Stem length is a work-in-progress. The stock 60mm felt long in the seated position with 3" of saddle-bar drop on my bike and a bit sluggish with 800mm bars. I downsized to 40mm for a few weeks. This improved the seated fit and steering response, but it's harder to keep the front wheel weighted in long, sweeping turns, and reach feels a bit short when I'm standing up.
I just installed a 70/35D stem with a 60mm effective length and an extra inch of height relative to the original 60mm. Might also try a 50mm. Shorter riser stems don't really exist, so if the extra height helps, the long-term solve may be to swap the fork to get an uncut steer.
The 9Point8 post with an offset is the R model limited to 150mm travel. The head and tube are one-piece, I don't even think it's cross-compatible with the non-R Fall Line. If OneUp had the same post with an offset head, I'd buy it tomorrow.
On tires-- the Bontrager 2.6s weren't the best on the stock 30mm rims. Too much squirm in the back, almost the point of risking a burp, at the correct tire pressures for compliance. The 35s are a surprisingly noticeable improvement. When they start to wear out, I might try the SE-series if inserts don't tempt me before then.
Aug. 1, 2022, 1:49 p.m. - Alex D
Stem length is a work-in-progress. The stock 60mm felt long in the seated position with 3" of saddle-bar drop on my bike and a bit sluggish with 800mm bars. I downsized to 40mm for a few weeks. This improved the seated fit and steering response, but it's harder to keep the front wheel weighted in long, sweeping turns, and reach feels a bit short when I'm standing up. I just installed a 70/35D stem with a 60mm effective length and an extra inch of height relative to the original 60mm. Might also try a 50mm. Shorter riser stems don't really exist, so if the extra height helps, the long-term solve may be to swap the fork to get an uncut steer. The 9Point8 post with an offset is the R model limited to 150mm travel. The head and tube are one-piece, I don't even think it's cross-compatible with the non-R Fall Line. If OneUp had the same post with an offset head, I'd buy it tomorrow. On tires-- the Bontrager 2.6s weren't the best on the stock 30mm rims. Too much squirm in the back, almost the point of risking a burp, at the correct tire pressures for compliance. The 35s are a surprisingly noticeable improvement. When they start to wear out, I might try the SE-series if inserts don't tempt me before then.