Flat Stem and Bar Reccomendations
10-17-06, 04:00 AM
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Flat Stem and Bar Reccomendations
My MTB is gradually taking shape as a commuting rig... slick tyres and the like but I'm not digging the riding position, the stem is a riser and the bars are way too wide and also risers.
So I want to buy a flat bar and flatish stem, can anyone reccomend any brands, models etc? My bike runs an Aheadset
So I want to buy a flat bar and flatish stem, can anyone reccomend any brands, models etc? My bike runs an Aheadset
10-17-06, 07:09 AM
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If you have an aheadset it's called a threadless stem. Most mountain bikes nowadays come with about a 10 deg rise on the stem. This combined with the head angle make for a bit of rise. There are also usually a few spacers on the steerer tube right beneath the stem. To get the bar lower there's a couple of things you can try without buying any new parts. If you want a drastic change in height, first try flipping the stem over. You can also try puting some of the spacers on top of the stem instead of below it. Don't remove spacers. Just move them to the top of the stem.
If you want to do this yourself but don't know how, here you go. Taking the stem off is easy. Just make sure the fork is supported because the stem is what's holding it all together. When you put the stem back on the first thing you want to do is adjust the bearing pre-load on the headset. This sounds hard but is really pretty simple. Set the stem where you want it to be. Don't tighten any bolts yet. Put the headset/stem cap on and start the bolt. Now make sure the fork is seated well in the bottom headset cup (where the fork goes into the frame on the bottom of the headtube.
Tighten the cap just a little bit now. Remember that the cap is only for setting the tension so it shouldn't be very tight at all. Now grab the fork and try to move it around. Move it side to side and up and down. It shouldn't have any play. If it has some movement other than twisting you need to tighten the top cap bolt a little more and repeat until there is no more movement, especially up and down. Now try twisting the fork and see if you feel binding in the headset. You may feel or hear the bearings moving a little on cheaper headsets without sealed bearings. This is normal. You just don't want to hear or feel any pops. If you do feel binding then you need to loosen the top cap a little. After you loosen it make sure again that there is no play. Basically you want is as loose as possible without having play in the headset.
After you have adjusted the bearing pre-load then you can align the stem with the tire and tighten all the bolts on the stem.
If you want to do this yourself but don't know how, here you go. Taking the stem off is easy. Just make sure the fork is supported because the stem is what's holding it all together. When you put the stem back on the first thing you want to do is adjust the bearing pre-load on the headset. This sounds hard but is really pretty simple. Set the stem where you want it to be. Don't tighten any bolts yet. Put the headset/stem cap on and start the bolt. Now make sure the fork is seated well in the bottom headset cup (where the fork goes into the frame on the bottom of the headtube.
Tighten the cap just a little bit now. Remember that the cap is only for setting the tension so it shouldn't be very tight at all. Now grab the fork and try to move it around. Move it side to side and up and down. It shouldn't have any play. If it has some movement other than twisting you need to tighten the top cap bolt a little more and repeat until there is no more movement, especially up and down. Now try twisting the fork and see if you feel binding in the headset. You may feel or hear the bearings moving a little on cheaper headsets without sealed bearings. This is normal. You just don't want to hear or feel any pops. If you do feel binding then you need to loosen the top cap a little. After you loosen it make sure again that there is no play. Basically you want is as loose as possible without having play in the headset.
After you have adjusted the bearing pre-load then you can align the stem with the tire and tighten all the bolts on the stem.
