Crooked handlebars. What do you do?

[Frank Krygowski]

One minor annoyance I have with bike work is, when re-tightening a stem,
getting the handlebars adequately straight. I eyeball carefully, but
often find when riding that they're a couple degrees crooked.

I suppose the task is more difficult on most of my bikes, which have
fenders and handlebar bags. It's hard to sight exactly where the wheel
is. And I find it harder with classic stems than threadless setups,
since the stem height wants to change as I adjust.

So, any particular tips?

--
- Frank Krygowski

[Emanuel Berg]

Frank Krygowski wrote:

> One minor annoyance I have with bike work is,
> when re-tightening a stem, getting the
> handlebars adequately straight. I eyeball
> carefully, but often find when riding that
> they're a couple degrees crooked.

Should it really be so tight that one cannot
simply hold the wheel with one's legs/knees and
push it straight with both hands in
one direction?

--
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573

[Hank]

Yes, yes it really should.

[Emanuel Berg]

Hank wrote:

>> Should it really be so tight that one cannot
>> simply hold the wheel with one's legs/knees
>> and push it straight with both hands in
>> one direction?
>

> Yes, yes it really should.

If so this is an epidemic problem which a huge
proportion of people have with their bikes.
Too loose.

[jbeattie]

Stop drinking.

Is this a trick question? The only thing fancier than just eye-balling is the straight-edge approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HR4w-TAL-w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcLcFRQvf-k

Don't over-loosen the quill so it drops.


In your retirement, you should develop a laser tool for stem-centering/bar straightening -- convince people that it will make all the difference in the world if their bars are exactly 90 degrees to the front wheel, plus or minus one-billionth of a degree. It will become the new must-have tool for bike fitters. You can also make some laser butt calipers, too, for the saddle-width fanatics. "I think I have one cheek bigger than the other, what can I do?" You can have these ideas. Thank me later, when the checks start rolling in.

Also, get a heart rate monitor, power meter, GPS device that measures absolutely everything. Then work with your laser tool to find the exact angle of your bars that maximizes your power and speed. You may find that a right deviation of .0000002 degree maximizes your power, unless your right handed, then I'd go the other way. Do hill repeats until you find the sweet spot. Also, carefully measure your tire width and drive a nail into the center so you have a good landmark for your laser.

-- Jay Beattie.










-- Jay Beattie.

[Frank Krygowski]

On 6/11/2018 5:54 PM, jbeattie wrote:
> On Monday, June 11, 2018 at 2:04:46 PM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:
>> One minor annoyance I have with bike work is, when re-tightening a stem,
>> getting the handlebars adequately straight. I eyeball carefully, but
>> often find when riding that they're a couple degrees crooked.
>>
>> I suppose the task is more difficult on most of my bikes, which have
>> fenders and handlebar bags. It's hard to sight exactly where the wheel
>> is. And I find it harder with classic stems than threadless setups,
>> since the stem height wants to change as I adjust.
>>
>> So, any particular tips?
>>
>> --
>> - Frank Krygowski
>
> Stop drinking.
>
> Is this a trick question? The only thing fancier than just eye-balling is the straight-edge approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HR4w-TAL-w
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcLcFRQvf-k
>

No trick question. The straightedge trick is what I needed. I tried it
just now on the bike I'd recently eyeballed, then re-eyeballed when it
turned out a bit crooked. The straightedge said it was still off a bit.

I can't ride for a few days. I look forward to the road test.


--
- Frank Krygowski

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 11 Jun 2018 17:04:42 -0400, Frank Krygowski
<frkr...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

>So, any particular tips?

Geometry. Take a length of string and tie it symmetrically to both
ends of the handle bars. Find the midpoint of the string. Drop the
marked midpoint onto the front tire and center the handlebars. It
helps to lock the front brakes. Besides accuracy, this has the
advantage of somewhat holding the handlebars in place until you're
done tightening the nut. Patent pending.

--
Jeff Liebermann je...@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

[russell...@yahoo.com]

I just go for a test ride up and down the street, few hundred yards each way. Carry an Allen wrench. When you get back to the driveway, turn the bars. Repeat the test rides until you get back to the driveway and don't want to change the angle. I doubt I can patent this ingenious method. I use the same method for saddle height and handlebar angle in the stem. Test and trial. After you eyeball it pretty close to start with.

[Emanuel Berg]

russell...@yahoo.com wrote:

> I just go for a test ride up and down the
> street, few hundred yards each way. Carry an
> Allen wrench. When you get back to the
> driveway, turn the bars. Repeat the test
> rides until you get back to the driveway and
> don't want to change the angle. I doubt I can
> patent this ingenious method. I use the same
> method for saddle height and handlebar angle
> in the stem. Test and trial. After you
> eyeball it pretty close to start with.

Why does the angle/height change from
tightening the expander bolt? I just tried to
push a handlebar and as expected this was
possible without much force. The bolt wasn't
exactly loose but it was possible to give it an
additional torque. I was tempted to push the
bar again but didn't do so. So now I'm sure it
is impossible to do, happy ever after.

[Frank Krygowski]

On Friday, June 15, 2018 at 1:04:14 PM UTC-4, russell...@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> I just go for a test ride up and down the street, few hundred yards each way. Carry an Allen wrench. When you get back to the driveway, turn the bars. Repeat the test rides until you get back to the driveway and don't want to change the angle. I doubt I can patent this ingenious method. I use the same method for saddle height and handlebar angle in the stem. Test and trial. After you eyeball it pretty close to start with.

Yes, that's what I've always done. I decided it was a bit of PITA.

I like the straightedge on the fork trick. It's easy and saves that bit of
trial and error.

- Frank Krygowski

[russell...@yahoo.com]

On Friday, June 15, 2018 at 12:54:19 PM UTC-5, Emanuel Berg wrote:
> russell...@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> > I just go for a test ride up and down the
> > street, few hundred yards each way. Carry an
> > Allen wrench. When you get back to the
> > driveway, turn the bars. Repeat the test
> > rides until you get back to the driveway and
> > don't want to change the angle. I doubt I can
> > patent this ingenious method. I use the same
> > method for saddle height and handlebar angle
> > in the stem. Test and trial. After you
> > eyeball it pretty close to start with.
>
> Why does the angle/height change from
> tightening the expander bolt?

When did I or anyone say changing the bars was related to the expander bolt? On a quill stem the expander bolt changes the straightness angle and height. The clamp bolt changes the tilt of the bars. Three different movements. Two controlled by the same bolt. You have to adjust all three angles initially with the two bolts. Tighten the bolts. Then go for a test ride and see if all three angles are good or bad. Then loosen and tighten the bots and make your adjustments. Eventually you will end up with your bars where you want them.

[russell...@yahoo.com]

On Friday, June 15, 2018 at 1:23:32 PM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> On Friday, June 15, 2018 at 1:04:14 PM UTC-4, russell...@yahoo.com wrote:
> >
> > I just go for a test ride up and down the street, few hundred yards each way. Carry an Allen wrench. When you get back to the driveway, turn the bars. Repeat the test rides until you get back to the driveway and don't want to change the angle. I doubt I can patent this ingenious method. I use the same method for saddle height and handlebar angle in the stem. Test and trial. After you eyeball it pretty close to start with.
>
> Yes, that's what I've always done. I decided it was a bit of PITA.
>

Yes its a PITA. But its necessary. No matter what trick you use first, you have to test it and more than likely make some adjustments. Think of it like clothes. No matter what the chart says will fit you. You still have to put the clothes on and see if they really fit or not. Hassle, PITA!!!! But you don't know they fit you until you try them on. Just like you don't know the bars are at the right position until you try and adjust them.

[Emanuel Berg]

russell...@yahoo.com wrote:

>> Why does the angle/height change from
>> tightening the expander bolt?
>
> When did I or anyone say changing the bars
> was related to the expander bolt? On a quill
> stem the expander bolt changes the
> straightness angle and height.

?

Obviously if you screw it up and pound it down
with a mallet and the hole thing lets go then
you are in a good position to change the
relative positions any way you like. But why
would just re-tightening cause anything but
microscopic changes?