Touring - Help: Raising handbars by 2"+ on Trek 520

New to the forum and this is my first time posting.

I have a 1990 trek 520 touring bike with a 19 inch frame. My wife wants to start riding this bike again after not doing so for many years. The problem with this bike is that the handlebars are pretty low in comparison to saddle height. They are about 2 inches lower than the seat when the stem is extended to it's maximum height. This is a pretty uncomfortable riding position for a road touring bike. I want to raise the bars about 2 inches, parallel to the seat, to make the ride more comfortable. I ordered a new stem ,which is substantially longer, that will let me raise the bars the additional height. I never raised handlebars this much before I was uncertain how much additional reach I should add to the stem to compensate for movement rearward along the headtube axis. By my calculations the handlebars will move rearward 17.5mm when the stem is raise 2 inches (the bike has a 71 degree head tube angle). My intuition says to order a stem with a 17.5mm longer reach. This would place the bars at the same distance forward from the seat except at a 2 inch higher height.

My question is: Is this the correct logic? I'm concerned that the rearward shift of the handlebars towards the seat is normal, and by design, of the bike designer. This rearward movement of the stem keeps the average rider in the proper comfortable position. It seems like a more upright riding position would require that the bars move closer to the saddle.

To the root of it all. Should I order a stem with a longer reach if I'm planning to raise the handlebars by this much???

I don't know if it matters but the current stem is 80mm long. It's angle appears to be the negative of the headtube angle.

Thanks for any helpful comments.

I just checked, and on my 95 520, which is a 21", the seat is also about 2" higher than the bars with the stem extended to the line. I have also rotated the bars a bit so that the hoods come up and back somewhat, and with that change the fit works ok for me. You might try that but if you want more height your logic sounds correct on the longer stem reach with the higher stem.

At nashbar.com you can buy a stem extender to raise the stem up. I believe you have a quill stem on the bike they have them in stock. Mine had the 1 1/8 inch stem and I had to get the extender that slides over the fork tube. but hey it lifted it up where I needed it and it works great. I would also buy some bar padding for the handle bar and some fresh bar tape her hands will love you for it.

My question is: Is this the correct logic? I'm concerned that the rearward shift of the handlebars towards the seat is normal, and by design, of the bike designer. This rearward movement of the stem keeps the average rider in the proper comfortable position. It seems like a more upright riding position would require that the bars move closer to the saddle.

To the root of it all. Should I order a stem with a longer reach if I'm planning to raise the handlebars by this much???



The "rearward shift" is due to the angle of the steering tube, which is dictated by steering geometry, it doesn't have anything to do with handlebar position.

I find that positioning the handlebars is tricky, rather small adjustments can make a big difference in comfort. It might be worth your while to get from Nashbar a threadless stem adapter ($13), an adjustable stem (also $13) and possibly a stem riser ($20). This would allow you to fine-tune your handlebar position both for height and reach. Once you find the ideal position you can replace the pieces with a stem that maintains the same position (or not; I ended up keeping an adjustable stem on two of my bikes).

Another factor is handlebar angle; you'll want to try twisting the bars to find the correct hand position.

When I raised my bars, I found the brake cables were not long enough and had to be replaced. Be prepared for that.

Enter you data here:

http://www.zinncycles.com/stemFit.aspx

OK...I'm used to seeing geometry where the stem is a steeper angle than the seattube.
The 520 is the reverse of this. I won't speculate as to why that's the case but it does mean "taller" makes the seat and bars "closer." As DCCommuter mentions, this is probably related to steering. It may not even affect the bar "front back" much.

In any case, the stem extender mentioned by DCCommuter is something I'm familiar with.
http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=119&subcategory=1186&sku=4264&brand=

I have one made by "Zoom". It works flawlessly with a threadless stem (aka: "Aheadset"). Available in 1 inch and 1-1/8 inch stem sizes.

My suggestion would be to start with that as it gives you lots of room to adjust (3.5 inches) and use something like this: http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=119&subcategory=1186&brand=&sku=6217&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=
...to give you more rise, but more importantly, keep the bars out front where you want them. (if that's indeed where you want them) The added rise of the latter will let you minimize the rearward move of the bars toward the seat as you raise it using the stem (due to the backward geometry)

Ditto DCCommuter's comment on the cables. I installed the riser on my bike and had to get new brake cables too.

I am using a Kalloy Adjustable Stem (1" - threaded) to raise and position the handlebar on my 1982 Trek 614. They're available on ebay for $20 plus shipping. Also available from Gaerlan's for $25 in 1" or 1 1/8".

http://home.austin.rr.com/cptxusa/Kalloy%20Adj%20Stem-sm.jpg

(This image was taken before retaping, obviously! I have since lowered the stem into the steering tube and raised the adjustable arm to bring the handlebar closer.)

Check out Gaerlans, they have a variety of handlebar raising solutions (http://www.gaerlan.com/bikeparts/parts/stem/stems.html).

"Tex"