Jesus Fomperosa Perea is a Miami, Florida-based asset management executive who focuses on the needs of ultra-high net worth JPMorgan clients. An outdoors enthusiast, Jesus Fomperosa enjoys mountain biking when he has the opportunity.
On any biking excursion that involves trails, maintaining proper handling of the bike is essential in ensuring a safe, enjoyable experience. One key to optimizing your bike for trails of varying terrains and degrees of difficulty centers on the stem. This is the component that connects the handlebars to the bike frame. One common switch out is the stock 90-100 mm stem for a shorter set up in the 50 to 70 mm range. This will allow for a greater range of motion and more flexibility along steep sections of the trail when you need to maneuver most.
With quicker and more responsive handling in play, the body is shifted forward to where each pedal exerts maximum power. This is important on steep climbs where you want to avoid getting off the bike and walking it to the top.
With mountain bikers focused on downhill runs, an even shorter direct mount stem in the 40-50mm range is recommended. This is directly mounted and bolted to the fork’s top crown instead of the steerer tube, making the handlebars more responsive and reliable, even when jarred at speed.
