those cause more problems than they solve?
How much steer tube is usually available on new bikes, i.e. how much spacer could you typically add?
Most new bikes come with 30-40mm of spacers, but I'm a firm believer that you really shouldn't run anything more than 10-15mm. Any more than that and it really starts to effect the handling of the bike (bikes are designed around 0 degrees of spacing). If you need more spacers, then you're better off going with a larger frame (or a different brand/bike).
Handlebar reach is going to have the same effect, handling wise, as stem length...that is, when you are riding in the hoods. Switch to the drops, then handlebars choice will have a larger impact.
Stem angle (if you go with an extreme change, i.e. flipping it) will have the same effect as stacking up the spacers. Which is a lot more noticeable than changing the reach, since it raises your center of gravity, and shifts weight balance towards the rear (both very bad things for handling/stability). So again, if you find yourself needing to flip the stem, you need a different bike. Minor changes in the angle (i.e -7 to -10) can be used to fine tune your position.
Crank length should not be used as a way to alter reach. Crank length is chosen base on rider height/position/hip angles...if you ride in an aggressive position, with open hips, you'll need shorter cranks. In fact, going with longer cranks would require you to increase saddle setback, thus (slightly) increasing reach. Crank length is actually a very tricky, and often overlooked, part of bike fitting.