I was a little surprised that so much time was spent recently talking about how many, or how few, spacers the pros are now using. Even after Ronan stated that it’s meaningless as it all depends on the stack of the frame and the desired bar height relative to the saddle for an individual rider, y’all kept discussing it. The number of spacers, discussed in a vacuum, tells us nothing more than talking about the size of a chainring, without discussing the cassette cogs as well.
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Hi Scott,
Feedback noted.
The conversation was in reaction to some popular voices on YouTube suggesting that “nobody is running spacers”. As Ronan’s research showed, there is no clear answer or trend.
In hindsight, we did a poor job explaining the why behind that conversation, and perhaps it went on too much. And yes, there are many variables influencing the figures. Still, it provides a picture of the challenge brands face with geometry decisions, especially if they’re following pro requests.
(For those looking in, this relates to the Geek Warning episode published on the 31st of July 2026).
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It’s seems incongruous that brands like Cannondale have released models with decreased stack heights, only to have riders using more spacers to keep the bars the same height, but… I think part of the rational is that it can be more difficult to run the brake hoses into the top bearing if the stem is slammed. Dropping the stack and then adding a spacer back in makes the routing of the hoses a little easier.
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Aah, never made that link. Only saw more and more spacers on bikes, even on brand websites. What you say may also explain why integrated handlebars don’t have such a negative ‘stem’ angle.
Another benefit of such a short head tube is reduced frontal surface of the headtube, so less frame drag.
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I think that is part of it, but not necessarily why we might think. Many would assume that a lower overall front end would be better, but if we add spacers to account for the shorter head tube, the overall height is the same. But, in almost all cases, spacers are narrower than the head tube. The optimum solution should be the lowest stack height that allows for proper bar positioning without going beyond the maximum safe spacer stack.
Already had this in mind 
Note that I also speak of frame drag