Short stem leads to awkward position

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Lee, I am 5′ 9″ guy working to dial in his fit on an 18″ El Mariachi frame. I began with a 75mm stem and low rise bars. Felt a bit too much forward weight bias, had trouble lofting the front end over curbs and logs, lacked room to move about on the bike. Decided to try 60mm, then 70mm, and settled for awhile on 50mm stem with higher rise bars. (All my bars are 690mm).

The 50mm stem leaves me plenty of room for forward and backward movement. Yet when I’m just pedaling cross-country, I feel too bolt-upright on the bike. I don’t like that feel. Last night I put on a 70mm stem and low-rise bars, and will give that combination a go.

Do I accept that a short stem for maneuvering will result in an awkward position when just pedaling along? Should I move up one frame size, to a large? Should I work on my flexibility so as to better move about with a longer stem?

I know I have to experiment to find what works. Am just curious if you have any wisdom to offer here.

Jonathan

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Purgatory vs. Ground Control on Stumpy 29?

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Hola, instructor to the Stars,

I am replacing my tires on the trusty Stumpy 29. Currently running a Purgatory 2.2 in the front and Ground Control 2.1 in the back. The back tire needs replacing, so, I bought another Purgatory, thinking I would try that on the back also. I like the Ground Control just fine. I do notice sometimes I lose the rear end on corners but never thought it was a problem or related to tire selection. My concern (not a big concern) is that running the Purgatory front and back will bring slower rolling resistance.

Thoughts?

Chris

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Why no moto?

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Lee – I’ve seen from your site that you used to spend some time on the dark side. So, no more moto for you? Is that a function of personal choice, or just not having a dirtbike to ride?
Ken

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Judy Freeman won a bike race!

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Our friend and kung fu student Judy Freeman won a big one: last weekend’s Subaru Cup Pro XCT in Wisconsin.

In this post-race interview she is stoked — and she gave our skills work a nice plug.

Thanks Judy. Keep ripping it up!

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Mountain man status for younger Skywalker

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Today 13-year-old Chase Willie (proud younger brother of national DH champ Alex Willie) joined the legion of fools that hikes and rides DH at Left Hand Canyon OHV Area.

Chase and I have done some work on the BMX and mountain bikes; today was our first day on the downhill sled.

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Riding Vail on a Saturday

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On Saturday I enjoyed a fantastic XC/DH ride in Vail, CO.

It’s great to see so many civilians out having fun on their bikes. I sure had fun too.

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Public service video: Bike selection and setup

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Boulder Channel 8 is running a series of spots promoting Boulder as a bike town. I did this piece on bike selection and setup.

Wow, am I this fidgety when I teach?

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Pinning the DH with Alex Willie

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Last weekend Young Skywalker won the national downhill championships — YES! NATIONAL CHAMPION! — and next month he’s heading to Worlds. Yesterday we hit Keystone for a good, old fashioned DH tuneup.

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Learn to fly in a Level 2 Air class!

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For those of you with solid core skills, I’m stoked to offer Level 2 Air classes at Valmont Bike Park.

Aug. 25, Sept. 5 and Sept. 8.

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Pumping turns with Heather Irmiger

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With the Winter Park Enduro this weekend, yesterday XC champ Heather Irmiger and I worked on pumping corners.

This skill builds the base of braaap.

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My P.3 rips the lower Valmont pump track

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Watch world champion 15X BMX racer Collin Hudson tear up the lower Valmont pump track on my P.3. I handed him the bike, he took 0.1 seconds to adjust to the suspension and wheels, then he rocked these amazing laps.

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Alex Willie wins national DH championship!

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I am so proud of Young Skywalker. Yesterday –when it counted! — he found the perfect flow:

“There were no bobbles or moments,” Alex said. “It was just another run (but I’ve never pedaled that hard or gone that fast!).”


Also check out:

The 2011 season starts now
7:1 and stoked
Paul Bunyan riding
Dialing it down to 8

Great job Alex. I’m excited to ride DH with you this Saturday. We are training for WORLDS!