Essential Knowledge Guide

Setting Up Your MTB
Handlebar Height and Tilt (Cockpit Length Part Two)

This is a long section. Hang in there, it's worth it.

A mountain bike used for Intermediate or higher trail riding normally should put the rider in "attack position".  Attack position moves your weight forward into the center of balance of the bike.  With more weight on the arms and shoulders you have greater maneuverability and you can use techniques we look into in the Intermediate Techniques section.  Even if you are just starting to ride, you want to learn this position, so it is natural later.  It may be uncomfortable at first.   The farther you go into attack position, the more uncomfortable you are likely to be on long rides. 

Full attack position is when you are leaning far enough forward that your knees come close to touching your chest at the top of your stroke.  It gives full power in the seated position.  You can trade some of that power for comfort if you tend to like extended rides and don't plan to compete, by using some handlebar and stem adjustments.

Notice how my shoulders are forward over the bike, and not above my hips.  From here you can use your upper body to enhance maneuvering with body english.  Your back will absorb shock well in this position because the force of impact is directed into your muscles and not your spine, which is where the shock goes if you are sitting upright.  Yes, sitting upright may be comfortable, but every bump compresses your spinal column and discs.  I bet that doesn't sound to good to you, does it? 

This riding position is NOT bad for your back.  I have never met anyone who strained their back while riding, unless they had a spill.

Now let's finish adjusting your cockpit length.  This section is a little subjective.  Meaning, it is going to require some guessing and experimenting on your part.  You'll probably want to pick a wide trail or empty parking lot for this.  Remember to ride for a moment or two to get your seating right. This final part of adjusting cockpit length will enhance your bikes cornering, attack (rapid acceleration) and advanced handling abilities.

While riding, start glancing down at your handlebar where it meets the stem.  Don't look too long!  I am not trying to get you to wreck!  Glance down again and again.  Try to get a feel for the relative placement of the handlebar and front hub. If your bar is way behind or way in front of the hub, you may be on a bike that isn't designed for you. This depends on how far in attack position you are trying to be in. You are looking for the handlebar to be in front of the front hub.

Notice how my handlebar appears to be far in front of the hub (marked with a yellow arrow).  That's what you are looking for and shows you are riding in attack position.

This next bike is obviously too small for me.  The hub is far in front of the handlebar.  This places my upper body in the back-damaging upright position, and ruins all the advantages of being "low".  If you see something like this, you probably found that you needed a longer seat post in a previous section.  If this is the case, I hope you jumped ahead and read this before buying the seat post.  The only way to correct THIS problem is buying a longer stem.  If your bike needs a seat post and stem, you should try to get another bike if at all possible.  Buying all this stuff doesn't correct the actual problem, which is that the frame is too small for you.

Let's continue assuming your bar appeared at least somewhere near the hub.  Now we can make some adjustments.  Remember, we're trying to center your weight over the bike and achieve attack position.

Look at the picture of my mtb on the left.  Notice how the seat is higher than the handlebar (pay no attention to the fact that I have such a long seat post.   I ride a frame one size smaller than I should, for reasons I promise I'll explain later).  Typically, you should expect the top of  your seat to be 2 or 3 inches higher than your bars.

Measure from the ground up to the top of your seat.  Measure from the ground to the top of one of your bar grips.  Raise or lower your stem to get in the 2 to 3 inch range.  While checking for handlebar and hub alignment, adjust for a good comfort level on your hands.  This will take experimentation to get just the way you want it and there are several factors involved. They are: comfort, good handlebar/front hub alignment and .  If your hands already hurt while riding, it can be from the bars being too low and having too much weight on your hands.  Raise the stem.  Also keep in mind, when I say "hands hurt" I mean "hands" and not "wrists".  We'll talk about wrists in a few moments.

You may have this type of stem.  Stand in front of the bike with legs against both sides of the front wheel.  Wrap one hand around the stem where it meets the frame.  Then loosen the single bolt on top to raise or lower.  Do NOT completely remove the bolt!  Just loosen it enough for it to move with a little force!  The stem and wheel will no longer turn as one unit when the stem is loosened, that's why you have your hand wrapped around the stem and legs around the wheel, to keep things from moving..  If your stem turns on you a bit and your front wheel is no longer lined up, tighten the stem a little more.  Turn the handlebar to line up with the wheel.  This is an eyeball adjustment.  I don't think there is any way to get it perfect.

If your bike is older, the stem may not move easily.  Still standing in front of the bike with legs on either side?  Twist the handlebar and use your legs to break the hold of the stem.  Or stand behind the bike with hands on handlebar and turn the front wheel HARD into a tree or wall.  What can I say, it works and it doesn't hurt your legs.  This shouldn't hurt your bike.  The stem bolt reaches far down into the steer tube.  The bottom of the stem is cut at a 45 degree angle.  The end of the bolt threads onto a piece that is cut to match the angle of the stem.  As you tighten the bolt, the bottom piece pulls upwards until it hits the stem.  Then it slides along the angled cuts and becomes wedged in between the stem and the steer tube, expanding the diameter of the stem until it is locked in place.  If you were to remove the stem bolt, this lower piece may fall down into the frame.  You would then have to remove the stem, flip the bike over so the piece fell out, and put it all back together.

Another type of stem requires a bit more work to do to raise or lower your stem.   This type of stem uses spacers.  Hopefully you can see the single spacer under my stem, shown by the yellow arrow.  To add or remove a spacer, loosen the bolts on the side of the stem till it turns freely.  Then loosen and remove the top bolt .   The stem and handlebar unit should come right off.  There will still be a piece in the steer tube.  We won't be doing anything with that.  Add or remove a spacer as necessary.  Put the stem back on.  Replace and tighten the TOP bolt first, just enough to hold the stem and handlebar in place.  Then line up the bars with the front wheel.  Tighten the top stem bolt the rest way to make sure the stem is all the way down on the steer tube.  Use a small tool to tighten this bolt.   It should not be over tightened.    Then tighten the side bolts.   Alternate between the two bolts, don't just tighten one all the way.

If you have a Cannondale HeadShok, you'll have to consult your User's Manual or local bike shop to find out how to work with it.  Or wait until I write an article about Cannondale's unusual response to front suspension.

GEESH!  Is this section long!  But that is because correct handlebar height is so difficult to define.  Relax, we'll be done soon.

Now we adjust your handlebar tilt.  Bar tilt affects your wrists, so if your wrists hurt while riding, this'll fix it!   Bar tilt is far easier to correct than bar height.  A couple pictures is all you need.

SO!  Stand up without your bike, with your hands in their natural position at your side. 

Keeping your hands and wrists in the same position, raise your arms to imitate their position on your bicycle.  You should end up with something like this.  Note the angle your wrists are at with respect to your forearm.  You shouldn't have to alter the angle of your wrists to grab the grips.  Holding the grips should feel natural.  If you are forced to turn your wrists to hold the grips, you need to rotate your bars.

Nearly all bars have some bend in them.  Riser bars, especially (like mine).  If your wrists are being forced to twist outwards (elbows sticking farther out) tilt your bars back towards you (counterclockwise if you are looking at the end of the bar from the chain side of the bike).  If your wrists are being forced to twist inwards (elbows closer together) tilt your bars away from you(clockwise if you are looking at the end of the bar from the chain side).

Your bar can be tilted by loosen the stem at the point where it holds the bar.  Most stems have only a single bolt.  Stems like mine with bolt on the side of the stem likely have four bolts where the bar is mounted.  Loosen whatever bolts you have just enough to allow the bars to rotate.  The rotate adjustment should be made in small increments.  Once again, do a lot of riding to get a feel for the bar change.  Was it more comfortable?  You may want to tilt even a little more.  If you have to tilt your bars a lot, you'll probably have to loosen and re-tilt all the shifting and brake components as well.

If you can't find any tilt that feels good to your wrists, you are going to need a new handlebar.  You can go to a bike shop and start picking up bars to get a feel.  Most manufacturers make their bars with several different bends.  It may take picking up thirty different bars to get what you like.  But this is your wrists we're talking about.  It's worth the effort.

You survived! Yes, a very long section indeed. But worth it!

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Opening Remarks About Your First MTB
What Mountain Bikes Can DO!
Anatomy of an MTB
Getting Your First MTB

Setting Up Your MTB
Adjusting Seat Post Height
Adjusting Cockpit Length
Handlebar Adjustments
Seat Tilt
Numbness and Impotency
Another poor picture, Aarrghgh!
That is an Azonic Shorty stem and a custom handlebar manufactured by Profile Racing.
Sorry you can't see the hub, too much junk in the way.
I apologize for the crude picture.  It'll be replaced soon.
I use King's NoThreadSet Sealed Bearings.
This is my Observed Trials bike.
The factory stem for my Trials bike.  It was WAY too short.
Parade rest?
Always feel better with a bike under me.
Me as a zombie.