Ok, I'm totally new to cycling. I just bought my first bike today, a Trek 7000 Hybrid. I know hardly anything about bikes (ok, nothing really), but after shopping around, I knew I'd found good quality in this Trek. I love it! The only thing is, I want to raise the handlebars, but don't want to do anything without advice from someone who knows. The seat's as low as it'll go but I still feel more hunched over than I want to.
Can I raise the handlebars? If so, by how much? Should I have a pro do it, or is it something I can do myself? The sticker on the handlebars says something like "DO NOT ADJUST", but it's half torn so I can't read it all. Here's a link to the model I bought:
The spec page says that your bike has an adjustable rise stem. These usually work by loosening a bolt, tilting the stem up to the height you want, then tightening it back again. (If you do it yourself, keep a note how how much you loosened it, so you can tighten it up to at least the same level.)
Trek offer some info and instructions in their online bike manual.
If the adjustability of the stem isn't enough, you can get steerer tube extenders that will let a bike shop mechanic mount the stem higher.
If the handlebar is too low, you're better off adjusting that, rather than compensating 'the other way around' by lowering the seat. The position of the seat relative to the saddle also has an optimum position. Lowering the seat too much can have some unintended consequences with general discomfort on the bike, strange/improper positioning of your knees and general leg position while pedalling, and reducing your pedalling efficiency.
The spec page says that your bike has an adjustable rise stem. These usually work by loosening a bolt, tilting the stem up to the height you want, then tightening it back again. (If you do it yourself, keep a note how how much you loosened it, so you can tighten it up to at least the same level.)
Trek offer some info and instructions in their online bike manual.
If the adjustability of the stem isn't enough, you can get steerer tube extenders that will let a bike shop mechanic mount the stem higher.
If the handlebar is too low, you're better off adjusting that, rather than compensating 'the other way around' by lowering the seat. The position of the seat relative to the saddle also has an optimum position. Lowering the seat too much can have some unintended consequences with general discomfort on the bike, strange/improper positioning of your knees and general leg position while pedalling, and reducing your pedalling efficiency.
Thanks for that rek. I was wondering how to get a manual, as I bought the bike "used" off someone else. Thanks a million!
To raise or lower the handle bars, there is a hex nut on the top of the quill. IIRC, it takes a 6 mm Allen wrench. There might be a plastic cover over the nut. If so, pry it off with a small screwdriver. Loosen the nut, place the bar where you want it, and tighten. Snap the plastic cover back over the nut if you had one. Here is a drawing of a similar stem nashbar.comATBCOMFQ.PDFOpen ↗
The sticker that says "do not adjust" refers to the nut on the side of the stem. Do not touch that one. To change the reach from the seat to the bar, loosen the nuts on the front of the stem, position the bar where you want it, and tighten the nuts.
