milnerpt

So after a few months of right had discomfort, and moving the shifter a little this way and that, I determined the problem was the stem was on the fork a little crooked, leaving me reaching with that hand a little more.

So I moved the stem, readjusted the headset, and it appears better... but does someone have a good way of lining the stem up with the front wheel better? I just had to eyeball it from above. Looking down at the stem bolts didnt help, as the rear of the stem (toward the saddle) is assymetrical, and makes it appear off, even when straight.

I figure someone may know a way to use a level with all this?

relyt

I've never found a way to do that. Discomfort is the only way to really tell.

I suppose you could tape a laser pointer to the stem faceplate and aim it at the top of the tire, and do it that way.

Road Fan

I can't figure out how to use a level for that, believe me I'd like to have more than just my eyes! But I don't.

So if you have to sight the stem, use the longest baseline available to line it up on: the view to the seatpost. Sometimes I adjust the stem so the bar clamp and the stem top visually align with the seatpost. The stem is straight when this is true. If the wheel as at the same time aligned with the frame, when it's all tightened the bars should be well aligned.

'luck! I still usually have to fix it on the road.

Hawaiiwrench

Put a straight edge somewhere around the fork crown, say on the front of the fork legs and sight your handlebar off of that.

Sturmcrow

You could lock the brakes down so that the tire can't rotate, use a marker to make a mark towards the top of the tire as close to the center as you can, and measure from the ends of handlebars to that mark. If the two measurements are the same, then you should be good to go.

That kinda sounds like a PITA though, so better advice is to use your eyeballs, but sight over the bar and try to get the ends of the axle in your field of view with the bar. You should be able to get the bars pretty straight by lining them up to be parallel with the axle.

Camilo

Like someone above said, tape a straight edge (dowel, yardstick, etc) across the fork legs, perpendicular to the fork legs (should be easy to do, measure up from the drop outs). Sight the handlebars against that and they should be aligned perfectly w/ wheel.

DaJMasta

I used my door frame, put the base of the fork up against the bottom plate, then gently tilted it up until the handlebars were both touching either side of the door with the same amount of space on either side. Of course my door frame is smaller than the average one, not sure whether handlebars would span some sizes of door.

DannoXYZ 

I usually eyeball it by looking straight down over the stem. Then move my head left and right with one eye-closed and make sure that both sides of the stem are parallel with both sides of the tyre.

WNG

If your front wheel is true, and the fork is straight, you can place a graduated straight edge from a point of your handlebar to a point at the front of the wheel.
Do the same for the other side of the bar, should be the same measurement if aligned.

I personally just eyeball it, has worked fine for me all these years.

z415

I eyeball and keep tools with me. Has worked well for me.

Camilo

I'm the one who posted the "yardstick" method, but I have to say, I've never used it. I just eyeball and then if it seems a little off when I ride it, I just remember which way it seemed off and adjust a tiny bit when I have the chance.

noglider 

I just eyeball it.

cbchess

Eyeball it just like you would eyeball a piece of lumber to see if the board is strait.
I look down my top tube and see if the wheel and stem line up.
Some times I will stand at the front of my bike and hold the front tire between my feet and make sure it is lined up the frame and rear tire then see if the handlebar and stem are line up right.
Other times I will stand behind the bike and hold the seat and look down the top tube - I try to line the tire up with the frame and then see if the stem is lined up as well.

Butterthebean

stretch a piece of string from the bar end to a fixed point, say the base of the seat post. Do this on both sides, should be the same distance. If it's not, usually means your stem is not straight...unless you have bent bars or a bent frame.

Retro Grouch 

Reminds me of when I was a kid. My mother would give me and my sister one candy bar to share. One of us would cut the candy bar in half, the other would get to choose which "half" they wanted. I'd study that candy bar intently trying to figure which "half" was bigger. What I learned from that experience was if it's so close that it's hard to see the difference, the difference isn't significant.

I kind of think the same is true of your stem and fork.

Butterthebean

Very very true. I would think that if the stem and bars are so out of adjustment that is it causing the rider pain, it would be visually apparent.

DannoXYZ 

Uh... the critical alignment is with the stem and front-wheel. You can always rotate the fork and end up with bar-ends that are equidistant from the seatpost, but your front-wheel may be aimed off to the side by 10 or 45-degrees.

One thing we haven't considered is that the OP may have different length arms.

dwr1961

Agreed. It could be a bio-mechanical issue. I messed up my left shoulder a while back. There followed a period where I wanted to tweak my bars to make the left-side reach shorter to relieve the pain... I never did it - but I sure wanted to!

I've seen pro bikes that have the brifters set up at different positions on the bars for comfort issues. I suspect that some of us "regular" folk might benefit form this as well.