hammandegger

I wrestled with which forum to put this in. This is the lucky forum, LOL. I might cross post it between two forums.

I am having some problems with my shoulders and neck and I want to raise the handlebars on my bike.

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I have been doing some reading, and a little research.

I am looking for some touring handlebars and I guess I am going to have to change stems.

I went to the LBS and did a little inquiring. They had a set of handlebars I was interested in and they said the diameter of the bars [where it is clamped] was 25.4 mm. According to my records, the clamp on my surly is 26mm.
The LBS guy said they would work, however, my Park Tool BBB2 says it absolutely is not a good idea and unsafe to use a 25.4 mm in a 26mm clamp.

So now I am soliciting information from the most informed bicyclists on the planet. I am looking for ideas on threadless stems [ones that put some lift on the handlebars] and threadless touring handlebars. Or any relevant ideas that anybody wants to add.

Pics are most welcome.

An added thought: I am not at the present time using this outfit to do any long distance touring. I just want to get to work and back which is 20 miles roundtrip. I will be loaded with work stuff, food, repair kit etc. Mostly flat on a paved bicycle trail with a couple of raised inclines [pedestrian bridges].

Thanks, and happy trails.

Schwinnrider

You can make a 25.4mm handlebar work with your stem by using a shim. Nitto makes a nice one, but your LBS could surely rig one up for you. The question is WHY? There are plenty of excellent drop bars in the proper dimension. What's wrong with your current bar? If that's the stock bar which came with the LHT it looks like a nice bar. If you're thinking about a trekking bar, like this, https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...2-dia-sil.html I guess the Velo Orange bar is a good one, but drop bars work fine for me.

Take a look at the Nitto Noodle, Model 177. https://www.rivbike.com/product-p/hb1.htm . This is the bar I have on all three of my bikes. Wide, flat ramp, really comfortable.

As far as the stem, I'd leave that up to the LBS. That's something which will require some knowledge in order to buy the correct stem. There are adjustable stems on the market. I have one, and it worked to get the bar where it needs to be, but it's ugly. I much prefer 1 inch quill stems for getting bars up to saddle height. Much more elegant solution, IMHO.

gecho

Bicycle fit can be a strange thing. I went for a fit a couple weeks ago, thinking that I'd need to get an extender to raise the bars. But in the end among other things we ended up taking out two spacers to lower the bars. It feels much better and I'm actually in a more upright position.

badrad

i had similar problem, and i replaced my stem with an adjustable one. something like this one.\
https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-Z-STERN-2.../dp/B001V5CF60
https://www.amazon.com/STEM-HEAD-KALL.../dp/B001D0ZM1I
it was an easy fix, and i can adjust my ride as i feel for the day.

aggiegrads

I know that this may sound counter-intuitive, but make sure that your seat is in the right position. When you are balanced on the bike, you put less strain on your hands and shoulders.

If you have a relationship with your LBS, let them know you are not comfortable and see if they will help you make minor adjustments. You can probably experiment yourself, but If you get knee over pedal spindle and proper knee extension, you may find yourself better balanced. Do you have any body shape oddities? I have long torso, short legs, but long femurs, so it took a good fitter to get me sorted out.

I spent a lot of money on stems and bars before I got comfortable by moving to a setback seatpost to put my hips in the right place.