Handle bars and stem!

[LibraRider]

So - the road bike I have bought recently is a little uncomfortable.
Had some advice from @vickster with regards to making it a better fit and the conclusion is:

- smaller handle bars - 38-40cm drop bars ideally
- Shorter stem - 90mm

if anyone has any lying around that they no longer have use of and wouldn’t mind passing on - I’d be very appreciative!

TIA

 

[Shadow121]

I sadly have no such parts, hopefully someone will come along
and be able to help.

 

[cyberknight]

Standard or oversize clamp bars?

 

[LibraRider]

Standard or oversize clamp bars?

Standard I think.

 

[Racing roadkill]

So - the road bike I have bought recently is a little uncomfortable.
Had some advice from @vickster with regards to making it a better fit and the conclusion is:

- smaller handle bars - 38-40cm drop bars ideally
- Shorter stem - 90mm

if anyone has any lying around that they no longer have use of and wouldn’t mind passing on - I’d be very appreciative!

TIA

Be careful with going shorter on the stem, it can make the handling a little ‘twitchy’ compared to the longer stem. Be aware of that the first time you ride with it. Have you tried simply turning the stem you have upside down ( stem flipping ). That might be worth a try before going for a shorter stem,

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Be careful with going shorter on the stem, it can make the handling a little ‘twitchy’ compared to the longer stem. Be aware of that the first time you ride with it.

Nonsense.

 

[Sharky]

With the drop bars, as well as being different widths, there are also "compact drops", which have less of a drop that makes it more comfortable switching from "tops" to "drops".

With the stem - have a lookout for adjustable ones, so you can vary the angle of the stem and raise/lower the bars.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Nonsense.

its not “nonsense” as anyone with any real experience of doing it will tell you ( like me, when I went from 130mm to 100 mm) it really did feel odd for a while.

 

[Racing roadkill]

With the drop bars, as well as being different widths, there are also "compact drops", which have less of a drop that makes it more comfortable switching from "tops" to "drops".

With the stem - have a lookout for adjustable ones, so you can vary the angle of the stem and raise/lower the bars.

Be wary of the ones you can adjust the angles and heights on, they have a tendency to wobble and creak after a while, due to the hinges, again in my experience.

 

[Sharky]

Be wary of the ones you can adjust the angles and heights on, they have a tendency to wobble and creak after a while, due to the hinges, again in my experience.

Agree - Have had one stem that just relied on a single nut being tightened and it did have a tendency to loosen. But had another that had a much more secure method which required almost dismantling before adjusting. Both were very useful in finding the optimal position and once found, went back to a standard stem with the right angle.

 

[si_c]

Also beware of the reach of the replacement bars. I just replaced the handlebars on my commuter, I reduced the stem by 10mm, but the reach of the bars is 20mm longer meaning that when on the hoods I'm even more stretched out that I was before.

It's definitely worth looking at the dimensions of any bars you wish to replace, especially with drops it's not always completely straight forward.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Also beware of the reach of the replacement bars. I just replaced the handlebars on my commuter, I reduced the stem by 10mm, but the reach of the bars is 20mm longer meaning that when on the hoods I'm even more stretched out that I was before.

It's definitely worth looking at the dimensions of any bars you wish to replace, especially with drops it's not always completely straight forward.

Careful, or some ‘internet expert’ may appear and tell you that the reach is a set parameter and you can’t change it with stems or bars. Seriously, I had that yesterday ( not on this site I hasten to add ).But yes you’re absolutely right in what you say there.

 

[si_c]

Careful, or some ‘internet expert’ may appear and tell you that the reach is a set parameter and you can’t change it with stems or bars. Seriously, I had that yesterday ( not on this site I hasten to add ).But yes you’re absolutely right in what you say there.

You can't change the frame reach with a stem or bars definitely, but you can change the overall position. Reach on a frame is important as you probably wouldn't want to be running a 140mm or 60mm stem to get your fit right!

 

[Racing roadkill]

You can't change the frame reach with a stem or bars definitely, but you can change the overall position. Reach on a frame is important as you probably wouldn't want to be running a 140mm or 60mm stem to get your fit right!

Quite right, it’s the effective reach you’re changing.

 

[cyberknight]

I probably have a standard clamp stem spare but your best to sort your bar out 1st as i could send you it and you could end up with an OS bar