How much to drop stem length by

Lower than a 90mm stem and the steering gets twitchy. Moving seat to shorten reach is also a bad bad option as mentioned earlier. Have you looked at new bars as this is a simple way to shorten reach? Pro PLT compact bars have a reach of just 65mm. Dedas RHM bars are 75mm and available at different price points and weights. The RHM01can be picked up under £20 so you can try this as an option fairly cheaply unless of course you have these already? Check out your current bar specs on the manufacturers website. Brake hoods also differ in reach but this is a much more expensive route to take. Flipping the stem and bar rotation can also help but rotation will also impact on the usability of the drops. The comment about hiding the front wheel skewer from view isn't a hard and fast rule either. Everyone's bio mechanics and body proportions are different so as always in cycle fitting there are no absolutes. Good luck with the experimenting. I got my position sorted with Scherrit at The Bike Whisperer. Pricey but to me, very much worth it.

Consider also flipping the stem (upside down, not back to front ). That will alter reach too.

I see you've ordered a stem so this is a bit late, but a decent bike shop should be able to get you onto a turbo trainer, give some advice at least on saddle postion (short of a full "bike fit")and swap stems for you till you find one that is the right length. It's a quick and easy job, a few minutes on a turbo isn't the same as a proper ride, but better than guessing. Hope it works out for you.

As I understand it, when in the normal cycling podsition on the hoods your handle bars shouldvhide the front wheel skewer. If it is behind the bars then the stem is too long and if it is in frontvof the bar the stem is too short.

I found that 20mm reduction of the stem is a lot. I went from a 100mm stem to an 80mm, but ended up buying a 90mm.

See if you can measure how much you would need to reduce your stem to site the bars centrally over the centre of the front wheel when viewed from a normal ride position.

There are videos on youtube showing this if you search 'bike fit'.

As I understand it, when in the normal cycling podsition on the hoods your handle bars shouldvhide the front wheel skewer. If it is behind the bars then the stem is too long and if it is in frontvof the bar the stem is too short.

I found that 20mm reduction of the stem is a lot. I went from a 100mm stem to an 80mm, but ended up buying a 90mm.

See if you can measure how much you would need to reduce your stem to site the bars centrally over the centre of the front wheel when viewed from a normal ride position.

There are videos on youtube showing this if you search 'bike fit'.

It's a little dangerous to recommend moving the saddle to improve reach. The relationship between the saddle and the pedals are what is crucial and if you are comfortable and generate enough power - leave that well alone. Stem length (and other tweaks suggested to bars) are the ways to go. Sam's advice re seeing the front hub works for me too. Some stretching to improve reach will also help.

I went from a 110 to a 90 stem after a bike fit (and slightly narrower bars as well), I have to say most of my back/shoulder soreness disappeared overnight. I didn't really notice any difference to my steering ability.

One handy hint for checking it is; while riding in a "normal" position for you (for me that's on the hoods); your eyes, the end of your stem and your front wheel hub should be in a line.

I.e. when you look at your front hub it should basically be obscured by the bit where your bars and stem meet.

Works for me at least.

Might also be useful to swap to an inline seatpost to shorten the distance between your saddle and bars.

What a shame... I'd replace the frame as soon as possible.

Often, there are opportunities to 'shorten' the effective reach by changing the angle of the bars and the placement of the levers on those bars. I see loads of pictures where people complaining of being too stretched and they have their bars set up as extreme as is feasibly possible.

To shorten, rotate the bars down until the bottom of the drop is almost parallel to the ground, then move the levers further up the bars. This can sometimes make a big difference, but depends on your bars and current position.

I found the PDF and advice on Dave Mouton's site useful.

Just adjust the stem length to the 'ideal' suggested fit.

Keep the original stem too, just incase your position changes over time.

also consider that shortening the stem will impact the steering response.
you'll find it getting "twitchey" at that kind of length. I'd say try an 80mm
as a minimum. if you're still too stretched then maybe an inline seat post ?

better still get a fit done ... that way you'll know for sure what needs
changing and in what way Best £'s I've ever spent on any of my bikes !

I think shortening the stem will make you a bit less aero, BUT being more comfortable will make you faster, and let you go farther..

http://youtu.be/oxNznrlRXGU

This was very informative, watch before you spend a bunch of money, remember it is never JUST the stem length or just saddle position, you and the bike are a system

I would go to the shortest 60mm and see how much comfier it feels. Unless you are racing, it's not going to make you much slower, but probably more relaxed which will help you ride for longer