As I said last time, having been laid low and kept off my bike by a cold at the weekend, I put my free time to good use by picking out the components for my bike. Excitingly, they've already started arriving. The first part is the stem, which is quite fortunate, as it's the next part which has to be fitted.
When I had to go about choosing a stem, I wasn't quite sure what I was looking for. I've never owned a road bike before, with the loopy handlebars, and the only time I rode one I was aware that the riding position is rather different from the one you have on a hybrid or mountain bike. I was aware of being a lot more horizontal, stretched out along the frame, whereas on my current bike I'm very upright. Upright is probably better that way for negotiating city traffic and cycle lanes, but it's not especially in keeping with what I'm looking for with this new bike.
Fortunately, though, my current Ridgeback hybrid has been able to help me out. You can actually adjust the angle of its stem, so I was able to set it up at a similar angle to what I'd expect of a road bike. I sat on it in the sort of position I expect to on the new bike, judged how it felt, and made my choice from there.
I settled on a Cinelli Vai XL 100mm stem. The stem on the Ridgeback is 80mm, and felt just a little cramped for me, so I thought I should go for something a bit longer. Fit aside, as with all the components I'm putting on this bike (and as I did with the frame), I chose it based on a combination of price and reviews I read. It seemed to hit the sweet spot I'm looking for.
I've ordered the shallow-drop Cinelli Vai XL handlebars to go with it, but unfortunately they're on back order and won't turn up until towards the end of April. That may impact on the rest of the build a bit, as I won't have anything to attach the shifters to, but there's still plenty of time.
In the meantime, I've also got a seatpost and saddle, which I'll tell you about the next time ...
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