Handlebars Behind Steerer Tube?

"Harry" wrote: (clip) What might be the consequences of moving the
handlebars to a position directly above or behind the steerer tube?
My main concern is safety because I don't need to endanger my stoker (or
myself) by trying something the consequences of which I don't
understand.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I can remember 60+ years ago, that the kids all had bikes with "steer horn"
handlebars. The grips were well behind the fork axis, and they worked fine.
Reversing the stem, it seems to me, is just an unconventional way of
accomplishing what you want, and is worth a try.

Now I'll brace myself--seems like every time I give my technical opinion, a
lot of people jump on me.

Leo Lichtman said:

"Harry" wrote: (clip) What might be the consequences of moving the
handlebars to a position directly above or behind the steerer tube?
My main concern is safety because I don't need to endanger my stoker (or
myself) by trying something the consequences of which I don't
understand.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I can remember 60+ years ago, that the kids all had bikes with "steer horn"
handlebars. The grips were well behind the fork axis, and they worked fine.
Reversing the stem, it seems to me, is just an unconventional way of
accomplishing what you want, and is worth a try.

"Steer horn" handlebars still exist, Leo. AS you have correctly pointed
out, steering will be the same from any handlebar position, as they just
rotate around the steering axis. The effect on proper ergonomics is not
so simple, but I'll not comment on that.

Quoted message said:

Now I'll brace myself--seems like every time I give my technical opinion, a
lot of people jump on me.

Still smarting from being slapped down after your advice to someone who
wanted to put a 0.2 mm undersized seat post in his bike? Well, you were
wrong about that one.

--
Ted Bennett
Portland, OR

On Thu, 02 Dec 2004 21:17:59 -0600, Harry <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I have found a device called an ASX-50 Adjustable Stem which is sold
by Santana Cycles and some tandem dealers which allows an infinite
amount of adjustment in a 2" (50mm) arc. The best picture I have found
is in Precision Tandems' catalog:
http://www.precisiontandems.com/catframepart.htm
From the menu on the left select H-Bar Stems and then scroll down to:
Handlebar Riser - ASX-50 - 50mm Bridge

This device, in conjunction with a variety of stems, would allow a
huge range of positions of the handlebars.

I see no good reason why this shouldn't work; you might not even
notice the slight difference in the geometry of the handlbar motions,
and would doubtless quickly get used to it regardless.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Harry said:

What might be the consequences of moving the
handlebars to a position directly above or behind the steerer tube?

I once did that to a kid's bike. He'd been given a small ten speed bike
that had too much reach for him. (Well, for a while it did, anyway.)

The backwards stem looked strange, but it seemed to work fine. He rode
the bike quite a bit (including long rides) and when he eventually grew
into it, I turned the stem back around.

As I recall, the stem had pretty short extension. I don't know if it
would feel weird with a longer stem extension, having the handlebars
further behind the steering axis.

--
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com.
Substitute cc dot ysu dot
edu]

The only problem with this is if you put any weight on the bars when you
ride. If you do, you have a teeter totter with one hand on each side. This
is not going to be as stable as the conventional position.

"Harry" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have requested opinions about how to reduce the saddle to handlebar
distance on my tandem. The details can be found in the thread: "Move
Saddle Forward?"
( [email hidden] )

My saddle is as far forward as it can get on the rails and I have as
short a stem as I can get locally. The distance between the two is
still too great. I received some great advice in response to my "Move
Saddle Forward" question (I will consider a straight seatpost as well
as a super short stem,) but an additional idea was mentioned that I
wish to consider: What might be the consequences of moving the
handlebars to a position directly above or behind the steerer tube?

My main concern is safety because I don't need to endanger my stoker
(or myself) by trying something the consequences of which I don't
understand. I know that this would not look "right," but the main
person whom I try to impress is my stoker and she has already said she
wouldn't have a problem with it. I realize that this would be a
stop-gap measure, but if we need to have a custom tandem frame built,
I would prefer to be able to ride our bike in reasonable comfort while
we research our options for a new frame.

I have found a device called an ASX-50 Adjustable Stem which is sold
by Santana Cycles and some tandem dealers which allows an infinite
amount of adjustment in a 2" (50mm) arc. The best picture I have found
is in Precision Tandems' catalog:
http://www.precisiontandems.com/catframepart.htm
From the menu on the left select H-Bar Stems and then scroll down to:
Handlebar Riser - ASX-50 - 50mm Bridge

This device, in conjunction with a variety of stems, would allow a
huge range of positions of the handlebars.

TIA,
HarryB

Sounds to me like it might work. may feel a little funny at first. They
also make (at least I think thay still do) seatposts that extend
forwards as well. for the same reasons, some people don't want, cant
find or cannot afford a frame that fits properly.

- -

"May you have the wind at your back.
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

Quoted message said:

On Thu, 02 Dec 2004 21:17:59 -0600, Harry <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I have found a device called an ASX-50 Adjustable Stem which is sold
by Santana Cycles and some tandem dealers which allows an infinite
amount of adjustment in a 2" (50mm) arc. The best picture I have found
is in Precision Tandems' catalog:
http://www.precisiontandems.com/catframepart.htm
From the menu on the left select H-Bar Stems and then scroll down to:
Handlebar Riser - ASX-50 - 50mm Bridge
This device, in conjunction with a variety of stems, would allow a
huge range of positions of the handlebars.

Werehatrack said:

I see no good reason why this shouldn't work; you might not even
notice the slight difference in the geometry of the handlbar motions,
and would doubtless quickly get used to it regardless.

You call that a good picture?
http://www.yellowjersey.org/ax50.html

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Fri, 03 Dec 2004 20:46:38 -0600, A Muzi <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

On Thu, 02 Dec 2004 21:17:59 -0600, Harry <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I have found a device called an ASX-50 Adjustable Stem which is sold
by Santana Cycles and some tandem dealers which allows an infinite
amount of adjustment in a 2" (50mm) arc. The best picture I have found
is in Precision Tandems' catalog:
http://www.precisiontandems.com/catframepart.htm
From the menu on the left select H-Bar Stems and then scroll down to:
Handlebar Riser - ASX-50 - 50mm Bridge
This device, in conjunction with a variety of stems, would allow a
huge range of positions of the handlebars.

Werehatrack said:

I see no good reason why this shouldn't work; you might not even
notice the slight difference in the geometry of the handlbar motions,
and would doubtless quickly get used to it regardless.

You call that a good picture?
http://www.yellowjersey.org/ax50.html

Yes, your pix does a very good job of showing the device "in action."
I guess the reason I didn't find yours is that you call the device an
"AX50" while Santana's print catalog refers to it as an "ASX-50." It
does appear they are both the same thing, but when I googled I
searched for an "ASX-50."

BTW, have you had any negative customer feedback on the device? I've
wondered if it damages the finish of the handlebar since it appears to
clamp on a part of the bar that, in my case, will eventually be
exposed once I have found the sweet spot for my handlebars and replace
it with an appropriate stem.

Cheers,
HarryB