Rule Of Thumb For Adjusting Your Bike Handlebars For Travel

If you love riding your bike, whether you want to ride around the block in your neighborhood, or train for a race, then there are many things you need to think about. Besides making sure that you have all the right gear and a buddy with you at all times, you also need to think about your bike. You need to have the right tires, the right seat and even a good set of handlebars. The right handlebars can make or break your biking riding venture. Here is a little more about following the basic rules of thumbs when it comes to finding and adjusting the bike handlebars.

When you are going to be doing any travel on your bicycle, one of the things you have to take care of is the adjustment of your handlebars. While on the surface, that may seem easy, there is really a lot to it. The best way to go about your handlebar adjustment is to take it one step at a time. Here are the steps you should take that will help you to properly adjust the handlebars on your bike for travel.

First, you will need to take a look at your handlebars carefully in order to determine how they adjust. Look at the center of them and look to see if there is an indentation that is in the shape of a hexagon. There could also be a bolt sticking up above the handlebar stem or there could be a bar that attaches to the frame. Once you know what the connection is with the handlebars, you will be able to work through the process much easier.

Secondly, you will have to actually figure out how much you want to adjust the handlebars. You may need to move them up or down, but you cannot really know or be sure until you have gotten on the bike to look and see.

That means you should get on the bike and figure out which height of handlebars is going to work best for you. Find a handlebar height at which it is easier for you to look out ahead of the bicycle. Sit so that you are not bending your neck in an uncomfortable manner. The exact height will depend on you as an individual. Your riding purpose, which could be touring, racing, mountain biking, or casual bicycling, will also play a role in determining your handlebar height. Additionally, your level of skill as well as your height, weight, and age will all make a difference in handlebar height.

Third, you will need to actually loosen up the bolt that holds the handlebars in place. If it is really tight, you may want to take a rubber mallet and tap it. This will help loosen the bolt going into the process.

Your fourth step is to pull on the handlebars. This will bring them up, or if you push on them you can push them down into the height that you want. If you are pulling your handlebars up, though, it is important not to pull them completely out of the frame. In fact, you should always make sure at least two inches inside the frame. On many bicycles, there is actually a maximum height marked to prevent you from taking the bars out of the frame too far.

Fifth, you should make sure that you have realigned the front tire with the handlebars. When you are raising or lowering them, you will end up twisting the tire and stem of the bicycle until they are out of place. The handlebars and the bike frame should all be lined up with the front tire.

Once everything is aligned, go ahead and tighten it back up. Tighten the bolt snugly so that the handlebars to not go back out of alignment when you start riding. Make sure you use a wrench, because finger tightening in this situation is not enough.

Finally, once everything is set and tightened up, you should get on the bike and ride it. Make sure everything is where you want it, and if you need to, take the time to readjust. Having your handlebars at the right height is of the utmost importance, so it is well worth the time it may take to tighten them more than once.