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How to set your Handlebar Height on your Road- or Mountain Bike? [How-To]

8 April 2019

It’s important to set the correct handlebar height if you want to be comfortable on your road bike or mountain bike. Adjusting the height of your road bike handlebars or mountain bike handlebars is something you can easily do yourself. We’ll happily talk you through the process on how to set your handlebar height.

We’ve listed the steps you need to go through in order to set your handlebar height. Firstly, we take a quick look at some important points you need to take into consideration when setting up your road bike or mountain bike handlebars.

Important considerations when setting up your bicycle handlebars

Use a torque wrench. This way you can make sure you’re not over-torquing the bolts. It’s a particularly essential cycling tool when working with carbon.
Feel like you have to over-reach in order to hold the bars? Then you might want to consider fitting a shorter stem while you’re at it.
Do you experience discomfort in your neck and shoulders during rides? Then you can often remedy the situation by raising your handlebars slightly.
How high your bars should be set is mostly down to personal feel and comfort. Where and when you start to experience discomfort varies hugely from person to person. Lower or raise your handlebars in small increments to dial in the perfect position for your needs.

How to set your handlebar height?

Time required: 15 minutes

Adjusting handlebar

Undo the top cap los
Undo the top cap at the top of the steerer tube using a hex key.
Remove top cap
Remove the top cap and bolt from the steerer tube.
Undo bolts of the stem
Undo the bolts of the stem. Slide the stem off the steerer tube.
Remove spacers
If required, remove the spacers located above the stem.
Readjust the stem
Lift off your stem and add spacers. Are you raising your handlebars? Then you’ll have to add more below the stem than you had before. Lowering your bars means having to remove one or more spacers below the stem. Then slide the stem back onto the steerer tube.
Tighten top cap and bolts on the stem
First tighten the top cap lightly and make sure you get your bars lined up correctly. Now do up the bolts on the stem, and do so evenly. So don’t tighten one, and then the other. Rather give them evenly alternating turns.
Check for play
Don’t forget to check for play in the headset. Any play on the headset can be felt instantly when you apply the front brake and rock the bike forward and back. The top cap is done up too loosely when you feel any play in the headset below the stem. You’ll feel a click or movement. When in doubt, just try again. You’d rather try a few times and get it right than ride around with a maladjusted headset.
Troubleshooting
It’s also possible for you to over-tighten the bolts on the stem or top cap. Lift the front wheel of the bike at the top tube. The handlebars should “fall” freely to the left or right.