Originally Posted by Andrew R Stewart

I see this frequently, brake levers angled too high on flat (non drop) bars. Too high an angle and one's wrists have to up/out wards bend so the palms can be on the grips and the fingers on the levers. A really poor arrangement for good control, independent on comfort issues. I generally adjust the levers' angle so that the shoulders/wrists/hands and the levers are all in a relatively straight line. Andy

I should add that some of these stems with a hinge in their middle has limitations on their use. Specifically off road or stunt riding. The obvious worry is that the hinge will not stay put when riding in an extreme manor or over rough and shock producing surfaces. I'll let the lawyers argue what's stunt riding or off road. That some feel the need to have these limits makes me only suggest this type of stem for initial fitting purposes and its replacement with a fixed/one shape stem after confirming the changes are preferred. I'll also add that I frequently service bikes with hinged stems where the hinge clamp is either not well tightened or that the fasteners are tight but the hinge contact surfaces have become so worn that the bars have some "float/slop/wobble" to them. Andy