Are stem extenders safe??

[Maccer67]

Hi , are stem extenders safe ?? I'm just over 6ft 3inch and nearly 54 and have back ache with my current position of about 8cm below my saddle just wanted to know if a stem extender was ok , I have a Boardman road bike , many thanks

 

[I like Skol]

Personally I wouldn't use one if there were other options. Is it possible to flip or replace the stem to achieve a height increase without resorting to the extender? I would also avoid adjustable stems as I would have difficulty trusting the integrity of these bearing in mind they are usually made by cheaper/unknown brands and are a safety critical component.

 

[Sharky]

I'm sure they are, but have you considered high rise stems? You can get the latter with45° rise, which will give a much higher position.

Good luck

 

[Sharky]

I'm sure they are, but have you considered high rise stems? You can get the latter with45° rise, which will give a much higher position.

Good luck

Re High rise stems, something like this
https://m.lightinthebox.com/p/bike-...SYMC6I2NxnE0x6LV8EYbm1nc5GxMipQAaAtV0EALw_wcB

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I've used one (threaded headset) on my old MTB for touring. It carries a handlebar bag as well. It's clocked up a fair few miles.

I haven't had problems but it's not at its limit and I check it regularly enough.

 

[Blue Hills]

Personally I wouldn't use one if there were other options. Is it possible to flip or replace the stem to achieve a height increase without resorting to the extender? I would also avoid adjustable stems as I would have difficulty trusting the integrity of these bearing in mind they are usually made by cheaper/unknown brands and are a safety critical component.

I'm still using an adjustable stem for a 1 inch threaded headset that came on a hybrid getting on for a quarter of a century ago. Kalloy. I find your view odd skol.

 

[I like Skol]

I'm still using an adjustable stem for a 1 inch threaded headset that came on a hybrid getting on for a quarter of a century ago. Kalloy. I find your view odd skol.

Odd, maybe?

But maybe it's because I use my bikes quite hard and don't want to introduce additional failure points on components I am likely to stress 'to the limit'. If you bimble around at a leisurely pace and never ride anything a bit rough at speed then certainly extenders and adjustable stems are probably perfectly adequate, but that doesn't describe my riding style so I avoid such compromise components.

 

[Sharky]

I'm still using an adjustable stem for a 1 inch threaded headset that came on a hybrid getting on for a quarter of a century ago. Kalloy. I find your view odd skol.

I had an adjustable stem on my TT bike, to get a really low position. It was easy to adjust, but vibrations caused the bolts to loosen and the bars slipped.

The next one I got was much more secure as it had a safety ratchet gizmo, that stopped it from slipping, even if the bolts came loose. But it was a pain to make micro adjustments.

Currently using a high rise stem, which is lighter and feels more secure. Now being used to give me a higher position, rather than an extreme low position.

 

[BalkanExpress]

Personally I wouldn't use one if there were other options. Is it possible to flip or replace the stem to achieve a height increase without resorting to the extender? I would also avoid adjustable stems as I would have difficulty trusting the integrity of these bearing in mind they are usually made by cheaper/unknown brands and are a safety critical component.

Good ones are available, for example, from the fine engineering mind of Tom Ritchey.

https://eu.ritcheylogic.com/eu_en/bike/stems/4-axis-adjustable-stem

 

[I like Skol]

Good ones are available, for example, from the fine engineering mind of Tom Ritchey.

https://eu.ritcheylogic.com/eu_en/bike/stems/4-axis-adjustable-stem

Still think I would stick to using a good, fixed angle stem without an extender. Maybe use an adjustable stem to find your best position then swap to a suitable fixed version?

 

[Drago]

Decent quality risers are fine. They require careful fitting and torquing, and regular scrutiy for cracks etc is a wise policy, but otherwise theyre quite safe.

 

[Leaway2]

I have one fitted on the shopping bike. Its been on a long time. I got it from Ebay.

Edit: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-have-you-fettled-today.87079/post-5647054

 

[Maccer67]

I'm sure they are, but have you considered high rise stems? You can get the latter with45° rise, which will give a much higher position.

Good luck

Personally I wouldn't use one if there were other options. Is it possible to flip or replace the stem to achieve a height increase without resorting to the extender? I would also avoid adjustable stems as I would have difficulty trusting the integrity of these bearing in mind they are usually made by cheaper/unknown brands and are a safety critical component.

Just flipped my stem , seems better on short ride just had , thanks for the advice 👍

 

[Blue Hills]

Odd, maybe?

But maybe it's because I use my bikes quite hard and don't want to introduce additional failure points on components I am likely to stress 'to the limit'. If you bimble around at a leisurely pace and never ride anything a bit rough at speed then certainly extenders and adjustable stems are probably perfectly adequate, but that doesn't describe my riding style so I avoid such compromise components.

Thanks for the charge of being a bimbler
Any time you fancy a nonstop ride from wolverhampton to the ribble valley along canals through country parks and woods carrying a ton of gear on the back let me know.

 

[ColinJ]

I spent years riding around with a flipped stem and lots of spacers under it, because I thought that was what I needed to do to deal with my backache. In fact, it wasn't the drop to the bars that had been the problem, it was the reach.

I borrowed my cousin's bike when on holiday. It was the same frame and size as mine but he had a different setup. It felt much better despite having a low bar position. When I got home I adapted my bike - details HERE. That is much more comfortable for me.