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

There are two reasons why you should adjust your bicycle handlebars:
Do you have a new bicycle? Congratulations! Now you just need to adjust the saddle height and the handlebars, and you can start right away! Reason number two: You experience pain while cycling as soon as you spend a little more time in the saddle. In this case, the handlebars might simply be incorrectly adjusted, and you can make your riding position more comfortable with little effort.

It's always worth adjusting the handlebars to suit your anatomy, experimenting with different riding positions, and not waiting until pain and tension force you to take action. In this article, you'll learn not only why you should adjust the handlebars, but of course, we'll also tell you how the adjustment works.

 

What changes when you readjust the handlebars of a bicycle?

A small twist of the handlebars or a bit up or down – initially doesn't sound like much. But in fact, you change your entire riding posture when you readjust the handlebars. Among other things

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

Even the areas of the seating region where a lot of weight is applied can be influenced, because by changing the adjustment of the handlebars, the pelvis can tilt into a new position.

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

 

Why should you adjust the handlebars?

For a new bicycle, the height of the handlebars must be adjusted, because when assembling the bike, the parts are only put together, but the final adjustment depends on who will be riding the bike! Every person is different, some have longer arms and want to sit as upright as possible, others prefer a sporty low position 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.

Adjusting the handlebars of a new bicycle

Now comes the fine-tuning – handlebars and saddle are adjusted until the bicycle feels good. Ideally, this works with the components that are already installed on the new bicycle. However, there are various handlebars and stems, and you can also buy saddles and seat posts separately. This way, even an uncomfortable bike can become a true comfort zone!

Problems with hands, arms, shoulders, or back?

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

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

It's no wonder that the bicycle handlebars influence the position of the hands and arms, but (almost) the entire body can suffer from an unfavorable handlebar setting.

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 handlebar setting, you can change the entire body posture.

Two extreme examples, but with a racing bike and city bike, 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 any bicycle. Sometimes you have more, sometimes less leeway, but a little is always possible.

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

Here's how you can adjust the bicycle handlebars – step-by-step guide

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

Adjusting the angle of the handlebar

The simplest measure when adjusting the handlebar: loosen clamp screws and turn – the handlebar is already set differently! The more curved the handlebar, the greater changes you can achieve.

• Both quill stem and ahead stem have screws that close the handlebar clamping.
• Loosen the screws of the clamp plate or the handlebar clamping.
• Turn the bicycle handlebar until it is comfortably set.
• Tighten the screws again, you must pay attention to the allowed torque!
• If you have turned the handlebar far, you may also need to adjust the position of the brake levers and shift levers so you can comfortably control your bike.

Adjusting the height of the handlebar

If you want to adjust the height of the handlebar, you're not actually changing anything on the handlebar itself, you're changing the stem. This works with ahead stems and quill stems, with the direct-mount stem you have few options, so we'll skip a guide for that here.

Ahead Stem

Most bicycles today have an ahead stem installed, it is directly connected to the steerer tube, there is usually not much room for maneuver. However, you can use spacers (distance rings) to raise the handlebar a bit. If there are already spacers under your handlebar, you can also lower it.

This is how the adjustment of the handlebar 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 and thereby change the height of the stem.
3. More spacers under the stem raise the handlebar, fewer placeholders position it lower.
4. Make sure that the upper of the two fixing screws of the stem is not above the top edge of the steerer tube, otherwise it would not hold. Finally, the handlebar is aligned straight, the cap and the stem are screwed tight again, done.
5. Pay attention to the allowed torque here.
6. It depends on how the stem is angled, but you may now need to turn the handlebar as per the instructions above and readjust it.

On racing 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 handlebars handle?

You cannot put unlimited spacers on the Ahead stem! How many fit exactly 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 come 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, single speeds, fixies, and especially on children's bikes, a quill stem is often found. This bicycle 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 "all of a piece," allowing generous height adjustment of the handlebars. Image © Brick Lane Bikes

 

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

• Loosen the adjustment screw with the appropriate Allen key.
• Move the handlebars and stem to the desired height.
• The handlebars often cannot be moved, then you can gently tap on 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! Often there is 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 it 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 your might", but rather an "allowed torque" is 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 bike

How exactly the bicycle handlebar is set "well" depends on the type of bicycle.

At the road bike, you sit particularly low, so the handlebar is usually significantly lower than the saddle, and the upper body is accordingly bent far forward. On gravel bikes and MTB, the riding position is often still quite sporty, so the handlebar can be set quite low on these bikes. This is especially the case for riders who like to travel fast. However, it can also be ridden much more comfortably 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 classification is quite simple: The lower the bicycle handlebar is set, the more aerodynamic and faster the bike is on the road. The higher the handlebar, the more comfortable and back-friendly the riding position.

Make yourself comfortable!

Nevertheless, personal comfort posture is also important – when you sit on the bicycle, you should feel comfortable! The geometry of the bike provides the rough direction, but you should adjust the final height of the handlebars so that you can pedal pain-free and still efficiently. The longer you are on the bike, the more important a comfortable sitting posture becomes! There are no set values here – you have to test! Just pack a multitool, take a ride, and try out different handlebar settings!

• Pay attention to a comfortable posture that fits the proportions of the upper body and neck
• Also important: you must be able to reach and operate the brake levers and gear levers powerfully
• Your bike must be able to be controlled confidently and reliably, the handlebar position can also change the steering properties!

 

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

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 handlebar, thus influencing how stretched you sit.

Changing the inclination of the bicycle handlebar

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

The inclination of the stem

Just briefly for completeness: The stem connects your bicycle frame with the handlebar. 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 handlebar. There are straight stems. If you want to change the handlebar setting, you can also mount a stem with an 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.