Upper body position

about 9 minutes Lesson 5 of 6 Section 7 of 8

How to change your position

To move your position, you change the cockpit (the stem and the handlebars) and leave the saddle alone. Each lever does something specific.

Variable	What it does
Stem length	Shorter brings the bars closer; longer pushes them away.
Stem angle and spacers	Spacers (or flipping the stem up) raise the bar; removing them lowers it.
Bar drop and width	Deeper drop gives a more aggressive position; narrower is more aero but less stable.

None of these touch the saddle, so the fit you settled in Lessons 3 and 4 stays put. They're quick, too: a bike shop can swap a stem or move spacers in about ten minutes.

Here's one example of a cockpit change.

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