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When you want to buy your first road bike, it’s crucial to choose the right size. After learning how to choose the size of your bike, today we offer you a guide on how to adjust the handlebar height of your bike.
Why adjust the handlebar height of the bike?
To be properly positioned on your road bike, it is important to pay particular attention to adjusting your position. Just like the saddle height adjustment, the cockpit adjustment and more specifically the handlebar height are very important because this is one of the primary contact points for the cyclist on their bike.
Indeed, an incorrect posture can lead to long-term pain (muscular tension) but also more serious injuries (tendinitis, etc.) when you tackle long distances. That’s why it’s essential to adapt your position to your morphology.
To determine the correct riding position, several criteria and elements must be considered.
What handlebar width should I choose for my road bike?
For your handlebar to match your body shape, its width should be equal to the width of your shoulders. This is why smaller road bikes or women’s bikes often come with narrower handlebars.
To determine the correct handlebar width, you can measure the distance between the two bones that form the ends of each shoulder.
On your bike, you can simply check if your handlebar matches the width of your shoulders. To do this, get on your bike in a pedaling position with your hands in the curve of the handlebar: in this position, your arms should be parallel.
Besides this measurement, other parameters can come into play in choosing the width of a handlebar. Indeed, a slightly narrower handlebar will favor aerodynamics, while a slightly wider handlebar will provide more comfort to the cyclist. But be cautious because a handlebar that is too narrow or too wide can cause more discomfort than benefits: too narrow, it will hinder your handling in technical sections, and too wide, it will increase muscle fatigue in the shoulders, arms, and shoulder blades.
What stem length should I choose for my road bike?
The choice of the bike stem (more precisely its length or angle) is also very important in cockpit adjustment.
Cyclists looking for performance – at the expense of comfort – often opt for a longer stem (greater than 100mm) with a low angle to have a more stretched position on the bike and thus gain in aerodynamics. Some even choose reversible stems with a negative angle to be even more laid out on the bike.
Cyclists seeking comfort prefer a shorter stem (between 60 and 100mm) with a slightly greater angle (between 10 and 15°) to adopt a more upright and therefore more comfortable position.
To perfectly choose your stem, apart from your sporting practice, don’t forget to also consider the angle of the bike’s head tube, which can vary greatly from one model to another, as well as measuring the distance between the saddle and the head tube and taking the frame size into account.
How to adjust the brake lever position on my road bike?
The positioning of the brake levers is also very important on the handlebar. Indeed, you should be able to easily place your hands on the hoods and have easy access to the brake levers to ride safely.
The brake levers should be at the same level on the handlebar and positioned parallel. The handlebar should be oriented so that the hoods are in line with the top of the handlebar and positioned horizontally.
As descents are often done with hands on the drops and two fingers on the brakes, before finalising the position of the brake levers, don’t forget to simulate this position with your hands in the drops to check that the brakes are also easily accessible in this position.
How to adjust the handlebar height on my road bike?
In theory, - and up to a certain limit - the lower the handlebar, the more aerodynamic the cyclist’s position. Conversely, the higher the handlebar, the more exposed the cyclist will be to the wind while gaining comfort in the shoulders and neck as the weight will be more distributed on the parts of the body (perineum, ischium) in contact with the saddle. Generally, it is estimated that the handlebar position is equal to or lower than the saddle height by a measure between 0 and 6 cm below the top of the saddle.
Before starting to adjust your handlebar, make sure to equip yourself with a torque wrench to avoid over-tightening the bolts.
The simplest solution to adjust the handlebar height on your road bike is to move one or more spacers around the stem. If the handlebar is too low, place the spacers below the stem to raise the cockpit; if the handlebar is too high, remove the spacers under the stem and place them above the stem to lower the cockpit.
To make this adjustment, you need to loosen the top cap above the stem, then remove the top cap with the stem bolt. At the same time, you should also loosen the stem bolts to remove it from the head tube and then swap the spacers according to the desired position. Once the adjustment is done, put the stem back in place. Start by tightening the top cap, then reassemble the handlebar in its place. Then, gradually tighten the stem bolts.
If this method is not sufficient to raise or lower your cockpit, you will then need to adjust your stem or replace it with a new one more suited to your morphological characteristics.
What to do if I feel discomfort on my bike despite the adjustments?
After making all these adjustments, it will take a few rides to get used to it and start feeling the positive effects of this new position.
If, despite these adjustments, unusual pain persists over the miles, we recommend opting for a complete bike fitting performed by a professional to get a perfectly adapted position for your morphology on your bike.
Now that you know how to adjust the handlebar height on your bike, how about discovering how to measure the height of a bike saddle? And, to finish, do you know how to measure your bike?
