How much does handlebar width affect reach?

[shankarbn]

I have this strange uneasy feeling while working on the handlebar reach when my seat isn't adjusted properly in the first place. Maybe its just me.

[carvinganish]

Vandit can you clarify what you mean by the via agra stem?

This is similar to what I have right now (this is short and steep - a longer stem with the same angle puts the handlebars higher, but also too far away):

31GAxk6gdAL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

This is the stem raiser that I was talking about:

images.jpg

I was unsure about using the latter as a permanent solution because of concerns over it getting loose etc. Besides which it would look ugly as hell. I am more and more inclined to go for the new uncut fork with a flat stem, and then adjust that up and down (and play with stem length) as needed.

And if I do go the bike shop route, they will happily swap out the stem as needed going forward, and help with the adjustments etc. It helps that I have a Groupon for that bike shop that I need to use - so that eases the pain of shelling out the $$. And they will give me (some) credit for the old fork too.

[Minkey Chief]

Vandit can you clarify what you mean by the via agra stem?

I think that be a stem on via agra, i.e. a high-rise stem.

Oh, I see that it automatically corrects from drug to detour through Taj town.

[carvinganish]

Ok so I shelled out the cash and made the changes that I've been intending to make for a while now. New uncut fork, new short and shallow handlebar, and a flat 70mm stem.

Before

cc_before.jpg

After

cc_after.jpg

Feels a lot better having the handlebars higher and narrower. I still need to tweak things a little bit and get used to this new setup, but I have the flexibility to adjust things nicely now - the bars will probably end up a little lower than they are currently.

This is what the bike looks like to me with all those spacers.

[sar.the.psyco]

just out of curiosity ... how stiff is that stem raiser? I mean does it tend to bend a bit when u get on the drops and hammer or sway to side??

[carvinganish]

It's not a stem raiser, but a new fork with an uncut steerer. I'm sure it's less stiff than a shorter steerer, but I haven't noticed anything in the limited riding I've done so far.

[maheshv]

I wanted to go that way as well (new uncut steerer tube) but 100USD with shipping and customs made me think otherwise. I have the stem riser
on my LHT and works just fine.

[MPP]

Hey I have also been thinking of raising the stem/handlebar on my bike. i have a slight pain in lower back when i use Orbea. feel the hadlebar is too low.
It has 1 1/8' Aheadset and i guess I cannot add any spacer to it. So was looking for adjustable stem. On Decathlon site found they had 2 main variants OS and non OS, what does that mean??

http://www.decathlon.in//MTB-AND-LEISUR ... USTABLE-OS and
http://www.decathlon.in//MTB-AND-LEISUR ... TEM-NON-OS

has anyone used them? how are they? or any other alternative??

[MPP]

OK got it..
non- OverSized. that refers to the diameter of the handlebar, right?