Raising the handlebar on a '19 Vado 3.0

[Smichael911]

At my seat height my handlebar is 2 inches lower than the seat and the incline causes more pressure on my palms than is comfortable for me. Has anyone found a stem extension that works well with this model and if so, at 2 inches will i need to extend any/all the cables?

 

[smorgasbord]

This is a review of the bike, which appears to have a stem extender added: https://electricbikeblog.com/specialized-turbo-vado-review/

Doesn't look like they extended any cables/hoses. Typically for eBikes, you run into problems with the right brake cable shifter cables. Bikes with throttles may need extended throttle cables, but your bike doesn't have that.

What I'd suggest to do first is to turn the handlebars to the left at, say 90 degrees and try to judge how much slack you have. Could you lose 2" and still have enough? Then turn the handlebars to the right at 90 degrees and make the same assessment.

The good news is that stem extenders are cheap and easy to install.

Although I personally feel that it's better to raise things via a good quality high angle steam and/or replace handlebars with one that has a higher rise. Those are both more expense and trouble, but I feel they're a stronger solution.

At the end of the day, extending brake and shifter cables is pretty straightforward (although your bikes internal routing means fishing cables through (but you can use the existing cables as fish lines) - the real question is any electric cables. On your bike I believe those come only out of the center mounted display, so you might be OK (as seen in the photo above there isn't much slack on the display cable left, but might be just enough).

 

[Nxkharra]

@Smichael911 here is my uneducated comment.
I have experimented with raising and lowering handlebar on my bikes.
my experience has shown me that the pressure on hands, arms, neck, and back should all be taken into consideration when adjusting the handlebar height.
When only one of the above member(s) is taken into account for relief then you could add pressure on others.
this is not an easy formula. Sometime an expert should watch you, measure you, and recommend adjustment.
An upright position sounds attractive at a glance but imagine the increase of the amount of pressure on your back on this position.
there are some (a lot) of pressure that needs to be absorbed by the core muscles riding bike. Some of us (me included) who are matured (aka old farts) lack the core strength so this adjustment is even more important to prevent issues down the road.
I am sure our other experienced members will educate us on this topic.
I realize you might not have asked for an essay about your simple and good question.
btw my Vado 5 is one of the only bikes I have owned over the years that haven’t given me pain, pressure, numbness in any of the areas mentioned above without any adjustment to the factory setting. (Body Geometry! Maybe?)

 

[Mixyblob]

I changed the handelbars on my 2020 Vado with ones similar to the Como. They raise the height an inch or two but more importantly for me, they also rake back a few degrees too.
I find the rake back a lot more comfortable for my old arthritic wrists.
No problems getting the cables to reach either.

 

[Rick53]

At my seat height my handlebar is 2 inches lower than the seat and the incline causes more pressure on my palms than is comfortable for me. Has anyone found a stem extension that works well with this model and if so, at 2 inches will i need to extend any/all the cables?

This is likely to work : Since Specialized items have fit on My Trek's Fine
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...djustable-quill-stem/p/14351/?colorCode=black

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Smichael911,

The one and only solution: So called "A-HEAD Stem Riser". It is 3" on my Vado and yes, the cables are long enough. It will change your riding position dramatically. It was the first upgrade I made to my Vado when I bought it.

The A-HEAD Stem Riser is a standard item in the MTB world, for example this one (this one is 3 1/2 inch but I recommend a 3" one):

Amazon.com : Delta Cycle Bike Bicycle Stem Raiser Extender Head Up Handlebar Raiser : Bike Stems And Parts : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Delta Cycle Bike Bicycle Stem Raiser Extender Head Up Handlebar Raiser : Bike Stems And Parts : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

Or:

Amazon.com

Only make sure the nominal diameter matches the diameter of your steerer tube (it should be 1-1/8").

 

[Alaskan]

You also might consider an adjustable angle stem. They come in various lengths from 80mm to 140mm

Ergotec Swell-R Eco A-Head 31.8/28.6 mm adjustable stem, Black | Bikeinn

Get Ergotec Swell-R Eco A-Head 31.8/28.6 mm in Black for 50.99 $. Ideal for bike with fast delivery. Buy Stems at Bikeinn!

www.bikeinn.com

 

[Rick53]

@Smichael911,

The one and only solution: So called "A-HEAD Stem Riser". It is 3" on my Vado and yes, the cables are long enough. It will change your riding position dramatically. It was the first upgrade I made to my Vado when I bought it.

The A-HEAD Stem Riser is a standard item in the MTB world, for example this one (this one is 3 1/2 inch but I recommend a 3" one):

Amazon.com : Delta Cycle Bike Bicycle Stem Raiser Extender Head Up Handlebar Raiser : Bike Stems And Parts : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Delta Cycle Bike Bicycle Stem Raiser Extender Head Up Handlebar Raiser : Bike Stems And Parts : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

Or:

Amazon.com

Only make sure the nominal diameter matches the diameter of your steerer tube (it should be 1-1/8").

View attachment 47743

What ???? One and only Solution until Trek released the Quill stem in 2 sizes : That's all you're talking about Is Size : Length mainly The trek Quill Fits in Crossroads as Well as the RockHopper So do the Adapters you are referring To. Trek Told Me the Stem was actually Intended for use in their New Alliant +7 Series :

 

[CCroft]

Good replies here. Bottom-line it takes a lot of experimentation--and perhaps buying/trying a couple different pieces like those highlighted here--to achieve a good "fit." Just make sure you crank your handlebar/cockpit hard right and hard left during the "fitting" process to make sure your cables are long enough. I ended up having to replace most of mine during this process.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

What ???? One and only Solution until Trek released the Quill stem in 2 sizes : That's all you're talking about Is Size : Length mainly The trek Quill Fits in Crossroads as Well as the RockHopper So do the Adapters you are referring To. Trek Told Me the Stem was actually Intended for use in their New Alliant +7 Series :

Rick, please, do not show you ignorance. Turbo Vado is equipped in the A-HEAD steam that has no quill. Only A-HEAD risers can be used. That's because Vado is based on the MTB technology.

 

[smorgasbord]

You also might consider an adjustable angle stem. They come in various lengths from 80mm to 140mm

You can also consider a high-angle fixed stem. Ergotec makes an affordable one:

Available via Amazon US from a UK seller for under $40 shipped: https://www.amazon.com/ergotec-High-Charisma-Aluminium-AL6061-T6-Anthracite/dp/B006QSCVK2 for the 110mm version. And even cheaper for a 90mm version: https://www.amazon.com/ergotec-High-Charisma-Aluminium-AL6061-T6-Anthracite/dp/B006QSCVKW

About half the price of the adjustable stem, looks a bit cleaner, plus actually adds more height since the stem extends from above the top of the steerer tube.

 

[Sierratim]

This is likely to work : Since Specialized items have fit on My Trek's Fine
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...djustable-quill-stem/p/14351/?colorCode=black

View attachment 47741

My 2020 Vado 5's SR Suntour NCX E25 fork is not compatible with quill type stems. This fork is intended to be a part of a threadless (also termed Aheadset or just Ahead) headset. Quill stems are intended to be fitted with a fork whose steerer tube is threaded to accept a threaded headset. These web sites; https://www.sheldonbrown.com/headsets.html and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headset_(bicycle_part) have good discussions and graphics that might help.

 

[Sierratim]

You can also consider a high-angle fixed stem. Ergotec makes an affordable one:
View attachment 47749

Available via Amazon US from a UK seller for under $40 shipped: https://www.amazon.com/ergotec-High-Charisma-Aluminium-AL6061-T6-Anthracite/dp/B006QSCVK2 for the 110mm version. And even cheaper for a 90mm version: https://www.amazon.com/ergotec-High-Charisma-Aluminium-AL6061-T6-Anthracite/dp/B006QSCVKW

About half the price of the adjustable stem, looks a bit cleaner, plus actually adds more height since the stem extends from above the top of the steerer tube.

I generally change the stem on a new bike. My Vado was an exception. It's reach and angle are quite comfortable for me. With that said, I have tried the adjustable stems. I've found them to be prone to failure at the ratchet that allows the angle adjustment. I much prefer the fixed angle stems. They are available in wide range of angles and lengths (reach). My LBS loaned me a few to try before I settled on one for my mechanical. Been happy with the final choice for over 4 years now.

 

[Johnny]

At my seat height my handlebar is 2 inches lower than the seat and the incline causes more pressure on my palms than is comfortable for me. Has anyone found a stem extension that works well with this model and if so, at 2 inches will i need to extend any/all the cables?

I would start with an adjustable angle stem. Rotating it will be less likely to cause cable length problems.

 

[FlatSix911]

I generally change the stem on a new bike. My Vado was an exception. It's reach and angle are quite comfortable for me.
With that said, I have tried the adjustable stems. I've found them to be prone to failure at the ratchet that allows the angle adjustment. I much prefer the fixed angle stems.
They are available in wide range of angles and lengths (reach). My LBS loaned me a few to try before I settled on one for my mechanical. Been happy with the final choice for over 4 years now.

I would start with an adjustable angle stem. Rotating it will be less likely to cause cable length problems.

I would not recommend an adjustable stem... they are likely to loosen over time and are not as reliable as a fixed riser and high angle stem.

You can experiment with the rise and run on this site:

Stem Comparison Tool | yojimg.net

www.yojimg.net

 

[Johnny]

I would not recommend an adjustable stem... they are likely to loosen over time and are not as reliable as a fixed riser and high angle stem.

You can experiment with the rise and run on this site:

Stem Comparison Tool | yojimg.net

www.yojimg.net

View attachment 47767

You have a point, when I got the adjustable stem I wanted to use it to determine the angle I needed and was planning to buy an angled stem afterwards but so far it is holding well (picked one by amazon reviews).

Also there are some high quality ones like this Ritchey stem. Their design seem solid and reliable.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

would not recommend an adjustable stem...

Guys, you must be aware that the Vado is a 28 mph Speed e-Bike and its geometry was meticulously planned. For that reason I stay on the opinion the an A-HEAD compatible Stem Riser/Extender is the proper and stable solution that will not change the bike's geometry and is safe for the high speed. With 3" extension (but not more), the cables would still have enough slack. Yes it is possible to use another A-HEAD compatible stem but the bike won't be the same.

Here is the rider's position on my Vado with the risen steam (only the frame size is too small for my brother as seen on the picture):

 

[rochrunner]

You also might consider an adjustable angle stem. They come in various lengths from 80mm to 140mm

Ergotec Swell-R Eco A-Head 31.8/28.6 mm adjustable stem, Black | Bikeinn

Get Ergotec Swell-R Eco A-Head 31.8/28.6 mm in Black for 50.99 $. Ideal for bike with fast delivery. Buy Stems at Bikeinn!

www.bikeinn.com

View attachment 47744

I've had one of these on my Crosstrail (geometry similar to Vado) for almost 10 years of hard use and it has worked perfectly for me -- never loosened or failed in any way. Of course, if you need several inches of rise it's not really suitable for that.

 

[smorgasbord]

You can experiment with the rise and run on this site:

Just a note that this online comparison tool assumes your stems are built like this:

whereas the one I referenced is this:

Thus, the stem comparison tool won't work for these two.


As for adjustable stems, the one @Alaskan referenced is among the highest quality versions out there and would likely hold up to all but aggressive singletrack jumping use.

 

[FlatSix911]

You have a point when I got the adjustable stem I wanted to use it to determine the angle I needed and was planning to buy an angled stem afterward but so far it is holding well (picked one by amazon reviews).

Also, there are some high-quality ones like this Ritchey stem. Their design seems solid and reliable.

I agree that there are a few high quality stems available... Ritchey has always produced top-shelf stuff.