How Hard Is It To Raise A Threadless Stem For A New Rider



Tennjed

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Mar 18, 2015
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I am new to this, so i havent tried anything other than minor maintenace.

I have a Specialized sectuer with what appears to be threadless stem. It looks like all the risers are already below, so i am assuming i will have to buy some more.

Can a average handyman with limited bike knowledge do this on his on, or do i need to take it to a shop? If i need to take it toba shop, any ideas on how much i might be looking at?
 
If all the spacers are below the stem then you probably can not raise the stem any higher. The stem clamps to the Steerer, raising it higher will mean the stem won't have enough to properly clamp to and could be unsafe to ride.

What you may be able to do is get a new stem that has a steeper angle. Some of specialized stems have inserts that allow for multiple angles. A steeper angle could raise (or lower) the bars.

All that being said, are you sure that it needs to go higher? A lot of riders think that if they are not comfortable on the bike that the arsenic to go up. This is not always the case. Rather than trying to raise the bars, bringing them in (or out) often does the trick. It's all about bike fit. I would hate to recommend spending money but it may be worth a trip to a professional bike fitter. It may be costly, but I've seems people spend far more trying to sort things out on their own.
 
They manufacture all kinds of risers to elevate the stem. They range from about 2" to around 4" of additional height and are often used if the OEM steerer tube/stem setup is already at the top of the height adjustment range.

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/ProductDisplay?storeId=10053&langId=-1&catalogId=10052&productId=551102&utm_source=Google_Product_Search&utm_medium=pla&utm_campaign=datafeed&cm_mmc=Google_Product_Search-_-PLA-_-Datafeed-_-Delta%20Alloy%20Stem%20Raiser%20Pro%20Adapter%20Black&CAWELAID=1592596190&source=googleUS&CAGPSPN=pla&catargetid=400006960000088447&cadevice=c&gclid=CPy6udqcj8YCFQYQaQodRhIENA


There are also adjustable angle stems and fixed angle stems that offer more rise, as ABNPFDR pointed out.

Stem risers and adjustable angle stems may get you the fit you are after, but proper installation and maintenance are critical to rider safety as leverage increases and moving parts that aren't supposed to move can cause <insert serious CPSC voice over here> death or serious injuries due to loss of control of the bicycle while riding.

The type of rider that ordinarily uses a stem riser and the riding styles they exhibit lead me to believe the failure rate and injury rate are very, very low.
 
Thanks guys. I want to raise them to see if it will help with hand numbness. I have anout 300 miles riding it, most rides in the 8 - 12 mile range. I get numb on anything over 5 or so miles. I keep seeinf raising the bars as a sugestion for numbness

For the record, i got it used off craigslist. It is a 52cm frame. I am 5'6".

I have tried a few padded gloves. I also started lifting weights 2 weeks ago to hopefully help with my core strength.

I thought if it was a simple and inexpensive thing i would give a try and see if it helps with the numbness. Maybe i should give the weight lifting a few more weeks and see if that helps.

Thanks
 
A double-wrap of bar tape may help. More miles may also eliminate the numbness as will varying your hand positions.
 

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