Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Installing Risers

There has to be a better way to install risers.
I searched the forum but cant seem to find how to install them specifically.
My friend said I have to use force. (worked for him, not for me)
He also said theres a tool. Any input would help to guide me in the right direction.
Sorry if this was supposed to be in Bike Mechanics section but I figured more people in here have risers.

I forgot to add theyre 2" answer pro-taper risers with a nitto stem

what exactly are you trying to install? risers just go in the stem clamp. all you need is an allen key and youre set. clamp it down.

the bar gets stuck at either of these two points because of the bend in the bars.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/ootranceformeroo/answerproriser.jpg

Just be careful. If you use too much force, you'll gouge the paint on the bars...

I'm assuming you're not trying to fit 31.8 bars into a 25.4 stem.

Use a flathead screwdriver to pry the clamp open. Twist the bars a lot also.

i didn't have any issues putting risers into my nitto stem, make sure your bar and stem size match up

i think he's refering to the bends in the risers which don't "easily" go through the stem.

i sure hope he's not trying to fit 30.0+ into a 25.4mm

get a stem with a removeable face

Some of these bars just aren't meant to go into quill stems, they're MTB stuff after all.

You can buy snap ring pliers that pry stuff open, but they're probably not much better than a screwdriver and another pair of hands. Some shops do keep them around, though, FWIW.

if the bar doesn't fit into stem:

1. check to make sure that the hole in the stem (the clamp) is big enough for the bars. check the diameters of each. technical note: your nitto stem most likely has a 25.4mm clamp. the protapers come in 25.4mm and 31.8mm varieties. naturally, the 31.8mm bar will not fit in the 25.4 stem. from looking at pictures of the 31.8mm protaper bars, it looks like you'd be able to get the stem up to those bends. that's where the diameter of the bar seems to drastically increase.

2. if the bars are indeed meant to interface with the stem, then check to see if the stem clamp looks crimped or otherwise malformed. sometimes idiots will tighten down a stem clamp when there is no bar inside, which will cause the hole to become smaller. you can remedy this as suggested above -- pry it open.

i suspect that once you evaluate the things in steps one and two, you'll figure out what the problem is. sometimes it can be a little tricky to get a stem onto certain types of drop bars, but the agony that you describe is simply not going to happen with risers unless something is afoot.

nitto makes a spreader tool for quill stems, too.

I highly doubt that you're going to make a 2" rise work without an open face stem. You could always bend the hell out of what you have, but I'd just buy a new stem.

Hey sorry yeah they're both 25.4 so it should fit without a doubt.
I guess Ill try taking a screw driver to it and try prying it open and Ill keep you posted. Thanks guys.

I highly doubt that you're going to make a 2" rise work without an open face stem. You could always bend the hell out of what you have, but I'd just buy a new stem.

just to see how absurd it would look, i threw some dumb ass 4-5" riser bars in a nitto jaguar. the angles on the bends were pretty severe. it was definitely ****ing ********, but the bars went in without too much hassle.

i'm thinking that it's going to be a two man job of prying, twisting, and sliding. some grease might not be the worst idea.

just to see how absurd it would look, i threw some dumb ass 4-5" riser bars in a nitto jaguar. the angles on the bends were pretty severe. it was definitely ****ing ********, but the bars went in without too much hassle.

Admit it, you're still rocking that set-up!

I have a riser on my fixed gear, probably about a 2 inch rise. To get the on my quill stem I used a large flat piece of hardened steel to pry it open. This was not a screw driver, I tried that and bent it. Just watch the threading on the quill stem and make sure you do not us your lever on the threads. It will work, just use force, not enough to break it though.

Go easy on your stem as you pry it, it's aluminum (I bet) and excessive force might stress it and risk a catastrophic failure later.

If both stem and bar are the same size, but we're talking about an ordinary, traditional type Nitto stem, then those bends are not going to go through unless you somehow spread the stem clamp open as much as it needs. A big, wide, ordinary flat screwdriver tip usually does the trick. Just be careful you don't eat into the aluminum alloy of the stem clamp.

I've had that problem. The simple fix is so turn the bars upside down, to where the "rise" bend is facing the opening on the bottom of stem. Throw a rag over the end of the bars, grab onto the stem and bang it with a hammer. A few swift, strong hits with a hammer get's it through.

Seems drastatic but it does no harm to either components, other than maybe some scratches on the bars from the rubbing, no big deal.

hey guys, I got it in. Took a pry bar to it and it opened up pretty easily. Easier than a screw driver or something like that. Thanks guys for the help!

http://cole.nitroy.com/Files/Temp/risers.png

Does anyone else feel like this is the wrong way of going about things. Far more critism then help. Barely one page of help for the OP, and 6+ pages of riser bar hate....

Hahaha.

Yeah, but the problem was solved in less than a page. The hate will go on forever. That's how us humans work.

Yeah, but the problem was solved in less than a page. The hate will go on forever. That's how us humans work.

*Pours a glass of whiskey... So true.

anybody have any ideas on how i get those ****ing bb's out of the heads of the bolts on my stem?

*Pours a glass of whiskey... So true.

pass me the bottle....

anybody have any ideas on how i get those ****ing bb's out of the heads of the bolts on my stem?


grill lighter.

you go to ccp still? was that you i nodded to the other day, with the orangish bike?

yeah, i go to ccp. dropped my main campus class though so im only at the west branch. And yeah, i ride an orange bike. Whats up man? Are you the guy on the raliegh id see at main all the time?

the rush hour, yeah

so with the grill lighter, just apply the heat till they drop out? i tried with my zippo for a while this afternoon with no luck, but i don't think it is as hot a a grill lighter.

anysort of butane, like a bic. i would use a long grill one because i have one and its longer so i wont burn my fingers, it takes a few seconds, but it eventually melts the wax. If its hot glue or something you might wait longer.

oh........yeah i used super glue

ohhhh. um, i'd say chip away at it with a smaller flathead screwdriver maybe? or a soldering iron??

another way to spread the clamp on a quill stem, and one that will prevent gouging the thing with a screwdriver, is to undo the allen key til it's all the way out of the front, insert a quarter into the gap , and re-tighten the bolt. as it won't be able to get past the quarter it will spread the clamp as you continue to turn the key

^dude, rad. I will use this. im sick of nicking up the inside of my stem gaps with screwdrives.

is this real?

another way to spread the clamp on a quill stem, and one that will prevent gouging the thing with a screwdriver, is to undo the allen key til it's all the way out of the front, insert a quarter into the gap , and re-tighten the bolt. as it won't be able to get past the quarter it will spread the clamp as you continue to turn the key

I was actually going to do this except with a tool for car brakes. It works the same way but pushes the piston from the caliper in. Same concept but the pry bar worked first. haha