# Lower TT Position-Stem Help



## woodys737 (Dec 31, 2005)

I have removed the spacers from under the stem on my tt bike and still feel like a sail. Snapped a picture while riding the trainer and my trunk angle was tilted up a bit. The stem is only +/-6 degrees while the head angle on the bike is 72. 

So, now I'm interested in finding a stem which will allow my trunk angle to approach level. Lots of 17 degree stems out there, but I was wondering if anyone with a TT bike has any experience with an adjustable stem? Ritchey makes this one

This will be fitted to a 54 Scott Plasma and a Profile aluminum Wing bar. I'm new in the tt bike world so any suggestions welcome.


----------



## OneGear (Aug 19, 2005)

hi woodys.

i've seen plenty of guys with adjustables... if it helps why not? i also have that Ritchey stem on my roadie. Specialized makes a sweet negative drop stem as well, check this one out, http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=25337 
i got one and put it on my TT bike and it helped immensely. comes with two other shims for more adjustment. i got the 28deg one fyi


----------



## shawndoggy (Feb 3, 2004)

you can get this completely adjustable stem 










at AEBike for $26. Looks pretty much the same as the ritchey imho. I have one on my TT rig to run a negative rise. Does what it's supposed to.


----------



## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

Remember, narrow is better than low. Unless you can put in hours and hours and hours, getting used to this low position, you will probably be able to put out more power in a higher position.
Power=Time.


----------



## shawndoggy (Feb 3, 2004)

MR_GRUMPY said:


> Remember, narrow is better than low. Unless you can put in hours and hours and hours, getting used to this low position, you will probably be able to put out more power in a higher position.
> Power=Time.


no, lowest coefficient of drag is better than higher. For those of us without a wind tunnel, the best way to reduce drag is to reduce frontal area. You can make the hole you poke in the wind a lot smaller by getting lower than by moving your elbows together. I mean really what else can you do to your torso to "make it narrow"?


----------



## woodys737 (Dec 31, 2005)

I'd like to see how low I need to go to get my trunk angle roughly level. I just replaced the 6 degree with a 17 and at least the stem is more or less parallel with the top tube now. Only dropped the front end down about 1cm (as measured with a level, plumb, two glasses of wine and some ccr playing in the background). 

As far as narrow goes, I'm happy with elbows in line with my hips. Old apline ski racer, so maybe some bad habits? Anyway, new to it all so an adjustable is probably the way to go while I'm trying to "find" my position.

Do you guys have any ballpark figures for what the pro guys use? That or pictures of their front end would be cool.

Thanks for the help.


----------



## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

shawndoggy said:


> no, lowest coefficient of drag is better than higher. For those of us without a wind tunnel, the best way to reduce drag is to reduce frontal area. You can make the hole you poke in the wind a lot smaller by getting lower than by moving your elbows together. I mean really what else can you do to your torso to "make it narrow"?


You can roll you shoulders down and under you this requires that your elbow rest be low (and narrow). Add to that you can duck your head keeping from making your poke a taller hole in the wind however you have to then look out of the tops of your eye sockets the whoe time which can be a strain. Rolling should down can affect your breathing so it can be a big trade off as to your making you self more aero but robbing you self of air that will make you ride slower. F you have really wide shoulders and a hugh chest your gonna have a hard time make that any more narrow/aero at that point it would be better to just ride faster https://forums.roadbikereview.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif.


----------



## shawndoggy (Feb 3, 2004)

woodys737 said:


> Do you guys have any ballpark figures for what the pro guys use? That or pictures of their front end would be cool.
> 
> Thanks for the help.












You basically need to get a really big saddle-to-bar drop. Stretching out (going longer) will also make you lower. An extreme example of that here:


----------



## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*both*

My advice is to get a cheap adjustable stem to find the position that works, then duplicate that position with a fixed stem. 

I've tried 4 or 5 adjustables, and they all creak and flex. Bugged the heck out of me. Plus, most of them are not very easy to adjust, about as hard as changing the whole stem. On top of that, if you run fairly short cables, you won't have much room for adjustment.

There are plenty of low angled stems. Harris has a bunch in the special order section.


----------



## rangerjas (Dec 14, 2005)

I just finished converting my Trek 5200 to a full time TT rig. This is not ideal, but to save money right now this is what I did. Removed all but one spacer- Trek recommends at least 5mm of spacing between stem and headset. Use low profile bar and aerobar + pad setup. I looked and found the Profile Design H2O +/- 25 on ebay for like $16.00. My roadbike setup had a drop of 5.5cm from saddle to bar. The TT setup gives 9cm from saddle to armrest pad- this gives me an almost flat back on a 54cm bike. Good luck.


----------



## theimperviousone (Jul 2, 2007)

FWIW - I just watched "The Flying Scotsman" and thought it was decent movie...the Obree pick made me think of that...

I'm in the process of finishing up my new bike and will be running a -17 Thomson X2 stem on it. I left a good 1.5" of spare steerer on the fork and as I adjust to the bike in January/February, I'll knock of spacers 'till I'm riding on the HS.


----------



## trek_FL (Apr 7, 2006)

*Competitive Cyclist is another resource*

Hi there:
I tried the online fitting system recently out of curiosity at the above website and was amazed at how closely the "results" matched my final set up after months of tweaking. Use the triatlon fit guide. The data input is extensive and others may laugh if they see you measuring your body parts, but the output is really good. It gives minimum, moderate, and extreme guidelines for seat-to-aero bar differences based on YOUR body diemsions. It also provides other fit data you may find useful.

I know no system is perfect, but this is a great double check.


----------

