How to raise or lower your handlebars (for dummies)

(fred) said:

Most average bikes have a screw that can be loosened with an allen
wrench (this will loosen the handlebars for raising and lowering). The
screw is located at the top of the "stem" (the part that descends into
the frame). Remember to always leave at least 2 inches inside the
frame to prevent any catastrophe.

Too late. Read any news lately?

--
Ted Bennett
Portland OR

[email hidden] (fred) wrote in news:f139121b.0405141655.3b702007
@posting.google.com:

Quoted message said:

Most average bikes have a screw that can be loosened with an allen
wrench (this will loosen the handlebars for raising and lowering).

This only works if you have a threaded headset. Most bikes sold in the last
5 years have a threadless headset. Adjusting the height of a threadless stem
is a lot more complicated.

fred said:

Most average bikes have a screw that can be loosened with an allen
wrench (this will loosen the handlebars for raising and lowering). The
screw is located at the top of the "stem" (the part that descends into
the frame). Remember to always leave at least 2 inches inside the
frame to prevent any catastrophe.

That's a bit of an oversimplification. I have a whole article on this=20
topic at: http://sheldonbrown.com/handsup

Sheldon "Insert Nickname Here" Brown
+---------------------------------------------+
| If your bike has drop handlebars, but you |
| rarely or never ride on the drops, it=92s a |
| sure sign that your bike is not properly |
| fitted or is not properly adjusted! |
+---------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Ken said:

This only works if you have a threaded headset. Most bikes sold in the last
5 years have a threadless headset. Adjusting the height of a threadless stem
is a lot more complicated.

Not complicated. Often quite easy...Just unscrew the stem and flip
it if it's pointing down.

I suspect the OP was designed specifically to start a
threaded-vs-threadless war in a sneaky way...
--
Rick Onanian

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

Quoted message said:

Ken said:

This only works if you have a threaded headset. Most bikes sold in the last
5 years have a threadless headset. Adjusting the height of a threadless stem
is a lot more complicated.

Not complicated. Often quite easy...Just unscrew the stem and flip
it if it's pointing down.

Have you noticed that on many (if not most) new bikes with drop-handlebars, the
front brake cable is cut to exactly the right length for the height of the bar
as delivered?

This means:

A. a saving to the manufacturer of as much as 0.25 cents per bike, and
B. you cannot flip the stem to raise the bars an inch or two, unless you are
prepared to strip the tape and fit a new brake cable.

So what would be a three minute free operation becomes a matter of a couple
hours and a small pile of dollars. But at least you saved some guy that quarter
of a cent.

Quoted message said:

I suspect the OP was designed specifically to start a
threaded-vs-threadless war in a sneaky way...

Makes a nice change, huh? :-)
--
Mark South
Citizen of the World, Denizen of the Net
<<Tiens! Ce poulet a une grenade!>>