Adjusting your mountain bicycle handlebars is essential if you want to achieve maximum riding comfort. You might need to adjust the handlebars if you experience pain on your neck and back when riding. You might also want to adjust the handlebars for your growing kid. If your mountain bike has too low handlebars, riding can be uncomfortable, so you need to raise them. If you don't know how to go about it, I will give you a guide on how to raise handlebars on mountain bike. Here are the steps that you should follow.
How To Raise Handlebars On Mountain Bike
Adjusting the handlebars on your mountain bicycle is simple since you don't need to use a lot of tools. Before you make the adjustments, you need to determine the type of handlebar system on your bike as well as how high you want your handlebars to be. Let's check how to adjust the handlebars on threadless and threaded headset systems.
1. Adjusting With a Threadless Headset System
How do the handlebars stay in place? If you find that the handlebars feature one large bolt and other two small ones, then it is a threadless headset system the bolts hold the handlebars to the bike stem. You need to have an Allen key to adjust this type of handlebar.
Remove the large bolt from the bike stem before you start. Additionally, you will need to remove the stem, cap before you adjust the handlebars. Then, turn the small bolts with the Allen key to loosen them. Don't remove them fully because you want them to be loose enough.
Move the handlebars gently and slowly. It would be best if you were extra careful to prevent any stress or bend on the bike stem. If this happens, it can cause damages and hard to attach the handlebars.
After removing the handlebars, adjust the stem to the desired height and avoid damaging the bike cables when adjusting. After achieving your ideal height, replace the bike stem and keep it in place. Next, replace the larger bolt and use your hands to tighten it, no need of Allen key here. Replace bike stem and ensure it aligns well with the wheels and then tighten the bolt when the stem is aligned well.
2. Adjusting With A Threaded Headset System
If you notice that your bike has a continuous metal that connects the handlebars to the bike, then this is a threaded head system. This system is common in single speed bikes, fixed gear bikes and other older bikes. The stem of these bike systems feature a single bolt at the top.
The first thing that you need to do is to make the top bolt lose with an Allen key. You can choose to loosen the bolt or remove it.
Next, get a locknut that has a wrench and when the stem is loose, you can adjust the handlebars to your ideal height. If there is any excess grease, remove it and clean the stem. If the grease is too little, apply some so that it is effortless to remove the bike stem.
Once you move the handlebars and stem to the right height, tighten the locknut and then tighten the bolt.
3. Handlebar Angle Adjustment
In cases where you only need to raise the handlebar slightly, you might need to adjust only the angle. Not all mountain bikes can do this so you need to check if your bike is adjustable in the first place. If your bike has a single bolt running perpendicular to the point where the frame and the stem meet, then it is adjustable.
Next, take an Allen key and loosen the bolt. Also, loosen the screws while the handlebars are on the frame. Rotate the handlebars to the desired angle. This angle is the ideal height. After doing this, tighten the screws. Now, you can test the bike and check if the adjustments are right.
Final Words
There are several reasons that you would want to adjust the handlebars in your mountain bicycle. It could be you want to improve visibility, comfort, bicycle performance, reduce injury or accommodating growing kids. Whatever reasons, I hope the above guide on how to raise handlebars on mountain bike will help you do it right.
