The Case for SLAMMIN' DAT STEM
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- If you've ever posted your fixed gear or browsed people's fixed gear builds online, you've probably come across the comment "SLAM DAT STEM." Upon seeing a threadless fixed gear cockpit with any amount of spacers, some fixed gear riders have the irresistible compulsion to tell the owner of the bike to "slam dat stem and cut the steer tube" with no regard to proper fit for the rider. But what if you actually want to slam your stem while maintaining a proper fit? What are the benefits of slamming your stem? Should you even do it or will it necessitate a trip to the chiropractor? Here's the case for SLAMMIN' DAT STEM.
The bike I ride, channel sponsor, pretty cool people:
wabicycles.com/
Mildly ironic Reasonably Dangerous cycling shirts:
www.zachgallar...
Get a shoutout at the end of each video by supporting the channel on Patreon: / zachgallardo
Fixie Famous Shoutout:
Ryan Witt
Robby Andaya
David K.
Ellie Lovelace
Justin Javier
Kelvin Ho
Julian Corona
Fixed Federation
OC Bike Crew
Stan Strong 108
Brandon Black
Zane Kolnik
Singlespeed Shoutout:
Dominic Jones
Seungwan Kim
Chris
Javier Lopez
M.
Martin Mohr
Young Architect
Nick
Scott Palangi
Todd Brannan
Epilektric
Michael Greif
Nicodache
Connect with me:
/ zachygallardo
#fixedgear #SLAMDATSTEM
![[UNCUT] “บอสณวัฒน์” ลากไส้!! ใครหนุนหลัง "แม่ตั๊ก ป๋าเบียร์" I คนดังนั่งเคลียร์ I 30 ก.ย. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QlD7mU2KKRk/mqdefault.jpg)
getting my first fixed gear in two days. im excited to join the family
Dont forget to put a front brake just in case👍🏻
Learn to tuck and roll during your crashes...they're coming.
@@sicsempertyrannis9024 yeap
Also helmet!
Welcome from UK 🙌
You seem to have a really healthy relationship with your sponsor and I'm happy for you!
I unslammed the stem on both my road bikes (carbon & steel), and love riding them 100x more now. Nothing beats the right fit. Fuck coolness points.
the point is to have fun riding. i ditched my commuter bike for a single speed because it's just more fun. all this other stuff is nonsense.
Exactly. Making your life worse to get and get cool points on the internet stems from social media dazzled brains. Fuck what anyone else thinks. Plus I feel much cooler zipping past the cool fixies on my road/commuter with panniers!
Totally!
Slammed.. being a messenger led to learning everything quickly, including riding with a slammed stem, track stands and skids on both sides. I rode fixed for a whole year and couldn't do any of that. Became a bike messenger and learned it all in a few months. Immersion 😎
Or just commute fixed and wake up late lol
@@GiArK you know what's good
what does being messenger have to do with having a slammed stem... i see plenty of messengers riding bikes with gears and upright positions.
@@Kevinschart absolutely nothing dude. Being a messenger forced me to be on my bike way more often than previously. I just happened to only have a fixed gear bike with a slammed stem. Instead of only riding a few hours a day, I was now riding all day everyday. Natural for skills to improve in that setting.
No one said a slammed stem was required
But my hands go numb waaaay faster. I will stay horizontal with my seat. Comfortable is more me. Plus I'm subbed here and love this channel and don't even own a fixed gear anyway. 🤣🤣
I don't own one either, I ride a huffy mountain bike that has only 24 inch wheels
I ride a fixed gear and having your handle bars higher is sooooo much more comfortable i agree...keeps the low back happy as well
I had a pair of pursuit bars that were installed too low for me and riding them that low actually caused me to develop tennis elbow. I’m all set being more upright
I actually extended and RAISED my stem on my Wabi Classic. Heard about Grant Petersen and his book 'Just Ride' from you Zach. I took Grant's advice and got my handlebars HIGHER. Now my low back is HAPPY! My visibility is great I can see so much of the scenery. and my hands don't get painful and numb. I am not going back :)
A large drop from saddle to stem is important for helping you bring your lunch back up while in the drops.
Exactly. Great for sustained perineal numbness and erectile dysfunction too.
@@SmurfPerfect not with the right seat ;)
Finally a explanation
I inquired from Spindatt on his stickers that state Slamdatt and he replied he would do a video explaining but never came through so I thank you for finally bringing some clarity to the expression
Thank you keep it up 👍🏻
My back hurts looking at Zach saddled up lol
Slammed it after, roughly 1000km. My fit is very aggressive now. My frame is too small for me in a common sense, but I just love it how my whole body gets in to this position where I feel a bit stuffed in, but not painfully. Okay, a bit, but the point is. I feel like after I slammed my stem. I am somehow, weirdly, able to produce more power out of my body, as a whole.
Yeah, because you can use the weight of your upper body as support, to push against while pedaling
You said it so many times, it doesn’t even sound like words anymore.
Just brought my first fixed gear after finding your channel .
I’m sure no one cares but I’m excited
I love hearing about people getting into fixed gears. One of the horror/comedy series I write is about a guy who rides a haunted track bike and one of my favorite bits of feedback I get is hearing something I wrote got people into fixed gears.
So with a threaded stem I can be comfortable, and none of the other fixiebros will judge me for using spacers?
You don't have spacers with a threaded stem.
@Bebo why was they completely unrelated?
Why not flip the positive angled stem upside-down? It would make your bike look more dope just like Hendrix and McCartney with their flipped guitar
This is what I did back in ‘07 bought a riser and immediately installed it “up side down”
he had his old stem on the negative, if he were to flip it it wouldve been really high. the common plus minus 7 degree still rises when on the negative side because of the bike's front end tilt
Most track bikes have a head tube angle around 83 deg, that's why 17 deg stems are popular, they fill the gap to 90. With a normal stem, even on the negative, it wouldn't add up to 90 deg.
I had a long discussion with my bike fitter on length and height of stem and "slamming dat stem" was part of the discussion. He's against slamming stems unless the person has the mobility and flexibility in the hips and lumbar area. Essentially your stem length and height is dependent on mobility, not on the cool factor. He is a great advocate of Yoga in order for riders to be able to maintain a youthful position on a bicycle and be comfortable.
I know fish eye cameras make everything look different, but damn he was going fast on that road
It doesn't actually make you more aero, peak torque made a video bashing gcn for the same claim. High bars let you tuck your arms, which is more aero when having them fully extended with a slammed stem.
Slamming your stem and having your arms tucked are not mutually exclusive…
Chill Zach… you even cut the steerer tube.
That video makes bikefitters face palm 😂
The crazy thing is, I actually find my bike to be the most comfortable this way. It's probably because I run a saddle hight a little lower than manufactures thought of, so I need everything to be lowered as well
Slammed mine last week and I LOVE IT!!!! Could’ve done it way sooner.
1) Get a larger frame, and you can get the slammed stem look with less discomfort.
2) Chrome finish stem is more stylish.
3) In the old days when stems were quill and singers couldn’t rely on auto tune, and MTV had music, it was not uncommon to vary the stem height.
I ran the stem slammed for crits and flat races, a bit higher for hilly races and training (maybe 2 cm), and had a third set up when the clip on time trial bars were installed.
Same thing with my track bike, low for velodrome , a bit higher for road riding where I wanted to be more heads up to watch for traffic.
Nothing wrong with adjusting geometry for conditions; although I would be hesitant to rig a dropper seat post into the steering set up…
take a shot every time Zach says "Stem" or "Slam"
🤣🤣🤣 pissy drunk
This can be said for a bunch of hipster hype beasts roadies too
Slam that stem and enjoy the ensuing neck pain from simply watching the road ahead on longer rides.
I don't really understand this topic, the most important thing imo is your shoulder position but I never see it mentioned. If I have my drop handlebars on the highest portion of my Wabi (on top of 4 1cm spacers) then I can't reach the hoods while maintaining a neutral shoulder. If I bend at my hips more to reach the hoods then now my shoulder blade is retracted (squeezing together) and that will cause pain in a long ride. To fix this I'd have to run a really short stem or use a bar style that are swept back a bit. Or I can just move the stack down since I can comfortably bend lower.
Simple visualization is to put your bike against a wall or ideally on a stand/trainer so its straight then sit on the saddle with your normal pelvic tilt and have your shoulder NEUTRAL and arms at 90 deg from your chest with a slight bend at the elbow. Then start to bend forward. Your handlebars should be anywhere on that arc you create bending forward until you hit your flexibility/comfort limit. This will allow you to hold the handlebars while maintaining a neutral shoulder position. If you physically can't adjust your bike to get a position (with different stem lengths and stack heights) that is comfortable then you probably bought the wrong bike for your body/flexibility
Did a century on a fixed gear 52,14 all street, 2,000ft in elevation. 7.5 hours
Slam that stem! Yeah Zack all the way! All my bikes have a slammed cockpit and I love it. As long as you are riding the right frame size and have proper fitness, you should be able to slam it. Bike frames are designed without any spacers so riding it without any is how they were designed to be! But respect your body and slam with moderation lol
The right frame size is really key. Too much seatpost stickout needed = you will never be able to slam your stem without either a positive rise or riser bars
I literally just put bmx handle bars on on my bike and I have track frame single speed.
A pursuit style setup, which is very aggressive, often use bullhorn handlebars which point upward, so aggression isn’t really associated with a downward angle.
I love the looks!
But it seems that you force yourself to enjoy it, just because its "cooler"!
It does look cool but I prefer a more relaxed position lol. If I wanna get more aero I just ride in the drops
Never leave your drops
Nope!!
Never again! I ditched the drop bars,from my SS,i tried..but, nope not for me,the shoulder pain, and neck pain was..just to much! Eventually, I would ride no hands, because of the discomfort! Riser bars,are the way to go!
Greetings from Croatia 😎
Being super short, I usually have to slam a stem to get a comfortable fit without the bars up by my eyebrows.
You convinced me- went from 60mm 0 degree to 110mm -14...not going back.. but yes stretch lol
commuting or fooling around on a slamed stem shouldn't be an issue for most seasoned riders however I'd be cautious about long trips.
Don't forget to buy a longer stem also since the comfortable reach increases with a lower upper body position.
I just don’t like that mismatched cockpit. Should be all chrome to match the bars, headset and rims. This is fixed gear 101 stuff, if you’re talking about street cred.
I like a bit of mismatch but the stem has to match the seat tube and preferably the crank
@@oceantorrents There are no hard and fast rules... I'm just mentioning it because he's talking about street cred and fixie points and a matched cockpit falls under that. Definitely you need a little mismatch in spots.
@@alienrefugee51 I should have put /s on my comment it's to each their own really
Go on and miss me with the "Fixie Points", I could careless what folks think of my whip.
"What haters eat dont make me $#¡+"
100 percent agree on this. Looks so much cleaner slammed. If i could just get passed my carpal tunnel and severe numbing of hands i’d go back to riding slammed in a heartbeat. Slammed = sexy
Numbing hands? Could be tons of other reasons such as too wide if bars(which is the most common reason for numb hands)
Usually it's just due to poor fitment
Numb hands can be from shoulder problems. Like Orlando posted your fit may be off - either too much reach or too short. Or you may have old neck/shoulder injuries that interfere with it. If you also get migraines a lot, and can wake up with your arms numb from them being over your head while asleep then it likely is neck/shoulder related. If your scapulae jut out from your back then it's definitely that and you need to pull your shoulders up, and keep them there. Your trapezius muscles will need to get used to holding that position.
Couldn’t agree more, this man makes perfect sense
damn zach somebody's been slammin your guns
You think you have slammed stem...until you see crazy bike with handlebars on fork crown.
I'm old. And I need the stack height to fit me Zach!! So slam dat stem in moderation. Usually you'd only need to do it if you're riding frame sizes below yours like a road rider 😏.
I love my sloping quill stem and track drops because it gives my bike so much more stability and I can control it so much better than my other bikes
Looks way better with the new stem. :)
it's all about comfortable seating position. if you need to slam it to sit comfortably on the bike then do it. don't let others tell you what to do or not to do.
Woolftooth head set spacer has clean lines 1 piece for pretty much any size needed
I'd rather have a comfortable Fixed gear with a mellow ratio, than to listen to those wannabee track cyclist. Come on we are on the road where fun and comfort is the top priority, I'd rather ride a fixed gear for longer than ruining my back and knees because I listened to a wanna bee track cyclist on the road.
Haha no hate at all but i personally do these things because it IS fun for me keep in mind im also only 17 so maybe in 20 years or so I won’t be doing the same but we’re all fixed riders lets share love and not judge everyone to each their own🤙🤙
Lumbar be damned!
+1 on 17 degree stems, I love mine. I’ve tried slammed and the look is great but I did have fit issues. II’ll try your suggestion of putting the bars down gradually and see if that will work.
Check how high your seatpost is.
Damn Zach! You’ve been hitting the weights? Arms looking jacked at around 8 mins. Thanks for the videos!
Read and follow the instructions of the headset manufacturer, period. That often means having at least one spacer above and below the stem. Also, check that your stem is machined correctly -- the faces that touch the spacers need to be perfectly (tm) parallel to each other. I've had expensive carbon fiber stems that are molded unevenly, and it screws up the bearing loading.
I own 3 different bikes, 2 road (yes... I'm a roadie) and a fixed gear. On one road bike I had to make my own stem cap so I could slam my stem to the max. On my fixed gear, my stem is very steeply angled downwards so it's half slammed. And on my most aggressive road bike my stem is a whole inch above the cap. Imo, the factors of stem and frame geometry mean that one slam isn't equivalent to another and the key thing is to have a setup that is comfy for you especially if you ride multiple bikes in order to keep them consistently comfortable.
Can you explain the "make my own stem cap" part?
@@Aubreykun basically the provided cap was an FSA with a stupid amount of stack to it (probably 20mm?) and it felt way too upright, so I made a new one with some 1mm thick ABS plastic sheet that I had lying around. Drew out a top 'ring' and 3 smaller ones to cover the bearing, carefully cut and glued them together and somehow it's held up quite well, cutting off approx. 15mm of stack! If I can find a metal one somewhere though I'll probably swap it out.
Yo zach! If ever you do some Q&A... What are your thoughts on tsunami bicycles and on tsunami's SNM4130 frame?
No thanks, it's the most uncomfortable thing. One day in the future the Fixie communities will drive without a seat to get more Fixie points.
Out with the brooks, in with the hard BMX saddles lel
My bike shop guy said ride for 50 miles slammed, then adjusted one way or the other. Right now I have it on the lowest setting.
Been gradually moving my quil down to "slam the stem". Makes you more flexible, and ride more aggressively, going faster, feeling faster and even looking a little cooler.
Slamming the stem isn't bad entirely
From what I learned from a pro bike fitter is that as long as you have the correct bike size, correct seatpost height, correct saddle position, correct reach, correct stem length,correct bar width and a ton of other things
Slammed stems can be comfortable.
Fun fact, bikes aren't intended to have spacers its just to allow custom fine tuning since people come in all shapes and sizes and when getting a custom frame built for one self the bike is built without spacers in mind.
Yo, can you give us an opinion on Quella bikes please?
How can we source metal coloured components? Black components is bogus. Lovely stem by the way.
Look up the part and type silver
@@marcelino.i.v thanks man, sometimes the best ideas are hiding in plain sight
*Chrome
@Bebo problem is that black components look inferior to shiny metal ones. Though I will say that a bike made up with only black components looks better than the hodge podge of colours I have at the moment. But shiny metal will always be the ideal.
@Bebo I don't need stealth, for two reasons : I am not a west coast rapping singer pretending to be a gangster; on the grounds of good taste; and thirdly as a bonus, I have a good pair of darkened glasses.
You can always slam the stem then get 4 inch rise klunker bars to compensate👍
I prefer riding more upright, so just put on 5" riser bars so I could remove the stem riser that was makin the build _ugly_ and finally get that stem slammed! lol didn't realize it was a thing but I felt it nonetheless
Its all fun and games until you get neck pain because your stem is too low... and personally i prefer the look of a stacked stem, all spacers below the stem.
Consider an aero seat with cutouts so you don't end up flattening your balls reaching for your slammed stem. Only one slammed stem should ever be a priority--don't slam the other!
At 40 I'm riding a single speed. I'm 5 foot 4 inches on a medium frame slammed narrow bars. In the winter I swap my horns for my mtb bars and imo yes I'm faster with my horns. And ( maybe because off wrong bike fit ) I feel more comftable with them. If I do go fixie , on a properly fit bike I might change my mind. But until then I'll set my best times with my horns.( my neck hurt for the first few weeks....properly fit backpack helps )
have you ever tried narrower handlebars or gotten a bike fit?
When I first did it it was a tad bit uncomfortable I got used to it now and I can't go back
funny how i used to have the stem slamed turning down but with steerer tube comning out and felt great. then i cutted the tube and it never felt as nice.
Can you do a unknown singularity bike rebi
I took 1,5 years to gradually slam the stem on my road bike, to make sure it didn't cause discomfort or injury. I got used to a really aggressive position without really noticing
Where did you say you got the stem? Velo chap?
Slam your stem, but get some huge risers, just to get the tubes parallel. Yet still have that upright position. or would that look dumb?????
Anyone know what cog to use on a 60tt on a 20inch bmx bike??
I was enjoying my new bike until I made the mistake of removing the rear wheel in order to put a new chain on. Chain went on fine. But now I can’t get the rear wheel back on and centered, so the bike has just been sitting there for a week. Now I have to go pay $20 for a basic tune-up and look like a total noob just to have someone straighten my rear wheel for me.
Side note: Zach covered this in his vid about chain tension but it wasn’t that helpful tbh and it looked like it was a pain for him as well. How do you guys put your rear wheel back on straight? I know that taking the wheel on and off isn’t supposed to be this hard. Please help me get riding again!!
I usually just put it in the right Position on one side, tighten the screw and then line Up the Others Side. Am I missing something that didn't Work for you?
Use a tennis ball or other small rubber ball between the tyre and the seat tube, then you can get the alignment and tension perfect by yourself with one spanner, do each side till just engaged on the drop outs, they turn the wheel for final tension and alignment, then gradually tighten each bolt going back and forth
Please save yourself the $20 and learn to do it yourself. You are constantly going to have to remove your wheels and replace tubes, so if you go to a shop everytime you have to do that you will spend a fortune over time. It's very simple to align your rear wheel. Like someone else said, you can put an object between the seat tube and the rear wheel to help tension the chain. You can buy a rubber door stopper for around $3 at Walmart and place that between the frame and wheel and push it down so the taller side pushes your wheel back until it is tensioned. Take care!
Pro tip: after you tighten drive side nut at correct position, grab wheel near seat tube so that your finger movements align wheel BOTH between chainstays and seatstays. Get it centered and tighten NDS nut. Check alignment and tighten both nuts gradually, switching between sides. If it's OK, get it out for a ride. $20 gets new chain, lol.
Why not just go full Pista with a negative stem and the drops are at the level of the tires?
So, that one little spacer not being under that stem makes THAT much difference? I'll bet it really doesn't.
So, basically looks over bike fit. Genius. Or not,
For me,slamming the stem on a small frame is a must for me,not because of the looks but because an unslammed stem gives me a backache(no,I'm not making this up).
The only time when an unslammed stem is fine by me if it's the exact opposite of a slammed setup.Basically,a long -17 degree stem flipped over with riser bars.
Gonna be buying my first fixie soon but I want to build one rather than buy one so I’ve set myself a budget of around £600 so if any one has a recommendation of any frames I will take them into consideration
Look at your local Facebook market place
Used thrift store everywhere
U might find something nice
Get a bike fit first
Am i able to slam my stem if its threaded
Did you keep that small cog?
If you're not getting paid to ride, do NOT cut that steerer tube. Raise handle bar when you're just training/starting the season or doing gran fondo, your neck and back will thank you for it, it's more comfortable and will make regular joes more efficient and faster. For race season, drop it as low as your fitness can endure your masochism. Ride and have fun.
Serious inquiry: couldnt you have flipped your first stem to have that negative angle? asking bc mine has the negative angle, but -like you mentioned- it hurts my neck so I was thinking to just flip the stem. LMK, thanks
You can flip the stem. Ideally you get a bike fit that determines where the best places to stick your saddle and bars in relation to the BB, and then build a bike around that. But the ability to ride with it slammed or not is based around the saddle-to-bar distance - both drop and reach.
is it okay to compact the stem degree? like I want to straight my stem that allign on stem and frame?like -17 degree?
what length did you go with on the Ui86?
thanx in advance!
Slammed mine yesterday and I do not regret it
no slam for me....and i ride single speed not fixie. i prefer coasting down long hills to leg braking or peddling like a madman. oh and i have a brake.
Slamming your stem is easier if your bike is fit in a "vintage" style. Meaning, if you have only about 1-3 inches of saddle to bar drop with the stem slammed and you get an aero flat back with long-reach drops.
I like extremely long reach and extremely low drop handlebars, it makes the difference in position between the tops and the drops much larger, so the tops end up being really high and comfortable for some relaxed city cruising, and the drops are proper low for that flat back. If you take this to it's logical conclusion, you need to set up the stem much higher than slammed, yet the drops will be in a similar position to what a compact handlebar with slammed stem would be.
Hey Zach make a review video of 2022 kilo tt
Not slammin any stem. Not having any black stem either unless it is on my fixed gear MTB. Silver costs the same and takes more time to make so why make a company more money for less of their work [unless of course the company is Nitto or Sugino of course]?
"Of course I slammed my stem! Everybody my age slams their stem; it's the coolest! You ain't cool unless you slam your stem!"
I just ordered a nitto stem
So I can slam it
As soon as it arrives.
Turkey sandwich.
My wrists neck and my back.... MY NECK AND MY BACK
Next they’re going to say you need a smaller spacer on top… oh and in black to match the stem
Doesn't this falsify the initial geometry of the bike, thus unfitting your bike from you?
Slammed!!!!.
With 2" Risers.
Good! In addition to slamming the stem, you switched to drop bars. There would be no point in slamming the stem while using riser bars.
Sadly, I'm not flexible enough in my legs to slam dat stem (yet), gotta get more leg flexibility so my lower back doesn't get too mad.
Just need to roll them bars forward to get the drops level, lose that top spacer and you’re set 😎
Im young, fit, and like to sprint a lot. Ill be running my stem slammed for as long as my back allows