Adjust the bicycle handlebars – that's how it fits!

 

There are two reasons why you should adjust your bicycle handlebar:
Do you have a new bicycle? Congratulations! Now you just need to adjust the saddle height and the handlebar, then you can get started right away! Reason number two: You struggle with pain on the bike as soon as you spend a little more time in the saddle. In this case, the bicycle handlebar might simply be set incorrectly, and you can make your seating position more comfortable with little effort.

It is always worth adjusting the bicycle handlebar to suit your anatomy, experimenting with different seating positions, and not waiting until pain and tension force you to act. In this article, you will not only learn why you adjust the handlebar, of course, we will also tell you how the adjustment works.

 

What changes when you readjust a bicycle's handlebar?

A small turn of the bicycle handlebar or a bit up or down – initially sounds like not much. But in fact, you change your entire seating posture when you readjust the handlebar. Among other things

• the posture of the wrists and the load on the palms
• the posture and load of the arms
• the posture of the shoulders
• the posture of the head and the stretch in the neck
• the alignment of the back and pelvis

Even the areas of the seating region where a lot of weight rests can be influenced, because by changing the setting of the bicycle handlebar, the pelvis can tilt into a new position.

Pain while cycling? Then you should readjust the bicycle handlebar! Image © KindelMedia on Pexels

 

Why should you adjust the handlebar?

Adjusting the handlebar of a new bicycle

With a new bicycle, the height of the handlebar must be adjusted because during the assembly of the bike, the parts are only put together, but the final adjustment depends on who will be riding the bike! Everyone is different, some have longer arms and want to sit as upright as possible, others prefer to sit sportily low and have a long torso, and so on. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to a suitable geometry of the bicycle frame when buying a bicycle. But then comes the fine-tuning – handlebar and saddle are adjusted until the bicycle feels good. Ideally, this works with the components already mounted on the new bicycle. However, there are a variety of bicycle handlebars and stems, and you can also buy saddles and seat posts individually. This can turn an uncomfortable bike into a real comfort zone!

Problems with hands, arms, shoulders, or back?

The second reason to reach for the bicycle tool is less pleasant. If you experience numb hands or numb palms while cycling if you are struggling, you should definitely try to readjust the handlebars. Also, back pain, neck problems, and aching arms can improve if you readjust the bicycle handlebars. Even problems in the seating area can be traced back to an unfavorable posture of the back and thus to incorrectly adjusted handlebars.

What does the adjustment of the handlebars have to do with the seating posture?

That the bicycle handlebars influence the position of the hands and arms is no surprise, but (almost) the entire body can suffer from an unfavorable adjustment of the handlebars.

Why? Quite simply, the position of the bicycle handlebars in relation to the saddle determines the seating posture. The further the handlebars are from the saddle, the more you have to stretch. The higher the handlebars are set above the saddle, the more upright you sit. With a new adjustment of the handlebars, you can change the entire body posture.

Two extreme examples, but on racing and city bikes, you can see the difference in handlebar positions and seating posture particularly well! Images © Giant

Can you adjust every bicycle handlebar?

You can adjust the handlebars on almost every bicycle. Sometimes you have more, sometimes less leeway, but a little is almost always possible.

The exception is the integrated cockpit. Here, handlebars and stem are one combined bicycle part. It looks stylish but offers little room to adjust the handlebars! Integrated cockpits are often found on racing bikes, so you must test ride thoroughly before purchasing.

How to adjust the bicycle handlebars – a step-by-step guide

Bring on the toolset, now it's time to screw! How exactly you adjust the bicycle handlebars doesn't depend on the handlebars themselves; rather, it's about the handlebar clamping and the way the bike frame holds the stem. We introduce you to the different systems here. We will limit ourselves to brief instructions here; in the Bike Blog, there is a detailed guide that explains to you, how to mount handlebars and stem.

Adjusting the angle of the handlebars

The simplest measure when adjusting the handlebars: loosen the clamping screws and turn – the handlebars are already adjusted differently! The more the handlebars are bent, the greater changes you can achieve.

• Both quill stems and ahead stems have screws that close the handlebar clamping.
• Open the screws of the clamping plate or the handlebar clamping.
• Turn the bicycle handlebars until they are comfortably adjusted.
• Tighten the screws again, making sure to observe the allowed torque!
• If you have turned the handlebars a lot, you may also need to readjust the position of the brake levers and shift levers so that you can control your bike comfortably.

Adjusting the height of the handlebars

If you want to adjust the height of the handlebars, you are not actually changing anything on the handlebars themselves; you are changing the stem. This works with ahead stems and quill stems, but with the direct-mount stem you have few options, so we will skip a guide here.

Ahead Stem

Most bicycles today have an ahead stem mounted, which is directly connected to the steerer tube, and there is usually not much room for adjustment. However, you can raise the handlebars slightly with spacers (distance rings). If there are already spacers under your handlebars, you can also lower them.

This is how the adjustment of the handlebars works with the ahead stem:

1. With the ahead stem, you must first loosen the cap with the appropriate Allen key, then you can remove it.
2. On the steerer tube are the stem and spacers (rings as placeholders). You can now rearrange them to change the height of the stem.
3. More spacers under the stem raise the handlebars, fewer placeholders position them lower.
4. Make sure that the upper of the two mounting screws of the stem is not above the top edge of the steerer tube, as it would not hold. Finally, align the handlebars straight, tighten the cap and the stem again, and you're done.
5. Observe the allowed torque here.
6. It depends on how the stem is tilted, but you may now need to turn the handlebars further according to the instructions above and readjust them.

On road bikes, gravel bikes, and MTBs, you usually find an Ahead stem and need to adjust the height of the handlebars with spacers. Image © Trek

 

How many spacers can your handlebar handle?

You cannot add unlimited spacers to the Ahead stem! How many exactly fit depends on how much space is on the steerer tube. If you want to adjust the height of the handlebars and therefore stack more spacers, you should definitely pay attention to point 4 of our instructions! The upper of the two clamping screws must still hold securely! If the steerer tube of your bike is quite short, but you would like to mount the handlebars higher, you can install a steerer tube extension.

Spacer rings are available in different thicknesses (and colors!). How many of them you can use to adjust the handlebar height depends on your bike. Image © Hope

Quill Stem

On (older) city bikes, singlespeeds, fixies, and especially on children's bikes, a quill stem is often found. This bike part is also often found on retro bikes. Here, the stem has a longer tube that is fixed in the steerer tube. Then it goes "around the corner," and after a more or less steep bend, comes the handlebar clamp. You can adjust the height of your handlebars generously and continuously, just tighten the stem rod at the desired height.

The quill stem is "one piece," it allows generous height adjustment of the handlebars. Image © Brick Lane Bikes

 

How to adjust the handlebars with a quill stem:

• Loosen the adjustment screw with the appropriate Allen key.
• Move the handlebars and stem to the desired height.
• The handlebars often do not move, then you can carefully tap the loosened screw from above with the palm of your hand or a rubber mallet to release the handlebars.
• Lightly tighten the screw when the height of the bicycle handlebar is correctly adjusted.
• Now you can align the handlebar straight and test the height again.
• If everything fits, the screw is tightened firmly.

Attention! There is often a marking on the shaft that indicates the maximum extension length. It shows how much of the stem must remain in the tube to hold securely.

 

For adjusting the handlebar, you need the following bicycle tools:

• Around the bicycle handlebar, there are usually Allen screws in sizes 4, 5, or 6, so you need a set of hex keys.
• Since bicycle parts today are generally not tightened “hand-tight” or “with all force” but rather have an “allowed torque” stamped, you should always use a torque wrench!

• If you are mounting carbon parts, you may need carbon assembly paste. You can find more about this in our article “What is Carbon Assembly Paste?”

 

The right setting for you and your bicycle

How exactly the bicycle handlebar is “well” adjusted depends partly on the type of bicycle.

At the racing bike you sit particularly low, so the handlebar is usually much lower than the saddle, and the upper body is correspondingly bent forward. On gravel bikes and MTBs the riding position is often still quite sporty, so the handlebars can be set quite low on these bicycles. This is especially the case for riders who like to go fast. However, it can also be ridden much more relaxed with a higher set bicycle handlebar. On trekking bikes and city bikes you usually sit relaxed and with an upright back. The same applies to the corresponding e-bikes.

The reason for this division is quite simple: The lower the bicycle handlebar is set, the more aerodynamic and faster the bicycle is on the road. The higher the handlebar, the more comfortable and back-friendly the riding position.

Make yourself comfortable!

Nevertheless, personal comfort is also important – when you're sitting on the bike, you should feel comfortable! The geometry of the bike sets the general direction, but you should adjust the final height of the handlebars so that you can pedal painlessly and still efficiently. The longer you are on the bike, the more important a comfortable seating position becomes! There are no fixed values here – you have to test it! Just grab a multitool, take a ride, and try out different handlebar settings!

• Pay attention to a comfortable posture that matches the proportions of the upper body and neck
• Also important: you must be able to reach and operate the brake levers and shift levers effectively
• Your bike should be able to steer confidently and reliably, and the handlebar position can also change the steering characteristics!

 

What “values” can you adjust on the bicycle handlebars?

By rotating a curved handlebar, you can change two settings: the height and the distance to the saddle. If you swap parts, you can significantly change the handlebar height and the distance from the saddle to the handlebars, thus affecting how stretched you sit.

Changing the inclination of the bicycle handlebars

When you rotate a curved bicycle handlebar, you change your grip height with a turn, and the grips also move further away from the saddle or come closer. You can simply loosen and rotate the handlebars. If it is not perfectly straight, this changes the position of your hands.

The inclination of the stem

Just for completeness: The stem connects your bicycle frame with the handlebars. There are different types of stems for bicycles, and they come in different lengths. With a new stem, you can also reposition the height of the handlebars. There are straight stems. If you want to change the handlebar settings, you can also mount a stem with inclination. The stem is then inclined, for example, by 10, 30, or 35 degrees. You are particularly flexible with a stem whose inclination can be changed.