Surly Disc Trucker - How long should I leave steering tube?
 

Well, we got our Disc Truckers. I had them give them to us with the steering tube uncut since they insisted on cutting it to the length they thought it should be with no extra. This is from them taking a measurement from a different bike we were measured on to determine frame size. The steering tubes were going to be cut before we had seen them or sat on them for the first time. So I said no.

Of course this is going to take a lot more time on my end to get the bikes in riding condition. I've got a star nut installer and cutting guide ordered. Then there is the matter of spacers.

Surly Truckers come with four 10mm spacers. On my bike this leaves the bars a little over an inch lower than the top of the seat. My bb to seat distance is pretty well dialed in, but I will have to do some careful fitting on my wife (who is very new to riding) before I determine hers.

So I have two questions.

1. As a starting point, where would you position the handlebars in relation to the seat?
2. After that has been determined, how much steering tube would you leave above the stem for the initial cut?

Right now with the tube uncut, there is about 70mm of tube left above the stem with the 40mm of spacers underneath. I don't have any other spacers and the star nut is not installed, so as long as I have to wait for everything I might as well make a cut as soon as everything arrives to make the steering tube a reasonable length.

I would like to have plenty of room for adjustment for our first riding season while not having an unreasonable amount of steering tube above the stem. Stems might also get changed in the near future. The stems that come stock have 40mm of space on the tube. I don't know if this changes with different stems or if this is a standard size. I haven't touched a bike since quill stems.

Thanks for any info and advice.

1. Start with a handlebar level to the saddle. Make sure saddle height is completely tuned in which could take several long rides to determine (no knee pain, etc.)

2. If the protrusion of the steerer tube above the stem is 2 inches or less, I would leave it as is until she's had a time to dial in the height of the handlebar/saddle. It took me 6 months before I had my really long steerer tube cut, but by then I was very comfortable with the fitting. I still left about an inch of space above the stem, just in case. In the worst case, one can play around with stems of different angles and lengths.

I am currently waiting to cut mine until I find out exactly where I want the bars as well.

For now, I don't think it looks too bad... Here are a couple photos of mine:

http://i.imgur.com/OSC4hqV.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/LMIoMOr.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/USLrA1Q.jpg

depending on the stems that come with the bike, as mentioned, you can make further adjustments (upwards) with a stem with more of an upward angle (perhaps show a photo from the side of what is on them now)

in general, the suggestion of level with saddle is a pretty good one, if the seat to handlebar distance is good, this should work well.

As in all things in life such as carpentry or whatever, leaving a bit more is better than cutting too much off, so going higher certainly has no disadvantages as it can be cut down further later. I imagine it would just be prudent to figure out the spacer realestate before hand (what spacer thicknesses can be piled on top of each other)

especially if your wife is new to riding, you certainly dont want it too low, it could put her off riding (and as mentioned, be very sure the "reach" of seat to bars is right for her height, torso length, etc) so higher is certainly better than lower.

Tourists typically position bars higher than roadies because they spend much more time in the saddle, day after day, with little "need for speed", and they are not under so much peer pressure to conform to others' ideas of what is right. IOW, comfort takes top priority. LBS mechanics frequently set bars way too low and cut steerer too short because they only know how to build road bikes.

Obviously the problem is if you cut the steerer too short it limits your bar height. It is possible to go with a very steep (35d) stem afterwards to maximize height, but it's better to not cut the steerer tube too short in the first place. Starting with a horizontal or inverted stem will allow you to retain maximum steerer tube length until you determine final configuration. It is not unusual for bicyclists to experiment with two or more stems when setting up a new bike, particularly in the case of one lacking recent bicycling experience. Many people building a bike use their last bike as a starting template, which can be good or bad.

I would start with the bar 2-5 cm above saddle height. It's OK to leave 5 cm or more of steerer tube above stem until you determine best fit, it does look odd but who cares. Be sure to put spacers and a cap on the tube above stem, as the sharp edge of steering tube could injure you otherwise.

You don't need a special tool to install a star nut. You can actually use anything to bang it into a steel steerer tube, even a long bolt that fits the star nut threads with a couple nuts jammed together 1 cm from end (homemade star nut tool) will suffice. Pipe cutters make an excellent steering tube cutter too, but it is necessary to file some afterwards because the cutter wheel will expand the diameter slightly as it cuts through the wall.

The "stack height" of stems varies from one type stem to next, there is no standard, but most all are 37-45mm, or ~40mm.

good point about "who cares" how it looks. The big issue here is that you want your wife to enjoy riding, if that means having the bars at x cms above seat height, then so be it. If she is comfortable, she will have fun, if she is having fun, she will ride more. if she rides more, she will become gradually a stronger biker, its a win win for everyone.(whether you two are 20 or 60 yrs old)

you could always do what I did... ask the shop to leave the steerer tube uncut and they do it the heck anyway, then claim that it "came like that" and that they were "surprised that it wasn't longer" when I asked about it . . . I now have a 70mm high rise, and they better thank their lucky stars that it's the right height.

After you find the perfect fit, as long as the stem doesn't hit you in the chin, you could just leave it uncut, and use the extra length as attachment points for extra stuff that you'd like at a higher elevation than your bars! ;)

Built bikes steerers, were probably cut to a size formula, in Asia as the bike was partially built for export boxing...

not long enough ?, order the replacement same fork, it will be shipped un cut.

I've never seen anyone attach anything to an extended steerer, probably because it doesn't work well for most bicyclists.

Once you are confident of your bicycle fit, it makes sense to cut the steerer tube and get it out of the way. An extended steerer tube interferes with position when you're riding low in the drops, and especially in an aero position (with or without aero bars). It puts your teeth in great jeopardy too - one bad bump and you're on the way to the dentist. There are other less-interfering means to attach gizmos to a bike.

I emphasized generous tube length / handlebar height in #5 because the OP earlier mentioned a long absence from bicycling and no touring experience. It's much better to err on the side of caution than to find oneself begrudgingly spending another $110 for a new fork - which is expensive considering the entire frameset can be had for $399 (or less) shipped.

Another thing which might seem obvious to you but not to to your wife (who is a beginner) is to get her feel really comfortable riding on the hoods (main position) before you cut the steerer tube. This might take several weeks. For some, it feels quite uncomfortable (unnatural) at first, but remind her about the advantages of getting used to that position. All adjustments over time to handlebar/saddle should be done as to achieve comfort riding "on the hoods." Help her correct her form as far as hand/arm posture. Riding on the drops should feel a little uncomfortable, but it's normal as tourers tend to use this aggressive position only for short periods: on downhills, windy conditions, or simply to change hand position for a little while. For starters, here are is a good article written by Velouria of Lovely Bicycle that she might find interesting.

Thank you all for the very helpful replies. I'm now really glad I opted for accepting the bike with the tube uncut. I've got a bag with ten 20mm spacers coming which should do fine for getting both bikes on the road, and now I have a specific plan on where to start with setup. By next weekend we should be biking. We're both really excited and appreciate the advice and info. Can't wait!

You'll need every one of them.

Enjoy your new bike. I know I like mine.

I never cut my steering tube, you don't need a star nut, and you don't need spacers. You need a pinch collar to hold the steering tube in place then you are free to move the stem up and down as you please. See Sheldon's example here:

http://sheldonbrown.com/handsup.html

As long as you have that much steerer tube exposed, I'd flip the stem as I think it will look a bit better. You have the room to flip it and raise it if needed to keep the bars at the same height as they are now. The nice thing about this is down the line long after you have cut the tube, you can always flip the stem to the way you have it now and gain a bit height if needed. That's my .02. Great looking bike you got there.

+1


I built up this frame about 3 years ago thinking that I'd cut the steerer tube when I get it dialed in. I will get around to it someday. The excess has never bothered me while in the drops.:)

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...G_1565-1-1.jpg

JWK, All good info above to help a new rider. Once your wife is comfortable with the handle bars at a particular level and reach, then you can consider trimming. Even then you may want to wait just a little longer. ;) A long steerer can also allow the option of a second stem to mount a light or some other item onto.

Brad

thankyou Doug, that made me feel better (errr, a bad habit of mine, putting stuff off...)

Chris, thanks for that article link. Shall show that to my wife.

My wife kept the steering tube uncut on her 42 cm LHT, and we're glad we prevented the LBS from cutting it. As you can see, her bars are above her saddle, and that works well for her (see 2nd post in this earlier thread for a picture): http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ving-on-Friday!

We still haven't cut the tube and I doubt we will. I doesn't interfere with anything for her.

I use a 17 degree stem on one of my touring bikes and a 10 degree stem on the other. I have them angled down, not up. The photo shows the bike with the 17 degree stem.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=312163

If I wanted to have the bars higher, I could have the stem angled upwards instead of down. I used to have a 10m spacer above the stem, now have 20mm above the stem. I find that after losing about 30 or 35 pounds that I like my bars about 10mm lower than before.

If you are uncertain about how much to cut and if you start with the stem angled down, that gives you some additional contingency in case you later decided you wanted the bars higher. In that case, switch the stem around.

When I got my touring bike I told the shop not to cut the steerer. this is one thing that i don't like about threadless steerers and headsets, adjustability of stem height.

But I wanted to add a second stem and cut off handlebar on my steerer for my ortlieb handlebar bag and have the space on my handlebars for other accessories.

Hi Cyclist2000,
any chance of a pic please.
I'm looking at a Jeff Jones H-Loop handle bar for my Surly Ogre project
http://www.jonesbikes.com/h-bar.html
and a comment in another forum made me realise that the handlebar wasnt Ortlieb Ultimate 5 friendly.
I thought a second longer stem underneath with an angle might be a workable fix.
Thanks if its convenient - no worries if its not.
Cheers

I haven't added the second stem yet, I can't get myself to cutup a good pair of handlebars. but the I wanted to do this because the older 105 brifters have the cable coming out the side of the levers. This obstructs opening the ortlieb. I may go with the new 105 levers since both cables are routed along the handlebars.

You might want to look at the Thorn Accessory Bar

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/pr...dium/11040.jpg

I left mine uncut. I have two things attached to my uncut steerer tube, a computer and a bell. It works well, and it isn't even close to a place where it will put me in any danger. I'm not even close to it when I'm in the drops. My bars are basically level with the seat. Sometimes I move them up a bit, and sometimes I put them down more. I have no intention of cutting the steerer after riding the bike for two years.