Fitting an extra long handlebar stem
 

I recently bought this to put in my bike. After a LOT of DIY to remove the old one, which was stuck in the frame and to the handlebars, I finally managed to remove it.

When I tried fitting the new one, the stem seems to get stuck halfway down the hole. I can't see anything in there that blocks it, but it won't go in any more. I tried twisting it and, interestingly, when I twist it to the right, the stem pops up a bit before my downward force pushes it down again.

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening?

I'd appreciate any information to why this could be the case.

If your putting it in a lot further down than your previous stem it may be all the way in the steerer tube and either hitting the brake bolt if you have one, or hitting the start of the fork.

Is your steerer tube butted internally, maybe? What sort of bike is it - is it a really small frame size with a short steerer tube?

CAUTION! Be careful that you are not bottoming the stem out in the butted section of the steerer. If you try to engage the wedge in the tapered section of the steerer you risk sudden, unexpected loosening of the bars; this is only funny in the cartoons!

See the "Too Low Danger" section of this article: http://sheldonbrown.com/handsup.html#threaded

It's an SUS shockwave 500

Here's one on ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shockwave-...item338111f5da

It's an 18 inch frame.

P.S: I'll mess around with it a bit more, but luckily my bike is rideable with the handlebars in this way. I'm currently messing about with my gears (which at the moment means my bike isn't rideable).

Wow - it's one of those Halfords £80 BSOs. I think it's safe to assume that it doesn't have a tapered steer tube (it'll be straight gaspipe ;)).

It really bugs me why they bother building these bikes with 'suspension' (which is absolutely *useless*) when they could use the money saved from building it hard-framed (no 'sus') and use it to spec better tubing and/or improvements in other components.

marketing
people think suspension adds value

Yeah - it's really sad. I lifted a v. similar 'full suspension' kid's bike which was leaning outside the workshop at my local bike co-op, and was gobsmacked at the sheer weight of it. I mean I knew these bikes were really heavy, but this one must have weighed at least 40-45 pounds! (no exaggeration!)

Perhaps a silly question but did you remove the wedge on the previous stem or is it still stuck down in the steer tube?

+1 Indeed, that sounds like it may well be the case especially when taking

into account. :thumb:

This sounds very much like the bottom of the new stem is coming up against the surface of a liberated wedge. ;)

How do I remove the wedge of the previous stem?

On another note, the new stem came with a metal "sleeve" that I couldn't get to fit into the frame. I just took it out and didn't bother using it. Maybe that means something to someone?

I pushed the new handlebar stem in as far as it would go. It's quite high, but looks quite cool. If it isn't dangerous to leave it the way it is, I might leave it that way.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=308484

With regards to the gear problem (that I mentioned briefly), I converted the bike into a single speed. I've had this bike since I was about 16 and i'm now 23! In all this time, i've been using it on top gear and I don't think i've ever changed it down. I decided to take the plunge and convert it, and boy am I glad I did! The handlebars look so much cleaner and there aren't cables anywhere. It's also nice to have customised it since it now feels like "my" bike. My sister stole it for a year, and when it came back it had been in a car accident =(

Also, i'm a complete newbie at doing anything with bikes. I've only ever changed the wheels of a bike before, so if you can think of a rookie mistake, i'm probably making it.

These are the questions i'd like answered:

1). How do I remove the wedge of my previous handlebars?
2). If it is indeed the wedge that's stuck in there, is it dangerous to leave it in and put the handlebars over it?
3). Out of curiosity, what MTB frame would you recommend for under £100? I'm in the UK, so European websites only i'm afraid.

(P.S: is this a good frame?)

Thanks for any responses.

EDIT: ARGH! This post is going to have so many mixed messages! I just googled "wedge" and it looks like it's the triangular bit that is attached to the screw thread in the stem. This is most definitely out!

Also, I can see right down the hole to the wheels. The sides seem smooth, and I can't see anything blocking the handlebars.

the metal sleeve is for using in a 1 1/8th inch steerer tube so you don't need to use it as yours is a 1 inch steerer tube.

Yup - the 'sleeve' sounds like a shim for using it in bikes with wider steerer tubes. :thumb:

You should be able to remove the old wedge by knocking it out from underneath with the bike upside-down using a slim broom handle or anything similar.

You also might be able to get it out by somehow managing to screw the bolt back into it, and then pulling it up.

For future reference, don't undo the bolt all the way from the stem - it's not necessary to remove it - it just needs loosening before pulling it out. :thumb:

You don't really want to be leaving the old wedge in there as it is probably in exactly the location that the new one needs to be in so as to be able to wedge in properly when it's tightened. It can be dangerous for the expander wedge to expand in the wrong part of the tube - it can crack the tube or steerer, and/or can just pull out suddenly whilst riding down the road. (As someone else mentioned - maybe funny in cartoons, but definitely not IRL) ;)

You also want it far enough in so that it's at least at the min insertion mark.

I edited my earlier post, but the wedge isn't stuck in there.

I can see right down to the wheel, and it looks quite smooth at the sides. I'm not too sure what's going on.

I might just leave it the way it is. It looks quite weird, but i'm a bit of an odd guy. I've cycled it around, and it's perfectly rideable.

The new stem is in far enough. It's really long but, if I reach in from the other side, I can't touch the wedge of the bike. There's definitely more space I can move it down into but, for some reason, it refuses to go down any more.

Like I say though, I might just leave it as it is. No bike thieves are going to steal it, that's for sure!

Is the old wedge exactly the same size/shape as the one on the new stem?

Also, could you post a picture of this (hopefully) thief-repellent machine?

Can you see from examining the new stem for marks/scuffs what part of it is getting hung up on the inside of the steerer tube?

Cool no?

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps95fde279.jpg

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=308498

The old wedge does look the same as the new one. The new stem looks like the the old one, except it's longer and a different colour.

When I put the longer stem in, wriggled it around (i'm talking 360 degrees) and yanked it out again, there were no scratches or anything on the new stem.

I'll leave it the way it is at the moment. I think it's going to be a great talking point when I meet new people.

The steering is probably rusted inside (original cause of the stuck one).

Probably need to take the fork into a LBS which has a steerer reaming tool and have them run it down a ways to clean it up.

I, err... *coughs*... I mean... Yeah - it's... errm... 'different' alright. ;)

What kind of shape are you that the saddle is that low, but you feel that you need such a monster stem? :twitchy:

You could still try removing the old wedge by putting the old stem in, and then trying to 'grab' the threads with the bolt, then screwing it in a few turns and then pulling it out.

Does the old stem still insert to the proper length OK I wonder? It shouldn't do really if for all intents and purposes it's identical to the new one, just longer. Hmm...

PS - I would have thought that internal rusting would have caused some scuffs and/or rust marks on the new stem after it's been inserted...

That saddle height is about right. The handlebar height is the part that's been giving me trouble. When the original handlebars were set to the "minimum" position, they were far too low. I pulled them waay up past this point, making them unsafe, so I thought I should get a new handlebar stem. I bought one that was longer, and here we are now.

Oddly enough, the handlebars seem okay at that height. When I look at it in a picture, it seems ridiculous, but when I was riding around the seafront I was fine.

I'm 5' 5 with a 29 inch inside leg. I have a fairly big top half, but stumpy legs. That explains a little why I need such a long stem (I do agree that it looks hilarious).

I'll leave it the way it is for the moment. I've messed around with it for too much today. I might have a go messing with it tomorrow, where i'll report back what i've found out.

EDIT: I might get some sandpaper and rub the inside of the frame. I'll get out as much rust as I can, and try again.

Surely that's the wrong way round? I would have thought that a 29in inside leg is *long* for someone who is 5" 5' tall? ;)

Edit - you do know that your legs should be at very nearly full extension (i.e. nearly straight) when you're at the bottom of your pedal stroke? :thumb:

I've always been told my legs are really stumpy. I think I look stumpy, but that could be because everyone is telling me they are.

My legs are almost at full extension with my current setup. Maybe I could raise it a cm or two, but it's close as it is.

I tried sanding some of the rust, but then I noticed something. I decided to actually test how far in it is at the moment (duh!).

It turns out that it's practically all the way in. I think the hole is slightly tapered so the stem doesn't fall through whilst riding, severely damaging someone. That's why I can't see any blockage- there isn't one because it's tapered!

That's my theory at least.

I'm going to leave it as it is for now. Just out of interest, what frame is that stem meant for?

I'm guessing a really large-sized one. :thumb:

I'm 6" and my inside leg is 33', for reference. (And I think I'm more of a 'leg man' than a 'torso guy') - I reckon that you're not 'stumpy', as much as just not the tallest person in the average room. :)

As for the seat - I'm sure you're right - it must be the photo, but that saddle sure does look low, and the differential between the saddle height and the bar height looks quite extreme as compared to how most people find MTB-style bikes comfortable. ;)

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=308498

Do those brakes still work with the cables as tight as they look ?

Stem looks ridiculously too tall. Since it has a wedge type, its easy to cut. I use a bench mounted grinder with a cut off wheel and just measure up about an inch or two and slice off the excess. Make sure you try to replicate the angle of the cut as the original slant. You can just use the cut off wheel to smooth it out after you cut it off. I think cutting off a couple of inches will make the stem much more manageable.

UPDATE!

Today I took my bike on the route I wanted it for; to my local train station and back again. The first part of the journey is about 5 mins on road, then 14 minutes on flat rubble before coming back to the road for the final 1 min.

Firstly, the front brake works perfectly. I was worried about it being too tight (like aidanpringle pointed out), but the brake pipe didn't work it's way out of the callipers once. I've since added a rear brake (all the parts came through the post yesterday) since I was also concerned about flipping over the handlebars, or my first problem (that the front brake pipe would work it's way out of the callipers). If this happened at least i'd still have one brake!

I've also raised the seat about an inch and pumped the tyres up a lot. This made a huge difference, since I was so fast today when the path was clear ahead of me. A smaller change is that i've added longer handlebar grips. When I removed the front and rear derailleurs, I naturally removed the gear cables and shifters. This left a big gap on my handle bars that my previous handlebar grips couldn't fill. This is more of a cosmetic change than anything else.

One of the odd things about this bike, which give it it's weird shape, is that i've since noticed the frame is too small for me. The bike came with a long saddle stem, so I kept putting that up and ended up hunched over the old handlebars. The new handlebars, ridiculously long as they may be, actually fit me perfectly. I haven't noticed any lack of precision when turning, or reverberations when I hit a big bit of rubble which I think is what you're meant to experience. The handlebars are exactly where i'd like them to be.

Overall, i've got my bike the way I want it. I might buy a rear luggage rack so I can go to the shops for my mum, or some road tyres if I find my commute path changing. If I get really bored, I might remove all the stickers from the frame. I like the silver colour of the frame, and the words plastered all over it detract from that.

P.S: A big thanks to all the people who have helped me with my problems. I've got a bit of a cycling bug right now, so I might post a few more queries over the coming weeks. For now, bye!