Cannot adjust handlebar height on kids raleigh rawkus ?

Quoted message said:

Hi,

sorry for the dumb question, but I'd like to adjust the handlebar
height on my 13 year olds sons Raleigh Rawkus . I assumed that this
would be possible.. It has Oval shaped frame sections and front
suspension.. The handlebar column has two large nuts that I have tried
, one locks the other. It also has a long bolt from the top down which
uses an allen key to undo. I have removed this bolt and undone the two
larrge nuts, but all these seem to do is locck the front handlebars
colum to the frmae.

After much head scratching I concluded that the nike has no way of
changing the height of the front bars. Is that probable ?

Yes, modern bikes are [censored].
You can get a high-rise stem or possibly turn the original upside down
if is has a suitable offset.

--
Eiron

No good deed ever goes unpunished.

In article <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hi,

sorry for the dumb question, but I'd like to adjust the handlebar
height on my 13 year olds sons Raleigh Rawkus . I assumed that this
would be possible.. It has Oval shaped frame sections and front
suspension.. The handlebar column has two large nuts that I have tried
, one locks the other. It also has a long bolt from the top down which
uses an allen key to undo. I have removed this bolt and undone the two
larrge nuts, but all these seem to do is locck the front handlebars
colum to the frmae.

Rather than removing the allen bolt you need to undo it a few turns then
knock it down (put a bit of wood on it and whack that with a hammer) to
unlock the stem. There will be a "minimum insertion" mark on the stem.
Given the height of the bars relative to the seat on this model I'm
surprised that they need to be raised. The large nuts lower down are
the cone and locknut for the headset bearing, which will need to be
properly adjusted now that you've fiddled with it.

Rob Morley wrote on 10/09/2006 14:19 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Rather than removing the allen bolt you need to undo it a few turns then
knock it down (put a bit of wood on it and whack that with a hammer) to
unlock the stem.

Umm...he described an aheadset not a quill stem. Hammers are not needed.

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

Quoted message said:

sorry for the dumb question, but I'd like to adjust the handlebar
height on my 13 year olds sons Raleigh Rawkus . I assumed that this
would be possible.. It has Oval shaped frame sections and front
suspension.. The handlebar column has two large nuts that I have tried
, one locks the other. It also has a long bolt from the top down which
uses an allen key to undo. I have removed this bolt and undone the two
larrge nuts, but all these seem to do is locck the front handlebars
colum to the frmae.

After much head scratching I concluded that the nike has no way of
changing the height of the front bars. Is that probable ?

I think that from what you say the Raleigh Rawkus has a threaded
headset and quill stem. So to adjust the height undo the bolt at the
top of the stem a couple of tuns then hit it with a hammer to free the
stem by knocking out the wedge that expands the stem in the steerer.
The stem may well be stuck in the steerer so you may have to resort to
penetrating oil and or brute strength and ignorance to free it even
with the wedge loose.

The two large nuts are to adjust the headset bearings on which the
steerer rotates. You will have to put these back the way they were.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

[email hidden] wrote on 10/09/2006 13:41 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Hi,

sorry for the dumb question, but I'd like to adjust the handlebar
height on my 13 year olds sons Raleigh Rawkus . I assumed that this
would be possible.. It has Oval shaped frame sections and front
suspension.. The handlebar column has two large nuts that I have tried
, one locks the other. It also has a long bolt from the top down which
uses an allen key to undo. I have removed this bolt and undone the two
larrge nuts, but all these seem to do is locck the front handlebars
colum to the frmae.

After much head scratching I concluded that the nike has no way of
changing the height of the front bars. Is that probable ?

You have an aheadset which I suspect you will not be able to adjust.
The height is changed by putting spacers on the fork underneath the
stem. However it is likely that the fork steerer tube has been cut to
length for the current height and there is no chance of moving the stem
up without having too little steerer to clamp onto. If you are very
lucky there may be spacers above the stem and then you simply move them
from above to below the stem and put it back together.

The options you have are a riser stem and/or riser bars to lift the
height or fit a new fork with a long steerer so you can add spacers..

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

Tony Raven wrote on 10/09/2006 14:36 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Rob Morley wrote on 10/09/2006 14:19 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Rather than removing the allen bolt you need to undo it a few turns
then knock it down (put a bit of wood on it and whack that with a
hammer) to unlock the stem.

Umm...he described an aheadset not a quill stem. Hammers are not needed.

On re-reading, perhaps not.

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

Tony Raven said:

Rob Morley wrote on 10/09/2006 14:19 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Rather than removing the allen bolt you need to undo it a few turns then
knock it down (put a bit of wood on it and whack that with a hammer) to
unlock the stem.

Umm...he described an aheadset not a quill stem.

It's a funny aheadset system that has two large large nuts that lock
each other.

<OP>The handlebar column has two large nuts that I have tried
, one locks the other. </OP>

Sounds like a threaded steerer and quill to me.

Park's JPEGS will solve any misunderstanding.

Threaded http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=127

Aheadset http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=65
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

Phil Cook wrote on 10/09/2006 14:51 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Tony Raven said:

Rob Morley wrote on 10/09/2006 14:19 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Rather than removing the allen bolt you need to undo it a few turns then
knock it down (put a bit of wood on it and whack that with a hammer) to
unlock the stem.

Umm...he described an aheadset not a quill stem.

It's a funny aheadset system that has two large large nuts that lock
each other.

As I said, on re-reading.... I took that originally to be describing
the two allen head bolts that clamp the stem to the steerer but I see
now it is probably the top nuts of a threaded headset.

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

many thanks for all who took the trouble to rely. Excuse my poor
spelling and use of correct cycling frame terminology.

A couple of things to clarify

1) The large 'locking nuts" are large in terms of outer and inner
diameter, ie they are very thin, but screw onto the comparitivly wide
tube which splits to form the foirks below.

2) I understand the hammer tapping option, but my long threaded bol
appears to engage in a threaded hole at the top of the forks. i.e it
screws into the apex of the two forks. I don't *think* it screws into
a seperate-but-jammed block which sets the height.

I'll revisit this tomorrow in daylight, but I think , as one poster
noted, it's all fixed.

Tony Raven said:

Phil Cook wrote on 10/09/2006 14:51 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Tony Raven said:

Rob Morley wrote on 10/09/2006 14:19 +0100:
> Rather than removing the allen bolt you need to undo it a few turns then
> knock it down (put a bit of wood on it and whack that with a hammer) to
> unlock the stem.
Umm...he described an aheadset not a quill stem.

It's a funny aheadset system that has two large large nuts that lock
each other.

As I said, on re-reading.... I took that originally to be describing
the two allen head bolts that clamp the stem to the steerer but I see
now it is probably the top nuts of a threaded headset.

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

in message <[email hidden]>,

(') said:

many thanks for all who took the trouble to rely. Excuse my poor
spelling and use of correct cycling frame terminology.

A couple of things to clarify

1) The large 'locking nuts" are large in terms of outer and inner
diameter, ie they are very thin, but screw onto the comparitivly wide
tube which splits to form the foirks below.

Ah! Old type quill stem. DO NOT TOUCH those nuts, they hold the headset
together and have nothing to do with the handlebar height. Adjusting the
headset is a moderately skilled operation.

There is a bolt that runs down the axis of the steerer tube which comes out
at the top of the stem, usually with an allen key head. Unscrew it three
or four turns - not more - and then smack it smartly downwards with a lump
of rood or a rubber mallet if you have one. The stem should come loose.
Adjust the stem then retighten the bolt. the stem should have markings on
it for the maximum safe height - do not exceed these.

Quoted message said:

2) I understand the hammer tapping option, but my long threaded bol
appears to engage in a threaded hole at the top of the forks. i.e it
screws into the apex of the two forks. I don't *think* it screws into
a seperate-but-jammed block which sets the height.

It does.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Morning had broken. I found a rather battered tube of Araldite
resin in the bottom of the toolbag.

In article <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

many thanks for all who took the trouble to rely. Excuse my poor
spelling and use of correct cycling frame terminology.

A couple of things to clarify

1) The large 'locking nuts" are large in terms of outer and inner
diameter, ie they are very thin, but screw onto the comparitivly wide
tube which splits to form the foirks below.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Image:Br_threadedheadset.png

Quoted message said:

2) I understand the hammer tapping option, but my long threaded bol
appears to engage in a threaded hole at the top of the forks. i.e it
screws into the apex of the two forks. I don't *think* it screws into
a seperate-but-jammed block which sets the height.

I'll revisit this tomorrow in daylight, but I think , as one poster
noted, it's all fixed.

Fixed by time maybe, but not by design.

well after a good deal of hammering I can confirm that you were right !

There is a quill angled iron piece inside , but it was so badly
corroded that I had to resort to hitting it with a long metal rode
jammed down the inside of the tube. Eventually I dislodged it and it
sheared in 2. BUT - I now understand how it all works som many thanks.

Ironically I went into the local Town Bike shop, certain to get a
replacement, only to be told "we don't stock those" but have ordered
one, and found a similar in an old racer from the shed.

So once again, many thanks to one and all for the very practical advice