shorter stem?

Felix-da-house-mouse
edited August 2007 in Road beginners
how do i measure my handle bars so i can order a shorter stem? or are they all a standard size?
felix's bike

pedal like you stole something!!!

Comments

  • With a vernier caliper.

    Road bike handlebar clamps are almost always 31.8mm or 26.0 mm these days.

    However, it's just possible you may have a stem and bar that are one of the older sizes.

    Cinelli bars and stems used to be 26.4mm.

    Almost all Japanese bars and stems were 25.4mm.

    Sheldon Brown has a listing of all the possibilities here:

    http://sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-handlebars.html
    John Stevenson
  • nmcgann
    nmcgann Posts: 1,780
    That's a nice bike, I've got a soft spot for those Cannondales in the Liquigas colours.

    The bars are almost certainly oversize - 31.8mm. Most current bikes come with O/S bars, despite the fact that it makes fitting any bar-mounted accessory rather difficult (not due to the diameter as most things have O/S clamps available, but due to the long tapered section).

    Neil
    --
    "Because the cycling is pain. The cycling is soul crushing pain."
  • blorg
    blorg Posts: 1,169
    There is a good chance that the measurement is printed on the handlebar where it is clamped by the stem, possibly on your existing stem also.
  • Garybee
    Garybee Posts: 815
    blorg wrote:
    There is a good chance that the measurement is printed on the handlebar where it is clamped by the stem, possibly on your existing stem also.

    Good point, you may have to remove the front cap of your stem but it should be stamped/printed somewhere around there.

    Hypocrisy is only a bad thing in other people.
  • Did you mean shorter as in the length???
    handlebars are measured from centre to centre at the plug ends ie 42-44-46-cms
    stems are measured usually from centre to centre also and vary in lengths yours looks like a 120 or 130 you can get smaller ones.
    http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?c ... 0&LIMIT=32
  • ricadus
    ricadus Posts: 2,379
    There's one brand – can't remember at the mo – that measures from the outside edge of the bars.