steerer tube, question about cutting?

tandel said:

I just purchased my first new road bike and the steer tube needs to be cut. The bike shop told me that they would charge me an extra 75.00 just to fit me and find out where it should be cut, in addition to the mucho dollars I paid them to put it together.

I was wondering if anyone knows how you figure out where your steer tube should be cut? Is there some kind of formula that you can use with my own measurments?

thanks for any help!

There are lots of websites that talk about bike fit - some work, some don't. IMHO, it's a matter of comfort.

Just a few notes though...

- the height of the bar (and levers for that matter) depends on the steerer tube. I assume that you're not going to race yet so comfort is more preferable.
- install the stem on the bars. Slide the stem on the fork's steerer tube and check for the reach, make sure you're not overreaching for the hoods.
- when you've found just the right height for the stem, mark the top of the stem on the tube.
- measure the distance from the headset to the bottom of the stem. purchase some spacers and put them there.
- cut the steerer tube ABOUT 3mm BELOW THE MARK YOU MADE.
- install the nut on the tube then screw in the cap.

* if your stem is angled (typically about 7°), you can try angling it up or down by reversing the stem to see which feels right for you.

HTH

Cheers!

e_guevara

tandel said:

I just purchased my first new road bike and the steer tube needs to be cut. The bike shop told me that they would charge me an extra 75.00 just to fit me and find out where it should be cut, in addition to the mucho dollars I paid them to put it together.

I was wondering if anyone knows how you figure out where your steer tube should be cut? Is there some kind of formula that you can use with my own measurments?

thanks for any help!

That does sound like a heavy charge, since it should be part of the basic build fee. Believe most riders like somewhere from 5 to 10 cm drop from the saddle to the bars. If you ride longer distances, and don't race, I'd go for the high side. You can always cut more off later.

But, you don't need to cut the tube right away. You can stack spacers on top of the stem, and play with stem height until you're sure you know where to cut. I rode with mine for at least a month this way before taking it back to the builder for the final coupe.

tandel said:

I just purchased my first new road bike and the steer tube needs to be cut. The bike shop told me that they would charge me an extra 75.00 just to fit me and find out where it should be cut, in addition to the mucho dollars I paid them to put it together.

I was wondering if anyone knows how you figure out where your steer tube should be cut? Is there some kind of formula that you can use with my own measurments?

thanks for any help!

That's cheap compared to possibly screwing up a fork and having to buy a new one. If ya just gotta do it,cut it too long and use spacers that can be moved around till you get the fit right(assuming it's threadless,as most new stuff is). You will probably also have to expeiment with different stem lengths and rise too(more expense). There ain't no formula that will get it right for a first timer. Sometimes it's better to just pay the bucks. If the shop screws up it's on them.

boudreaux said:

That's cheap compared to possibly screwing up a fork and having to buy a new one. If ya just gotta do it,cut it too long and use spacers that can be moved around till you get the fit right(assuming it's threadless,as most new stuff is). You will probably also have to expeiment with different stem lengths and rise too(more expense). There ain't no formula that will get it right for a first timer. Sometimes it's better to just pay the bucks. If the shop screws up it's on them.

Hey,
Thanks for the advice!

I really do not want to give this shop any more money as they had all of my parts/components (full Ultegra) in their shop for 5 days then call me to tell me that they don't have the brakes that I supplied to them. I never accused them of stealling, maybe misplacing them, but Manager response was his people would not steal my rather measly Ultegra stuff because they stock the Far Superior Dura-Ace and his employees would rather steal his top of the line inventoried stuff than my non-inventoried stuff. Nice way to rationalize to a customer huh? This [censored] from a supposedly reputable LBS. They did give me a new set of brakes at their own expense.

Plus, I pick up the assembled bike and the brakes are not aligned properly and rub and a ton of chatter in my second set of gears! 😠

tandel said:

Hey,
Thanks for the advice!

I really do not want to give this shop any more money as they had all of my parts/components (full Ultegra) in their shop for 5 days then call me to tell me that they don't have the brakes that I supplied to them. I never accused them of stealling, maybe misplacing them, but Manager response was his people would not steal my rather measly Ultegra stuff because they stock the Far Superior Dura-Ace and his employees would rather steal his top of the line inventoried stuff than my non-inventoried stuff. Nice way to rationalize to a customer huh? This [censored] from a supposedly reputable LBS. They did give me a new set of brakes at their own expense.

Plus, I pick up the assembled bike and the brakes are not aligned properly and rub and a ton of chatter in my second set of gears! 😠

Maybe there is another shop that is not full of morons?