Why slam your stem

Slamming your stem, as this is known, is en vogue, but does it yield performance benefits for normal riders like you and me, or does it expose us to injury risk in pursuit of fashion? However, this aerodynamic benefit only manifests itself if the rider is strong enough to maintain a low position.

And for many athletes — myself included — that position is not necessarily slammed. Indeed, talk to most bike-fitters and they will tell you that flexibility is the most important factor when it comes to deciding whether to slam your stem.

So what are the potential pitfalls of slamming your stem without having the necessary flexibility? Unfortunately, injury seems to be a common outcome; Wakelin tells of numerous problems caused by riders slamming their stem.

If you can hold the position and keep your head and shoulders low, there are certainly aerodynamic benefits, especially when combined with narrower bars. If you can gain a watt advantage from your normal riding position, then do it.

Plus, it just looks the part. I think most studies have shown that the aero effect is mainly down to a smooth style and narrow body posture. The total loss amounts to several hundred thousand euros. Katie Archibald and Neah Evans also won bronze in the women's Madison. Very cool. I used to have some serious lower back problems as well. I hope that workout does well for you. I was lucky enough that cycling and a decent chiropractor was enough for my back.

Good luck! With just over 13, hits, I was infatuated with trying to slam my stem to get in the most aggressive position possible ever since I brought home my first real road bike. To a Degree. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account.

Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. If you find me collapsed on the side of the road… Do me a favor and make sure the auto-pause on my Garmin worked. You know those days where most sane people wake up ready to ride, only to look outside and find rain blew in from out of….

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