Change a mountain bike for touring

[Rachel2010]

hello!Hello there! can anyone tell me what kind of Stem to be recommended for touring on a mountain bike? we have 2 CANNONDALE bikes new and we want to mountain tour with them. I have a femmine F8 and my husband will have a Cannondale F9 soon. We want comfortable seats and better handlebars as well. Yes it will be money to do this but in the long run Pa mountains conditions demand it.PLEASE help with suggestions,thank u! Rachel

[DaveP]

Buy new mountain bikes and then modify them for touring. Glad you're into the simple approach

Well, the big difference is that when touring you are likely to spend more time continuously in the saddle than when trail riding, so a comfortable saddle is definitely a good idea. The problem is that saddles are a bit of a lottery for everyone. Lots of people on here like the hard leather Brooks saddles, but they arent the only option. Specialised Cycles make and sell well regarded saddles, with the padding allegedly in anatomically appropriate locations. If there is a Specialised dealer near you you should be able to try some, and also take advantage of their saddle sizing technology - they can measure your pelvis, or the dents it makes in a block of gel and give advice on sizes. Just a couple of thoughts!
Another comfort related aspect, as you seem to have realised, is handlebar position. Mountain bikes generally come with the bars low and forward. When I converted my mtb I fitted a stem with a 40degree rise which presented the bars higher and closer than the original stem. I found the result comfortable, but I did have the advantage of being familiar with the bike before I started. It is possible to get adjustable stems. They tend to be heavyish, and I wouldnt like to use one long term, but temporary use would allow you to experiment and find out what you need. A word of warning - high rise stems are not the easiest things to find - they went out of fashion, but persistance and a good bike shop should prevail
Better bars? Not sure what you have in mind, but you will probably have straight or riser bars. The simple approach would be to fit something like Ergo grips, which give better support for the hand, or bar ends, which can be covered with cushion tape or foam and allow you to spend time with your wrists rotated inwards, which many find comfy. The next level would be to change the bars for, say, butterfly bars.
This has all been a bit general. If you could be abit more specific about what you want to change and why it would be easier for people to make recommendations.
HTH

[Barrenfluffit]

Its basically about comfort and durability.
Comfort comes from having a bike which fits correctly. There are general fit guides out there which might help. basically its about getting the components to interact with your body in a fashion which suits your body shape. Tall people with short legs will have different fit because their trunk is relatively long.

Adjustable stems can help, as can different shaped bars and saddles. In addition to saddle height there is often fore and aft adjustment on the saddle rails. Padded shorts are part of the equation.

[horizon]

rachel:

1. What kind of touring are you doing? Is it off road?
2. Why did you want to buy these particular bikes (for touring)?
3. Why do you want to change the stem?

[iviehoff]

All the bicycles with flat bars that have been introduced into our household, I have shortened the bars and moved everything closer in towards the centre by the maximum I could practically achieve. Even on my 4-yr-old's bike, I managed to get about 6-7 cm off each bar end.

These wide bars are only useful for rough single track. For long days in the saddle, you don't want to be pretending to be an orang-utan all day.

[hoogerbooger]

RE shortening handlebars - I would say it depends on the type of touring intended

I have been touring for 18 years on a mountain bike with 22" wide handle bars and bar ends - very happily. I find the extra width is very helpful for leverage on out of the saddle steep ascents and rough-stuff. This depends on your style of riding (and whether you've run out of gears and packed too much !!). Many prefer to stay in the saddle, but this is easier on a smooth surface than a steep cobbley jeep track.

when going up steep hills there is an effective foreshortening of the reach to the handlebars so having bar ends to move forward onto is helpful. Bar ends also help with choice of hold positions an important consideration for comfort for long spells in the saddle. Some prefer butterfly bars for this reason. I haven't tried them - but wonder if they hinder packing on buses, trains,planes etc

I would suggest seeing how it goes with the handle bars fitted before you take a hack-saw to them - but consider your choice of bar ends.

[willem jongman]

And perhaps use an upward sloping stem to obtain a more upright seating position.
Willem