Originally Posted by
Brocephus
I'm always reading advice to go test ride a bunch of bikes , and see what's the most comfortable, as if immediate comfort is the end-all to the decision making process. This can result in the perfect bike being dismissed, when something as simple and cheap as a $15 stem replacement is all that's needed to dial that bike in.
This is why I started with the recommendation to go to a bike shop you trust for your test rides. If it's not a good bike shop, they won't go to the trouble of switching the stem. And if a bike needs a stem swap, it's not the "perfect bike" without it.