How To Raise Handlebars On Road Bike: 9 Quick Steps
Do you ride a road bike? If so, then you are probably wondering how to raise the handlebars on your bike. Adjusting the height of your handlebars is an easy way to alter the feel and position of your body when riding a bicycle. While there are many ways to adjust or raise them, this blog post will provide 9 easy steps to Raise Handlebars On-Road Bike.

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How To Raise Handlebars On Road Bike

- Loosen the clamp bolts to raise handlebars
- Remove Top Cap
- Slide the stem off of the steerer tube.
- Decide how much you’d like to lower or raise your bar
- Slide the steering tube into place
- Now replace that cap and bolt
- Aligned with the front wheel
- Tight clamp bolts
- Check your headset adjustment
Step 1: Loosen the clamp bolts to raise handlebars

To raise handlebars on a road bike, first loosen the bolts for clamping them in place. This will allow you to slide your bars up or down and tighten the clamp when they are where you want them.
Step 2: Remove Top Cap

The top cap is loosened with an Allen key before sliding off of your steerer tube. Once removed, you are able to slide the steerer tube up or down, and replace the cap with ease.
Step 3: Slide the stem off of the steerer tube
Slide the handlebars off of the stem and slide them up or down your steerer tube. Tighten clamp bolts to secure in place: Once they are where you want, tighten all clamps before replacing top cap and installing bar tape with a new grip.
Step 4: Decide how much you’d like to lower or raise your bar
How much you’d like to adjust the height of your handlebars is up to personal preference. How high or low the bars are will affect how upright your bike is, as well as its stability and maneuverability.
Step 5: Slide the steering tube into place
Slide the steerer tube through your headtube and replace any spacers that have been removed.
Step 6: Now replace that cap and bolt
Once the steerer tube is in place, you should replace both the top cap and bolt. Tighten all three clamps before installing bar tape or grips with a new grip.
The handlebars are now at your desired height: How high or low they will be depends on how much of an adjustment you’ve made to them.
Step 7: Aligned with the front wheel
Be sure that the handlebars are parallel with and below the front wheel.
In a straight line The bars should be in a relatively straight position, not angled up or down too much.
Step 8: Tight clamp bolts
Tighten the bolts on both clamps (three and four) to help secure the handlebars in place.
Replace or tighten any spacers that were removed: Replace all spacers, if necessary, then replace top cap bolt with hex wrench before tightening it down again.
Step 9: Check your headset adjustment:

Check the headset adjustment to make sure it’s not too tight or loose.
If you find that the handlebars are angled up, loosen your stem and then tighten again to lock them in place. In some cases this can be corrected by flipping the stem 180 degrees so it turns forward instead of backward.
How To Raise Handlebars On Specialized Road Bikes?

We already discussed how to adjust handlebars on a road bike step by step. This is no different from that. For a Specialized Road Bike , you will need to remove the stem bolts and then loosen your top cap bolt.
To do this, simply tighten down the handlebar clamp hex bolt with a wrench or pliers. Before replacing it in its original position on the threaded part of your bike frame.
First, start by loosening the stem bolts. This will allow the headset to move up or down as needed. If you need more slack, then loosen your top cap bolt and turn it until there is enough space for your bike frame in between the handlebars and stem.

For a more upright bike frame, loosen both of these bolts and move them up or down accordingly. You may need to play with this adjustment depending on how high you want your handlebars so bear with it and try not to tighten the bolts too much.
Next, tighten down the stem bolts until they are snug. The final step is to re-tighten your top cap bolt. That’s it!
Read More on Road Bikes
Is there any difference between lowering and raising my handlebars?
No, there is no difference between lowering and raising your handlebars. The only difference is the height of the bars from the ground.
If you want to lower your handlebars, it means that you need to shorten them so they are closer to the ground. If you want to raise your handlebars, it means that you need to lengthen them so they are higher than before.
You can purchase a bicycle handlebar that is threaded for adjusting the height of your bike. However, you may simply want to raise or lower the front end as it does not affect cycling performance at all. Increasing and lowering both seem like such easy things to do, so don’t worry too much, adjust the height as you feel comfortable.
How to add or remove headset spacers?
To add or remove headset spacers on a road bike, you need to remove the front wheel.
Step 1: Remove the seat post by unscrewing it from the top of the frame.
Step 2: Unscrew the bottom bracket and remove it from the frame.
Step 3: Loosen up any bolts that hold the front derailleur and swing it towards one side.
Step 4: Unscrew any bolts that are holding down both sides of the head tube and set them aside so they don’t get lost when you reinstall everything back together.
Step 5: Turn your bike upside down so you can see where all your bolts go, then loosen them all up in order to let your stem slide out of its current position into another one on your handlebars. Make sure to not tighten anything else until you’ve finished this step!
Step 6: Flip your bike back over again, with everything still loose, and pull out all parts that were removed in steps 1-5 above, including cables and such if they’re still attached (you’ll need some zip ties for those). Now insert a thin spacer or shim between your stem and handlebar before tightening everything back up again – this will give you extra height adjustment now that there’s no head tube left behind.
If you find yourself going too low on steep climbs when using spacers like these, replace them with a thicker spacer instead!
Conclusion:
The handlebars on your bike are the steering mechanism that control how you turn and maneuver. You should adjust them to ensure they’re in a comfortable position for your body. whether it be higher or lower than usual. If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable because of the height of your handlebars, these 9 easy steps will show you exactly How To Raise Handlebars On Road Bike. So the next time you go out, nothing can stop you from getting back home first.
FAQ’s
Can You Raise The Handlebars On A Bike?
Yes, you can raise the handlebars on your bike.
How Do I Adjust Road Bike Handlebars?
You can adjust the height of your handlebars by loosening, moving up or down and re-tightening.
How Can I Make My Road Bike More Upright?
The handlebars on your bike can be adjusted to lean more upright by adjusting the stem bolts, moving them up or down and re-tightening.
What is threadless?
If your stem has bolts pinching it onto the steerer tube, it’s most likely threadless.
What is bar height?
Bar height is also known as saddle-drop which is the measurement of how far the top of the saddle sits above (or below) the bars.
How To Raise Handlebars On Road Bike: Resource
1. RAISE Your Bike Handlebars for a More UPRIGHT Sitting Position
2. How to change your handlebar height
3. Raising Handlebars on Mountain Bike
Thanks for the useful information. I am now able to successfully adjust and lift the handlebars of my daughter’s bike. Hopefully, this will make its ride more comfortable and safer.
I have successfully applied to my daughter’s bike with very simple steps: First, remove the hub bolt or nut a few turns. In the next step, you need to pull the handlebars of the bike up meticulously until your child has the desired height to use. Align the handlebars to ensure proper orientation, especially since the bike pedal may have gone sideways during the first process. The next thing that you should align the handlebars with is the saddle. Note that the handlebars can be above, level with, or just below the saddle. If the saddle is already in place, make sure the handlebars are slightly below or equal to the height of the saddle. And finally, squeeze the steering wheel and get the job done.
Thanks
Just check if your type of handlebar is sporting a threadless or threaded headset stem., You should be able to freely raise the handlebars, whether on a specialized mountain bike, road bike, and even a child’s bike, whether it’s an Apollo bike or any other brand.