Specialized headset offset cone spacer
 

When I picked up the bike new I asked them to put the bars as high as possible, but as I've been riding more I want lower it a little. I was there when the guy at the LBS did it and he showed me that there were four different possible positions. Two depending on whether the stem is flipped or not. But there was also a spacer underneath that he flipped to gain a little bit more. Could someone kindly explain what this is and how it works? By flipping this spacer, you're only changing the height and not the angle of the stem right?

This what the specs say for the headset, so I'm assuming the spacer in question is the 8mm cone spacer?


1-1/8 upper, 1-1/4" lower, Campy style, crown race, 8mm carbon cone spacer, w/ 20mm of carbon spacers

Ok so looking at your stem, there's a little number on the come...it will say like +4 or -4. If it says +4, you can switch it to -4.

Essentially the spacer is always inserted from the bottom of the stem. So don't insert it from the top.

What you want to do is remove the stem bolt, loosen your stem, pull your stem off the steerer tube, pull out the spacer and spin it 180 degrees, reinsert it, put the stem back on, ensure the big bolt in the headset it tight (this is the expanded plug), semi-center your bars, put your stem cap on, tighten it to the proper preload, center your bars, tighten the stem.

That's it. Now realize that when you do this, your bars will be rotated down in the stem now, so you may want to loosen the 4 bolts there and rotate them back up (depends on comfort).

How that spacer works will be obviously you when you take it out. It's beveled/tapered/thinner on one end than the other. So when you spin it, the stem will face down instead of up by the degrees listed on the side there (on my bike it's + / - 4).

PS - I am on my phone so all the typos, I'm not going to go back through and change.

The angle of the stem does change. That is what changes the height of the bars. You also have the option of removing the normal spacers. That changes the height of the stem AND the bars together.