Defy Dene

Before getting a proper fit when I get a few kms under my belt and used to my new ML Defy 3, what are my options for a 90mm stem? The LBS don’t appear to have any Giant branded ones online but I am looking at a Deda Elementi from Chain Reaction. Not cheap.
Or ride the Defy a little bit longer than 40 minutes I did yesterday and see if the seat position I moved forward can provide comfort?
I just noticed after a few minutes my hands always gravitated to a natural position a few mm’s away from the hoods.
I’m 180cm and 62 years old, so this was an eye opener compared to my Roam E bike.
Thanks for all your continuing help…..

WhyFi

Don't change your saddle position to address reach; saddle adjustments are for your position relative to the pedals/crankset.

While 90mm is a very common stem length, many Giants have oversized steerers, so you may have a limited selection. Have you contacted the shop where you got the bike? They should have bins of compatible stems around for you to try or buy.

Defy Dene

Valid points.
The bike shop does have loads of 90mm and they are sending me one and just like what you said, they stated that you don’t really want to move the seat to make the bars closer. Knee over pedals is affected there.
Thanks!

Koyote

Get fit by the shop. They'll know what they are doing, and they'll have a box full of take-off stems and seatposts that they will supply if you need something different.

Defy Dene

The shop where I bought the bike from is sending up another stem and I’ll try that for a few rides and send whichever one back I don’t want.

Dean V

Advanced 3 will have a regular 1.125" steerer. Only Advanced Pro and SL have the 1.25".

veganbikes

I would just get.a fit. Save the guessing game and actually get you dialed in and comfortable. However I am slightly biased having had a fit and being a lot more comfortable afterwards and I do mean a lot.

Defy Dene

I am looking forwards to a fit, but live in a small town and pickings are slim.
I just hope the person I choose to do it will be good. Im getting a knee replaced soon so don’t know if it would be wise to get fitted before that procedure. Ugh.
As it stands now, I’m able to do about 20kms, and the shoulders are extremely tired, and hands numb. I would sell the bike before I will do what my friends wife did with their fancy Specialized road bike and put all the spacers to the max, bought a long adjustable stem and tilted the bars waaay up. The hoods are about two inches above the saddle.
I’d sell my Defy.
Hoping the 90mm will help.

burnthesheep

Giant has a steering tube/stem adapter shim. It usually comes with one of their stems purchased separate from a bike. I have one laying around. Somewhere. But I agree with this poster above.

PeteHski

I think a professional fit would be a waste of money ahead of a knee replacement. Hands going numb and tired shoulders possibly means you have the saddle too far forward i.e. too much weight supported on your arms. That would make sense if you moved your saddle forward in an attempt to shorten your reach. A shorter stem and saddle moved further back might help a lot with these issues.

Defy Dene

That’s good to know Pete. Thanks for the input. I guess I’m sort of reverse thinking this seat fore and aft position then?
I thought moving it forwards would reduce hand fatigue, but actually after doing that the other day, the last two rides have made it seem like there is more pressure where my palms contact the hoods. Definitely moving it forwards made the reach less, so maybe moving it back a bit combined with the 90mm (which should be here Tuesday), might be the trick.

PeteHski

Yep, that's the problem with moving the seat forward just to reduce reach. You are moving your centre of gravity forward, which puts more weight on your hands. First you need to find your natural balance point over the BB via seat fore/aft adjustment and then choose a stem length to provide a comfortable reach.

veganbikes

I would start by at least having a conversation with your local fitter, at the very least they can guide you on when to do and they may say do it now, and then come back for a follow up after your back up from surgery. That is generally what a good fitter would do for you. If nothing else travel out a bit and find someone if needed be.

I would't go crazy with adjustable stems and spacers on a carbon steerer tube just so you don't cause undue stress and cause any issues down the road. You might find a bike that works better for you but first see a fitter and at least start the conversation and at the very least you have something.

Defy Dene

Thanks vegan…
I might talk to the gal in town here that does the fitting.

veganbikes

No worries, hopefully it will help. Never hurts to have chat and if nothing else you at least know a little more after it than before and if it works out you will be a whole lot more comfortable on a machine that you should be comfortable on.

Defy Dene

Moved the seat back quite a bit and found still a ton of weight on my hands (couldn’t tell zero improvement), locked arms to help hold torso up. Hard to reach hoods so I hope 90mm will help. Shoulders rolled so far forwards made it 13 kms this loop. Going to work up to 20 km by end of the month. Bad knees felt great, bum perfect so this road bike style still has merit.
Thanks

PeteHski

Sounds like your position is now too stretched out for your current flexibility. Locked out arms is not good, either for comfort or steering control. Shorter stem should help and more riding should improve your flexibility - also consider basic off-bike stretching, mobility and core strength exercises. It all needs working on! Don't rush it, just stay within your comfort zone and keep chipping away at bike fit and fitness. You will get there eventually.

alcjphil

You shouldn't make large changes all at once. A few millimetres at a time is the way to go about making changes in position

eduskator

+1, upper back pain for sure after a while...

Improper stem length or insufficient flexibility, I bet it's a mix of the two. At 62 years old, it's clearly normal to be stiffer and less flexible than the average joe who buys and rides endurance road bikes unless they cycled with this type of geometry all their lives. He may not even be compatible with the bike. Even if the Defy has an endurance geometry, it's still a big jump from a Roam.

OP: aside from having some flex in your arms when riding, you shouldn't be able to see your front wheel hub either. You can't rely simply on this, but it really helps determining if you have the right stem. If you see your front hub behind your bars when riding, it may be a sign.

Defy Dene

I’ll probably go for another ride tomorrow and definitely make a note of where the front hub lies in my line of sight.
Heck of a good point, thanks!

PeteHski

It's a golden oldie rule, not to be taken too seriously. But as eduskator said, it might give you a clue if you are miles out of position.

Defy Dene

Can't see front wheel hub but if I had to split hairs, the hub looks closer to rear of handle bars, so hoping a 90mm stem will help.