09 Supreme for xc use?

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May 23, 2012, 08:57:40 PM

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[mc]

You could always just say it was Chris Ball, and I'd hazard a guess he wasn't talking directly about stem length.

He'd probably be talking about having a short and low stem to keep your weight forward.
Downhill riders generally use a short stem to help speed up the steering, as slack headangles make the steering feel slow, and so it's easier to get your weight over the back of the bike when the need arises.
However as short stems move your weight back on the bike, it means you can end up with a lack of weight over the front wheel, so they then try and keep the bars as low as possible, to bring their weight forward again, but also so to lower center of gravity (hence the latest fashion of flat bars on downhill bikes)
You've got to remember, that when you're going downhill, the only points of contact that affect your position, are the bars and pedals, so bar position can make a big difference to where you have your weight on the bike.


The same effect could also be done by using a longer stem, but it then makes it harder to get your weight over the back wheel (plus the fashion police would be after you for putting a long stem on long travel forks!).

As with all things, you need to find a good compromise that suits your own needs.

[cramaj]

Dom, MC is right I'm afraid

[domino0]

He was saying it about XC riders too actually, he says they often use short stems, oh well even if im not right, it wasnt me tht said it, he did, so.............. I would add though as u said by keeping the bike low and the centre of gravity low tht would increase traction etc all the stuff u said, which would meanbetter climbing?

[iain1775]

bring on the trumpets

[bong69uk]

bring on the trumpets

Exactly what that man said ^^^^^^   

Anyhow,chris may have a wealth of experience in biking but it doesnt make what he says gospel. There are a lot of experienced riders out there who can be wrong from time to time    and i have been riding as long as chris,i used to ride the same local tracks and race (and beat him i may add...ohh what could have been if i hadnt discovered beer, girls and cars  ) with chris a few years back so i have the same experience as him,albeit that i took a few years out,but i still kept up reading bike mags etc (thats what got me back into biking again,my good old (free) mbuk subscription kept coming and one day i thought why the hell am i not out there on a bike?!!! so thats why im faithfull to the trusty old mbuk,i owe my new lease of biking obsession to them) and you may argue that chris is the tech deligate for uci but i was a bike mechanic for many years!
Back to the topic...MC is in fact correct. Simples!!

[tank_rider]

Don't worry about the fashion police.  When i say long i mean 90mm, not some 130mm giraffe neck!

Long stems do move your weight over the front more to help with climbing it's simple physics, however if there's the debate between a longer frame and a shorter stem then that's a different case entirely and the longer from/shorter stem mix wins.

Am off to have a look at it some more in the flesh today and sort out what size I need.  Got a couple of people interested in my DH bike too so looks like I will be getting it very soon

[steveb]

Not read all the posts, but, I have a Supreme built for all round use. Weighs in about 37lbs, no kit that does not fit the purpose of the bike. I've not ridden it in ages but used to ride it regularly on XC runs where there was a lot of climbing and descending.

[retro83]

Not read all the posts, but, I have a Supreme built for all round use. Weighs in about 37lbs

haha i think my meta probably weighs more than that