Threadless Stems

Garlic Suplmnt

Hi, quick question about threadless stems. Would I be right in thinking that most road bikes built using threadless stems provide the option to raise the handlebar height by flipping the stem 180? Looking at mine, that would appear to be the case but thought I'd better seek advice before I start unscrewin' an da'

Cheers

petethedrummer

You can do it. Interestingly (or boringly), Floyd Landis won the tour on a bike with a flipped stem.



Also, Enda Kenny. He didn't win the tour though. Unless somebody wants to alter his wikipedia page.

Garlic Suplmnt

Ha! I like it!

By the way, I'm looking to raise the handlebars in an attempt to reduce shoulder and neck pain. I'm finding this a constant strain on my rides once I get over the 60k mark or thereabouts. Am I correct in the assumption that the raised handlebars height will help alleviate this? (in addition to stretching and all that sensible stuff)

AstraMonti

Garlic Suplmnt wrote: »

Ha! I like it!

By the way, I'm looking to raise the handlebars in an attempt to reduce shoulder and neck pain. I'm finding this a constant strain on my rides once I get over the 60k mark or thereabouts. Am I correct in the assumption that the raised handlebars height will help alleviate this? (in addition to stretching and all that sensible stuff)

Yes it would help, it certainly helped me a lot. I am not flexible enough to get on a very aero position for too long, so in longer rides I was getting really uncomfortable, I flipped the stem and worked in my flexibility the same time.

Garlic Suplmnt

AstraMonti wrote: »

Yes it would help, it certainly helped me a lot. I am not flexible enough to get on a very aero position for too long, so in longer rides I was getting really uncomfortable, I flipped the stem and worked in my flexibility the same time.

Ah I see, and did you find flexibility and comfort improved over time to a level where you eventually flipped the stem back to its original position?

AstraMonti

Well, I 've learned that flexibility doesn't come easy (especially if you don't have a certain base, like me), it needs a lot and lot of stretching, joining a yoga class will certainly help.
The answer is no, I haven't flipped it yet, but I am close, hopefully by the end of the summer.

Garlic Suplmnt

Hi all, just a quick come back on this, necro > new thread

I've readjusted my headset having flipped the stem. I had to make a couple of attempts at this because I'd either still have play in the front fork, or else the steering was too heavy.

Now, I think that I've made the proper readjustments, but there is still the tiniest of tiny amounts of possible play in the front fork. It doesn't actually move as such, but there's a barely palpable click when I lift the front wheel from the ground. Is this always going to be there, regardless of how well the headset is adjusted?

Cheers

blorg

It doesn't sound like it should be there, no.

That sounds maybe a bit like you haven't compressed down the stem onto the headset right. Shouldn't be an issue with a normal road bike but could happen if you had cantilever brakes with a hanger in there. Alternatively, it is possibly not the headset, could be bearings in the front hub either. The standard way to check for headset play is to hold the front brake and rock the wheel back and forth.

Threadless headset adjustment is quite straightforward so possibly you do have something wrong there.