Handlebar physics question.

[K Snyder]

I just bought a used Quest, and let me start by saying she is a thing of she is a thing of beauty.

When I did the test ride my knee kept hitting the shifter.
When I got home I tried to raise the handlebars and they were already to the top.
So I took the clamp that is between the stem and the handlebar and turned it 180 degrees.
That fixed the problem.

So my question, is there a disadvantage in having my handlebars setup this way?

I am thinking about buying a longer adjustable stem that brings the handlebars even closer to me.

 

[Jeremy S]

This is how I rode my

This is how I rode my Sofrider for years. I also lowered the handlebars since they were well behind my knees. Worked for me.

 

[billyk]

yup. but why adjustable?

Same situation here. But adjustable stems are expensive and heavy. You only need one to experiment with the positions, then it'll be fixed forever. I found one for $5 at a second bike parts store, used it to find the position I liked, then bought a nice light one for $20 in that length/angle. No reason to carry around extra and unnecessary hardware.

BK

 

[Plazebo]

Rotate the shifter

I wasn't ready to turn the stem around for space reasons but I found rotating the shifter so that the cables passed over the handlebars saved my knee from striking it. I can't see the 9x gear indicator but given there is only one front chain ring there is no risk of cross-chaining.

alt="Rotated shifter gives better knee clearance"

 

[K Snyder]

Thanks everyone for the input.

Lots of good feedback.
I am shorter 5'6" and think I would like the handlebars to be as close as possible.
Billy I sent you a pm. Do you know what stem you ended up with?
I have looked at cruiser bars like http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=ihaSllxzwic&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DihaSllxzwic not sure I want to go that route.

 

[billyk]

mine is short and steep

Mine is short and steep, but this is really a personal thing. See if you can get a cheap used adjustable stem and play around with it, in either handlebar position. That's really the only way to figure out what works for you.

I don't see the PM, but maybe I don't know where to look.

BK