I’ve been riding my Crisp for a while now and I’m still getting used to all sorts of things. One thing I’m trying to figure out is how many spacers to cut out (with my Enve stem system, I think there are no spacers above, so it’s cut the steerer tube and cross your fingers) before I find my happy position. A little background, though…
Darren Crisp, probably like many bike builders, actually does not give you your bike with your stem ‘slammed down’, but he leaves a couple of centimeters to play with till you are satisfied. I feel like this is a conservative way of doing things, but it means potentially 4 trips to the bike shop before I reach my ideal position…or not, we’ll see.
But even if I do take 2cm off the front end, it will be very far from the drop that I have on my Colnago. Below is a picture of the Crisp when I first bought it.
The saddle and stem height are nearly the same. I have a 6cm drop on my C59, so you can understand why I’m still getting used to the new position. Below is what it looks like now.
Right, a half a centimeter isn’t very much.
Essentially, my new bike is longer than the Colnago, which stretches me out differently, potentially achieving a similar position in another way. This reminds me of a 15 year old blog post on The Eddy Fit that I wrote when I was trying to figure out my riding position in 2010….and here we are in 2025 doing the same thing.
The Vicious Cycle 
What sort of tool do they use to cut the steerer tube? I’m picturing something like a plumber’s pipe cutter.
A great question. I think it’s just a saw, but could be wrong there.
Are you sure you didn’t post the same picture twice, Gerry? š I just also read your Eddy Fit entry from 2010 and the comment you just made there. It’s amazing how much more aero riders today are, and it results in much higher speeds. (I’ve also come to the conclusion that some people are very sensitive to a mm difference in saddle height or stem or …, and others are less sensitive. same with back pain issues etc. I had a professional bike fit done a couple years ago but must admit that the small adjustments didn’t really make a difference. For others, they swear a pro bike fit made all the difference…)
Jan, I’ve also noticed the same thing with clients. As you know, many rent bikes for a full week of challenging riding. Some are never satisfied because it’s ‘not their bike’, while others don’t seem to even notice. It’s quite amazing!
And yeah, there’s one spacer missing in the 2nd photo, but I very well could have brought the saddle down a little between the two pics, so it evens out!
Beautiful bike Gerry!!!
Made by a compatriot of yours, too…although I prefer to say ‘made in Italy’ š