Raising height of handlebars ?

[Steve N]

I give in, I've googled endlessly with no joy ........ How do I raise the height of the handlebars on my new bike.

Obviously I'm not very bike savvy but my old tourer had a large nut that could be loosened to raise the stem post. There isn't one of these nuts on my new bike.

I bought a new Dawes Sportif yesterday and am trying to tweak it for comfort, BUT . . . Can't work out how the heck to raise the handlebars which are about 3" lower than on my old bike causing me to stoop uncomfortably.

 

[MacB]

This is an aheadset so the stem clamps onto the steerer tube which is fixed. The options for raising are:-

undo it all and move spacers from above to below the stem - if you have spacers above

if the stem angles downwards then lots of them are reversible so you can turn it the other way up

buy another stem with a steeper angle(rise)

buy an aheadset steerer tube extender which gives you more height to clamp to


you need to be aware that a steeper angle will shorten the reach so you'd have to get a longer version

 

[Steve N]

This is an aheadset so the stem clamps onto the steerer tube which is fixed. The options for raising are:-

undo it all and move spacers from above to below the stem - if you have spacers above

if the stem angles downwards then lots of them are reversible so you can turn it the other way up

buy another stem with a steeper angle(rise)

buy an aheadset steerer tube extender which gives you more height to clamp to

you need to be aware that a steeper angle will shorten the reach so you'd have to get a longer version

Thanks Mac

I didn't realise the steerer stems are fixed in this sort of design.
The stem is at the top - No spacers above, only below - so it's at max height.
The stem is horizontal not angled, so reversing is not an option.

Looks like your suggestion of buying an aheadset steerer tube extender is my only option.
I'll remember your tip regarding the reach length being shortened

 

[MacB]

Steve, it may be horizontal to the eye but that's negating the angle of the steerer tube, try turning up the other way and you'll see what I mean. You need to unclamp the bars to do this of course. Sheldon is a good place to have a read before you start spending any money:-

http://sheldonbrown.com/handsup.html

For example if your stem is a 6 degree angle then flipping it will raise the bars by about 20mm

 

[e-rider]

Steve, it may be horizontal to the eye but that's negating the angle of the steerer tube, try turning up the other way and you'll see what I mean. You need to unclamp the bars to do this of course. Sheldon is a good place to have a read before you start spending any money:-

http://sheldonbrown.com/handsup.html

For example if your stem is a 6 degree angle then flipping it will raise the bars by about 20mm

yes, if it 's horizontal then flipping it over will increase the handlebar height.

other options:

1. buy a new stem with a steep angle of rise (eg. 35 or 45 degrees are the steepest available)
2. buy an aheadset extension tube (they look ugly but lift the bars by 2-3 inches)

you should have considered this before buying the bike - it might have been better to buy a different bike that has higher bars as part of the design (eg. Specialized Secteur - this bike has been designed to have high bars)

 

[Alembicbassman]

My road bikes have the top of the bars positioned about 1 inch below the top of the saddle for leisure riding. I notice that the sprinters use a more extreme position.

Have you bought the correct frame size for your dimensions?

 

[Steve N]

you should have considered this before buying the bike - it might have been better to buy a different bike that has higher bars as part of the design (eg. Specialized Secteur - this bike has been designed to have high bars)

I didn't particularly notice when auditioning the different bikes and assumed I'd be able to make minor adjustments later anyway.
It may just be something that I can get used to. The steering post is the same height as my old tourer but about 10 years ago I got a LBS to put straight bars on and he used an upward angled stem.

Re: The right bike.
I am wondering now if I should have gone for the equivalent Tourer the dealer had. After trying the Sportif in real conditions yesterday I found the ride extremely hard.
I know the Sportif geometry is slightly different but you should get a comfortable ride.
Would the tyres make that much difference ? My old Tourer has 28's whereas the new Sportif has 25's.

 

[Steve N]

My road bikes have the top of the bars positioned about 1 inch below the top of the saddle for leisure riding. I notice that the sprinters use a more extreme position.

Have you bought the correct frame size for your dimensions?

I believe so.
My old bike is 57cm with just a small amount of slack when straddled. The new bike is the same size with the same amount of slack when straddled - About 1/2 to 1".
54cm would be a looser fit but I'd need to raise the seat and bars higher on a smaller frame, I assume ?

 

[Alien8]

You could consider an adjustable stem, eg like this one which claims a range of zero to 60 degrees (obviously you'd need one that fitted the size of your steerer and bars and gave the correct reach).

I've never used one, and it's not the cleanest solution, but it might get you going in more comfort.

 

[Norm]

Would the tyres make that much difference ? My old Tourer has 28's whereas the new Sportif has 25's.

Yes, definitely. Going to 32s, if they'll fit, will be more comfortable still.

Don't dismiss, as you seem to have done, the suggestions about flipping the stem. The stem on my Secteur was horizontal as standard (see pic below) but I flipped it and it put the bars higher and slightly closer to the saddle, increasing the comfort for no cost other than 10 minutes of time. If you are going to do this, though, check some of the threads on here or videos on Youtube about it, as you need to ensure the headset bearings don't move out of position.


You can change the stems, changing the length and / or the angle, but the first idea might be to flip what you have already.

 

[Steve N]

Thanks to all for the advice re flipping the "horizontal" stem.

Did that this morning and it did the trick
My old bike was probably too high after the straights were put on. And - I may have got used to the new set-up anyway, but flipping has taken that little bit of overstretch out of the equation.

Regarding the tyres:
The dealer I bought the bike from - Spa Cycles, assured me it would take 28's or even 32's.

To try and assess the effect of softer tyres I took a little air out of the 23's. Not very scientific I know but to the hand they still felt pretty hard. Anyway, the ride was somewhat better.

My original panic about "the right bike" has subsided. I never carry more that a couple of kilos so couldn't see the point of going with an all out Tourer but my earlier concerns nearly had me running back to the shop pleading for a swap.

I think I got a great deal on the Sportif - around half RRP, and it was the last 57cm I could find. But no point in keeping it if it doesn't feel right.

In conclusion
Happy with seat to handlebars reach/comfort.
Happy that 28 tyres will give me what I want regarding ride comfort.

Just need to find a comfortable saddle now. The Brooks B17 Ti I upgraded to will cause me permanent damage

 

[MacB]

Ah, Brooks, well I love mine and have to say the only issue I had was it was a bit slippy for the first 20-30 miles. but I have a fair amount of weight with which to beat a saddle into submission. Setup is key though, get the saddle the right height and setback from the bottom bracket to give you the optimal pedal positon, for you. Once you've got that then the tilt of the saddle should be sorted. This will be down to you, depending on who you speak to you'll get advice for dead level, tilted up and tilted down.

I found the Brooks needed to be just right tilt wise for me, don't be ashamed to use a spirit level

 

[Steve N]

Ah, Brooks, well I love mine and have to say the only issue I had was it was a bit slippy for the first 20-30 miles. but I have a fair amount of weight with which to beat a saddle into submission. Setup is key though, get the saddle the right height and setback from the bottom bracket to give you the optimal pedal positon, for you. Once you've got that then the tilt of the saddle should be sorted. This will be down to you, depending on who you speak to you'll get advice for dead level, tilted up and tilted down.

I found the Brooks needed to be just right tilt wise for me, don't be ashamed to use a spirit level

I tried several bikes before deciding. One was a Dawes Galaxy which had a Brooks B17 which I actually found quite comfy.
I decided to buy the Dawes Sportif and upgraded the saddle to a B17 on the strength of this, but joking apart it's literally unbearable.
Maybe the Galaxy had been well auditioned breaking in the Brooks a bit.

Mine looks level visually and so did the one on the Galaxy.
I am also on the weighty side and am wondering whether to persvere with the Brooks.
Hard to be delicate here but in the interests of exactitude; it seems to press against the area between my front and back rude bits (scrotum ?) and crunches the flesh/tendons there.
I may experiment with it leaning forward slightly.

 

[MacB]

I tried several bikes before deciding. One was a Dawes Galaxy which had a Brooks B17 which I actually found quite comfy.
I decided to buy the Dawes Sportif and upgraded the saddle to a B17 on the strength of this, but joking apart it's literally unbearable.
Maybe the Galaxy had been well auditioned breaking in the Brooks a bit.

Mine looks level visually and so did the one on the Galaxy.
I am also on the weighty side and am wondering whether to persvere with the Brooks.
Hard to be delicate here but in the interests of exactitude; it seems to press against the area between my front and back rude bits (scrotum ?) and crunches the flesh/tendons there.
I may experiment with it leaning forward slightly.

Makes sense but, as said, get the saddle set right first as this makes a difference to how and where pressure is applied, as does the reach and height of the handlebars. I had problems at first as I'd worked from handlebars backwards, rather than saddle forwards. I wasted money on stems etc that were no longer suitable once saddle was in right spot. It needs someone else to help with measurements but this site is good:-


http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO&INTRO_LINK=NOREDIR

You get a little table of results with 3 fit options(I quite like the Eddy fit), most importantly it will suggest a saddle setback range for you to use. Easiest way of measuring the saddle setback is to place bike upright with rear wheel touching a flat surface, bike needs to be on the level. Then measure from that surface to the nose of the saddle and to the centre of the bottom bracket. The difference between the two is the saddle setback. The Brooks has quite short rails so I had to use an inline seatpost to get it in the right spot. But I have a fairly large bike at 60cm ST and TT, you may need a setback seatpost if you have a 54cm bike. For overall reach I've found this guys size chart to be very accurate:-

http://www.prodigalchild.net/Bicycle6.htm

It's worth a read and I found the info quite accessible unlike some other sites.

 

[Steve N]

Thanks for that Mac, I'll check out those sites.

My bike is 57cm , same as my old one. It's a tightish fit giving me no more that a inch slack when I straddle over the crossbar.
I could take a 54cm but would need to raise the seat and handlebars higher.
When trying the bikes all the 54cm Sportif's were sold and no more available so it wasn't an option to try anyway. However, using Dawes fitting guide the 57cm was suggested as the right size for me anyway.