The handlebars on my T50 seem unnecessarily high, particularly when the seat is tilted all the way back - I have about 4” clearance above my knees (see photos). I have the original Origin8 stem that came with the T50 complete. What would be the best way to lower them by about 2 inches? Get a shorter stem? or cut the steering tube?
View attachment 6593 View attachment 6594
A long winded bunch of my thoughts. Your Thoughts May Vary!
1. Take a picture from the side view.
Then we can see it, you have a before and after comparison, and most importantly, you can reference those parts of the setup that you like. For example, the wrist angle might be very good now but once you make changes you might not know exactly how the replicate the wrist angle that you liked. A quick comparison with a couple pictures taken from the same spot will provide easy reference.
2. Depending on the original seat angle the current seat angle and how much you anticipate varying it... Here are the main options that I see using only the parts you already have:
a. Adjustments approximately vertically (parallel to the steering tube):
-undo the bolts holding the stem to the steerer tube and lower the stem a couple inches, tighten up and try again, adjust until you have what you like best
b. Adjustments approximately horizontally (perpendicular to the steering tube):
furthest from you
i. Current setup, (stem forward, handle bar "forward"). This is furthest forward (away from you)
ii. Stem facing forward, (stem forward, handle bar "reversed") Reverse only the handlebar (took off the brakes, grips, mirror and shifters and had them hover there while you rotated the bar 180 degrees around a vertical axis and then reattached them)
iii. Reverse stem, (stem reverse, bar forward) in same configuration as ii. with respect to stem, same orientation as current from your perspective
iv. Reverse stem, (stem reverse, bar reverse)
closest to you
I find that I like my arms to be bent at around 90 degrees, maybe a little greater so my elbows are just in front of parallel to my back. Personal preference.
If you are reclining the seat back significantly from the starting point you may want to try reversing the stem so the bar is closer to you. (I'm at about 45 degrees seat angle on my QX100 and have a hard time seeing over the handlebars with the handlebars in the standard all the way up position. )
Other alternatives:
3. Replace the stem with one that has less rise (more perpendicular to the steering tube).
-advantage: completely reversible, -disadvantage: buying another stem when it really is unnecessary
3. Replacing the handlebar with a different bar. That bar looks pretty overall good and appears to have very good adjustability so that would be something I would only change if you are unhappy with the width of the bar or have a specific reason.
5. Once you have everything how you like and continue to like it for a long while, then you can mark and cut down the stem if you want. That will get rid of the visual distraction and loose a little weight and make it look nicer all at once.
There's my thoughts, cheers,
Ben.
