raising handlebars

snig

need to raise them about 1/2 inch,thought I found a good solution with a new stem but only realised my bars are the smaller size 25.4 and the stem was 31.8,guess a new bar as well might be the answer? my stem is 25% rise what ever that means,so just wondering what my cheap options are? the stem already has 1 and a half spacers so can't add another or that would leave only 1 and a bit bolts holding the stem on,my bars are 31mm rise which I think means high rise? so new bars wouldn't give the hight and I can't find another other stems that have a rise more than 25%? apart from a new bike what if any options have I missed :?:

andrewjoseph

Sometimes twisting the bars forward or back can give more rise, but depending on the angles, may make it more uncomfortable to use.

Are there any spacers on top of the stem? You need a minimum of 3(?)mm from top of stem to top of steerer tube, to a max of just above the top bolt (I wouldn't be happy with that though).

you can buy a new fork with a longer steerer (perhaps, depends on what you already have and if it has been cut down or not).

Look around for a stem with smaller stack height (smaller clamp area), then you could perhaps put another spacer underneath.

Buy a new longer fork.

Do you mean 25 Degree rise? that is a sharp angle!

But, why do you think you need to raise them half inch?

corshamjim

There are lots of stems available, including adjustable ones. For example, see:-

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/stems-1-1-8- ... pt902_pg1/

Personally I would say your easiest option would probably be to replace the stem.

Depending on what it is about your position that makes you want 1/2" extra height, you might find that bringing the position of the handlebars closer will help too. For that you need a shorter stem (or as Andrew mentioned, twisting the bars back a little maybe). I found that using Ergon grips (or similar) rather than ordinary round grips gave me that little change in position I wanted.

snig

tried a new stem but as I need one with a big rise I can only find two,one I bought and fitted great untill I tried putting on th handlebars and seeing the bars were too thin for the clamp,the other stem also has the bigger handlebar clamp,so it looks like I new bar too.

the stem on there now has 2 spaces,are spacers a standard size? there is a big one and a smaller spacers,the stem is also about 3mm higher than the fork tube(there is a grove inside the stem about the size 3mm down,runnin all around the stem,not sure if that is the limit mark?) the max you state a stem can be higher than the steerer tube sounds that would work for me but like you I wouldn't fancy riding knowing only one bolt was holding the bars on.

the reason I want it higher is I tend to ride on my knuckles,if I wrap my hand around the bar within a few secounds I'm back on my inside knuckles.

hope all that makes sense.

andrewjoseph

OK Snig, I think that the 'groove' you are seeing is the top of the steerer tube and it's about 3mm down, which is good.

Spacers are a standard size, in increments of 5mm I think so you can get 5, 10 and possibly bigger.

"I tend to ride on my knuckles" i don't understand this bit. Are you saying you sit yourself up so you are not gripping the bar properly? If so then maybe the bike is too small for you or you just need to adjust to riding properly. i suspect it's the latter, just a bad habit you may need to get rid of. If you don't then you might find yourself doing it on any bar setup and might not be able to get to the brakes or make quick steering responses when you need to.

A fair proportion of your weight needs to be on the bars so you are pressing the front wheel into the ground to give good traction, but not so much that your wrists hurt all the time (your wrists may well hurt while you are acclimatising yourself to a better position).

It sounds to me as if you are trying to get a 'sit up and beg' position. this is not a position that allows quick steering or good power output. if all you want is a gentle ride, that will be fine (wouldn't suit me but I don't commute), but if that is what you want and you can't get that with your current setup, then you may have the wrong type of bike, or wrong sized bike.

snig

wow you're good 8)

I tend to press my inside knuckles on the top of the bar with my fingers over the brakes,this gives a slightly higher sitting position,like you say it is more a relaxed position and when I'm putting some efford in to my riding I don't do it,so guess i might be just wanting the bars to give more riding positions than they are disigned to do,it's not helping the situation as my bar grips are uncombable as they have tiny dimples which dig into my hands,I got some new grips to try so maybe those and moving the bar slightly will fit the problem that is not really there :oops:

shouldbeinbed

If you don't already use them, You should consider a set of cycle specific gloves if your hands are particularly sensitive to the grips, fingerless mitts or full finger ones with gel panels across the palm are readily available in proper cycle stores, most general sports shops and even the Lidl & Aldi bike events every 6 months or so - I got a Lidl pair yesterday. They go from a few quid to silly money and can have different areas and thicknesses of padding dependent on need and choice - they're well worth exploring first as a cheaper potentially more effective option to get you holding the bars properly than altering the set up and componentry.

what sort of bike is it? drop bar, flat bar & skinny wheels, hybrid, Mountain bike etc

I sounds as if its a flat bar type from your knuckles, brakes & dimply grips description. if not an adjustable riser, you could try a shorter BMX style one to bring the bars closer to you and achieve a more sit up and beg position, likewise you could try shifting your saddle forward - but bearing in mind your knee position over the bottom bracket and possibly affecting your rotation on the pedals . you could try tilting your saddle slightly differently to alter the way it presents your upper body to the bars. Tilting it forwards would tip you forwards more and naturally bring you closer to the front end of the bike.

there's also different types of bars that you can use: moustache, butterfly, cowhorn etc which will all give you different rise & reach; and to a greater or lesser degree different hand positions; They can all be set to bring your hands closer to your body and let you sit up and beg more without needing to change the height or reach of the other components. butterfly bars will give you a wide variety of hand positions to go at but they generally ain't a sexy look. Part of your choice may be down to aesthetics. There are as many grips as people, some just foam, some with gel in, some thicker and more for comfort than others, you could even use bar tape instead of moulded grips.

I'm worried about the idea of you riding on the knuckles though, you've got to be losing a degree of control if a child or dog ran out in your way or you hit a patch of diesel you'd not spotted or even if you got the air stream of a close pass by a big truck, would you have enough of the bars to be instantly braking and steering effectively to avoid hitting something or ending up on the ground or worse under the back wheels of an artic?

+1 to you maybe being on the wrong size frame too, its something to take your bike & see a reputable bike shop about. Depending on your budget and sale or PX-ability of your current bike, it may be worth considering switching.

snig

it's a GT Avalanche 1.0,I have upgrded a lot of the parts for the road,it's the correct size frame,I tried it out at my LBS before buying,changed the forks to rigid and wheels,riding the bike today I really don't know why I ride on my knuckles as when I'm not doing it the riding poistion seems fine? I mainly do it when coasting along or taking a breather, I keep catching myself doing it tho,I'll just play around with all the variables.

Cheers guys for the advice!

corshamjim

Yes, go for it. There's no real substitute for a bit of experimentation. I think it took me a few months to work out what setup I'm really comfortable with. I did find this advice helpful (ymmv).

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

giantsbrae

I got one of these from Edinbikeco-op aprox £20,make sure you get the right diameters,made a big difference