Cycling UK Forum

Have an issue with a flat bar / road bike, hardly used since purchase. One of the issues are the handlebars, which are too low, giving neck pain even after an hour on the bike

Anyone know of any issues with refitting the handlebars, with a 45 degree handlebar stem? This would effectively raise the handlebars by 50mm+ or so, without the cost of replacing the forks. I'm not concerned about any handling changes to the bike, purely whether it'd cause undue stress to the forks or whether such stems are more likely to fail

The only issue I can foresee is whether there is enough give in your brake & gear cables to accommodate what is a reasonable height increase. On a road bike it would probably mean re-cabling inner & outers, but I suspect a hybrid will have a bit more leeway. Best to unbolt the handlebar off your existing stem & lift it up 5cm and see how much tension the cables are under.

Yes, I can understand your concerns...

However I did Land's End to John O'Groats using a handlebar stem which had a 45 rise angle and was 135 in length, fitted to a set of forks with a steel steerer without issue...

..more recently I've fitted a stem with a 45 degree rise and is 120 in length, purchased from SPA cycles, so far no issues.. Personally I'm with the writer of this book, when it comes to fork steerer lengths/handlebar height The only other option is to fit a different set of handlebars with more rise and a greater degree of Sweep (for wrist comfort)

I have fitted high rise stems to my (flat barred) bikes since developing a pain in the neck last year, caused by excessive cycling and, in particular, looking over my shoulder. I had no trouble fitting the new stems and have experienced no problems with them so far and my neck seems to be getting better very slowly.

I have one if you want to try one pm me and I'll send it.

Cheers James

Wouldn,t a 45deg stem have even less stress on it?The steeper the stem,surely the vertical component of your weight acting down the steerer will be greater,i.e.less stress on the stem?Of course,if you then have a longer stem ,this will have the opposite effect.In all my years of cycling,on and off road,I,ve never seen a broken stem.

Thanks to all, sounds it all sounds good. Having to probably replace cable wires and outers has been a delaying factor due to cost, but it's absurd having a decent £500 bike, which has hardly been used since purchase ('15-'16. I doubt it's had 200 miles)

The exceptionally annoying thing, is that the bike shop gave me a FOC brand new fork 6-12 months after purchase, due to excess creaking. Which I then cut down to the same height as the original, without even thinking )

cyclop wrote: ↑21 Apr 2022, 8:37pm Wouldn,t a 45deg stem have even less stress on it?The steeper the stem,surely the vertical component of your weight acting down the steerer will be greater,i.e.less stress on the stem?

Suppose it would

You might get away with the cables only the front brake cable might need to be longer? which is an easy job?

If you have to go down the re-cabling route, I would suggest buying some swept back bars. I have them on a commuting bike and they are very comfortable for your back and neck as you are positioned quite upright. It’s not very aerodynamic but it’s a small price to pay for comfort - showing my age a bit I think.

audaxjk wrote: ↑22 Apr 2022, 12:00pm If you have to go down the re-cabling route, I would suggest buying some swept back bars. I have them on a commuting bike and they are very comfortable for your back and neck as you are positioned quite upright. It’s not very aerodynamic but it’s a small price to pay for comfort - showing my age a bit I think.

I've returned to swept back bars after using straights for about 4 or 5 years, I've found them much easier on the shoulder blades, and I've suffered from less tension headaches, too.
Definitely not something you'd want to put on a bike for any sort of racing malarkey, but ideal for the urban environment where any sort of aerodynamic advantage would be wiped out by waiting at traffic lights. Being sat up higher also allows you to see better over parked cars - my current set up allows me to be at eye level with van and suv drivers and stare down upon car drivers

gbnz wrote: ↑21 Apr 2022, 8:40pmThe exceptionally annoying thing, is that the bike shop gave me a FOC brand new fork 6-12 months after purchase, due to excess creaking. Which I then cut down to the same height as the original, without even thinking )

This is precisely why I've always thought the threadless headset system is barking mad, it's completely ruined the flexibility of adjustment. New forks just because you want to raise the bars? Even Heath Robinson would be embarrassed by a design like that. In exchange for an improvement in stiffness that only the likes of professional racers are going to notice any benefit from, you have an ugly impractical system that's inconvenient for most ordinary riders.

I have a history of problems with bar height too, so if I were in the market for another bike I'd be looking to buy second hand rather than get lumbered with threadless.

justa side thought how long is the stem ? if its long a shorter stem would give you an effective higher body angle , my default size is 90 mm .
I have ran as small as 70 mm on a bike that was a bit big with no issues when steering which some people say can happen with short stems

So many older cyclists need higher bars ...