Originally Posted by
Super D
...In terms of handling, do longer stems slow down steering response?
Yeah, as well as making out of the saddle stuff, like standing starts, wonky.
Obviously stems are cheaper than frames. But, just be open to a longer TT than you are accustomed to for road bikes. Another reason is that track races are shorter and have higher average speeds. So, if your races are 5-20 minutes, you can maintain a more aggressive position than you'd want for a 2-4 hr ride. With higher speeds, aero gains help a lot.
Lately, it seems that the "knuckles on the tire" downward fit has given way to the "stretched forward" fit as it pierces the air better.
All of the above is fine tuning. But, it's winter. There is lots of time for speculating and debating and buying stuff we don't need