Bicycle Mechanics - Raising the handelbars

I need to raise the handelbars on my Trek 8000 it has an allen head in the center of the stem. I am new to bike repairs and not sure how to do this. The handle bars are to low and I am bent over too much.

Thanks John

Do you mean they are angled to low or aren't raised up enough?

Do you mean they are angled to low or aren't raised up enough?
They are too low. I need them raised out of the stem. The angle is ok.

If the stem is a threadless type (it will have two bolts on the back to clamp it to the fork, then you will need to get either an extension (available from Performance) or a new fork and have the steerer tube cut longer than your current fork.

If you have a threaded type stem (no two bolts in the back) that goes down inside the fork steerer tube, then you can try raising it by loosening the allen bolt a few turns. Put a piece of wood on the bolt head and whack it with a hammer to loosen the wedge at the bottom of the stem. This will make the stem loose. Raise it up where you like it and tighten the bolt.

Be very careful that you don't raise the stem too far. A threaded type stem will have a minumium insertion mark. If you need more height than the stem allows, then you will need to get a new stem. Be sure to get one with the correct clamp diameter for your bars.

If it is a Trek 8000 of recent years that you own, it is a threadless stem which means you cannot raise the handlebars in the manner you could have back in previous generations of mountain bikes that came with a threaded stem. That allen bolt you see in the middle is a bolt that holds the cap of the headset to the star nut which is inserted inside the steerer tube.

Your options are to get a stem with more of an acute angle (Salsa makes some good ones in the $20 - $25 price range), an adjustable stem that allows you to raise the bars high enough to please you and also the option of getting a stem extender as mentioned in a previous post as this allows you to remove the stem from the fork, install the extender and then attach the stem to the extender which gives you usually about 1 1/2" up to 3" of additional height from your current set up. There are a couple of models of these available in silver or black and I think run in the teens to around $20 some odd bucks. Another option is to get a riser handlebar as the Trek 8000's come with a flat bar. This, depending on how much rise you get in the bar, will give you a little extra height.

And yet another option includes getting a new steerer for your fork that is longer and cut to a length allowing room for more spacers, raising your stem and using several spacers to get the proper height.

Each option (or combination of options) comes with varying degrees of achieving a more comfortable position that what you describe you are feeling at the moment. You can do it ecomically or you can go all out and spend a lot of cash - depending on which option you choose.

BB

For clarity, here are a coupla pics to help visualize the two types of stem described here.

Threadless: http://harriscyclery.net/site/images/library/catalogs/soc/prodl/SM2390.jpg

Threaded (or quill): http://harriscyclery.net/site/images/library/catalogs/soc/prodl/SM2180.jpg

One possibility: if it's a threadless stem, and it angles slightly downward, it can probably be removed and inverted, so it angles slightly upward. That might buy you the added height you need.