stingray66

My son just bought a new bike and
Need to rise the hanle bars they are way
To low for him my old schwinn you just lossen
The center bolt rise the bars and your
Are done But this bike had a threadless
Stem for witch I am seeing is totally
Useless pice of crap for the looks of it you
Can not rise the bars So the big question is
How in the hell do you rise these bars
The old school way was light years better

dscheidt

Threadless stems are superior in so many ways, but it's true that adjusting the height of handle bars is not one of them.
Buy a stem with a higher rise, or get an adjustable one.

Hendo252 

Start with some punctuation... much easier to read and understand your posts that way.

Easiest option is flip the stem around; unless it is a 90-degree stem, that will buy you a few degrees of lift.

Next option, buy a stem with more rise; somewhat hard to find but shop and you can find up to 24 degrees or occasionally more.

Next option, buy a stem extender; like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Alloy-Bi.../dp/B000FHBED0

Retro Grouch 

How much do you need to raise the handlebar?

If you only need about an inch, you may be able to get by with just flipping the existing stem over.

If you need about 2" you can get a replacement stem that has a steeper rise angle. Think it through because raising the handlebar will also affect the front-to-back distance from the saddle.

If you need to raise the handlebars by 3" you'll have to buy an accessory stem riser to extend the steerer tube.

Truthfully, with a stock quill stem, the range of handlebar adjustment is really only about 1 or 2" at most. You can buy an aftermarket stem, like a Nitto Technomic that has a longer shank, but replacing the handlebar is a fairly major operation. I think that a lot of people's recollections are rosier than reality.

Face Palm

If you post a picture of the handlebar and stem area, and let us know how much higher you're trying to get, it might be easier to give you specific suggestions. Sounds like this is something new to you, but it's really very simple. Once you do it, you'll think it's no big deal.

robo

Beat poetry making a comeback?

AlphaDogg

I was thinking (heavily) modified haikus.

Edit: It seems that is what beat poetry is

stingray66

Why did they EVER make a threadless
Stem.They are not really as good as
The old stem with a wedge bolt.
The only reason I can see is its cheaper.
Now we have a new bike and now
need to buy a stem extender
Just to rise the handelbars
VERY POOR design
No wounded old schwinn bikes are going
for big money
They are built better

dscheidt

substantially better bearings, better attachment of the stem to the steerer, easier adjustment ( and larger range!) of reach are, of course, just figments of everyone's imagination.

Altbark

Threadless stems are great! New bikes usually come with enough stem height allowing the new owner to adjust the stem height if required. Just a thought - when buying a new bike, make sure it fits before you leave the store. Why not just go back the store and see if they can fix your problem? Al

AlphaDogg

Threadless stems/headsets are actually more expensive than their threaded counterparts.

fietsbob

You just bought anew bike? go back by the dealer and ask what you can get , there.

they see what this forum can't.

xenologer

I believe the primary driving force for the new design was mountain biking, where a much stronger connection between the bars and fork was needed.
Additionally, the old quill design has the flaw of corroding into place on old bikes if left untouched and in weather.

So, from a strength/durability standpoint threadless is superiour to the old design. But yes it is true that more expense is involved in customizing the fitting of the bike.


btw, after you install an extender; you're probably going to need to have all the brake and shifter cables replaced with longer ones.
Are you sure this is the right bike in terms of fit and or riding style?
Big modifications on a brand new bike.... not good, better to buy the bike that fits well to begin with.

LesterOfPuppets

I'm a curmudgeon but I find threadless pretty damn cool. You can get threadless stems pretty damn cheap in a variety of angles and lengths and they are easy to swap out. Swapping out olde quill stems with no removable faceplate is a gigantic pain in the butt.

But I'm also a curmudgeon so I think quill stems look better on road bikes. The secret is to get a road bike that fits.

Camilo

Just to repeat a couple of items for the OP.

First, the quill stems had pretty limited upward adjustability. I had many bikes that were maxed out and they only could adjust 1-2 inches from lowest to highest.

You can easily get the same 1-2 inches, or more, from a modern threadless stem by first trying to flip the current stem so it slants upward - have you tried this yet? you haven't mentioned if you have or not.

To get more than that with a quill stem, you'd have to buy a special high angle stem and/or a long extended one.

You can do the same thing with a threadless stem by buying a higher angled one. have you tried this yet? you haven't mentioned if you have or not.

I'm in my late 50s. I've been riding and working on bikes since the early-mid 70s. I love the classic look of a quill stem on a small-tubed steel bike. I know how to install and adjust them.

I prefer threadless stems. They're cheap or can be expensive (just like quill stems!) They are super easy to install and adjust. THe handlebars are 1,000X more easy to work on than with a quill stem. They look good and proper with most modern non-steel frames and even with most steel frames.

So quit being a curmudgeon and fix the problem! It's a good system. Some people prefer quill stems and threaded forks, no problem with that. BUt it's not because the modern system is actually inferior or bad.

MichaelW

Threadless stems usually come with spacer rings to pack out the height. If you have rings below the stem, you can lower the stem by moving them above the stem. If they are above, you can place them underneath to raise the stem.
Most stems are angled so the "normal" way is high and the reversed way is lower.
You can get alternate angles and lengths and you can get adjustable threadless stems.

The advantages of threadless systems are:
Stronger, lighter steerer tube with thinner tube walls, can be made in aluminium or carbon.
Steerer can be made wider diameter with little weight penalty ( for more bearings and extra stiffness).
Tools to maintain headset are just an allen key that you normally carry, ideal for tourists.

I use both styles of stem and am fully manned-up about using them.

Burton

Assuming the bars aren't 'way too low' because the bike is 'way too small', the options to raise the handlebars
are: (a) Add a threadless steerer extension (several companies make them)
(b) Exchange the handlebars for a model that has a larger rise (again, several models are made by several different companies)
(c) Flip the stem or exchange it for an adjustable stem or one with a larger rise.

Threadless forks 'may' be better in some ways than threaded, but the major advantages come from using larger diameter tubing. That could also have been done with threaded forks. The real advantage is inventory. One fork size will fit any frame size. Which is an advantage to the manufacturers and retailers - not the consumer.

IthaDan 

I like the one period thrown in there. I knew this would be a winner when I saw the editorializing in the title.

I prefer threadless stems- lighter and adjustable with allen keys.

JonathanGennick 

Would help to know how much of a rise we need. If a mountain-bike, then riser-bars could be part of the solution.

If the OP needs to go up so much that a stem-extender is needed, then perhaps the frame size is too small.

wrk101

bars way too low
on a threadless stem
my bet is
bike too small

most old schwinns
were heavy dogs
crappy parts
no competition
then got competition
went bankrupt
burmashave

David Broon 

Terrible grammar?
Just abusing poetry.
How sad for arts kids.