Stem riser

[manytu]

Hello everyone,

after consulting here i got my KTM Macina CROSS 510 and i would like to change my stem height to be more upright. Should i buy an adjustable or non-adjustable stem riser? My concern is only the safety of the adjustable stem.

Also, if you have any other stem to recommend, please do so.

Thank you in advance.

 

[keithj69]

I would vote for adjustable. Added one to my old ebike and never had a problem. One on my surface604 is standard equipment. As long as you are not bombing down a mountain side and you check the torque on the stem occassionally, you'll be fine.

 

[Litebike]

The stem risers are not adjustable but come in several lengths. If you use one of those you can likely continue to use the original handlebar stem. I have stem risers on both or my ebikes and they work fine.There are adjustable bar stems.

 

[Litebike]

The stem risers allow adjustable bar height by the shim stacks. To get the stem clamping bolts tight, make sure to use anti-seize sparingly on the bolt threads to prevent binding/galling.

 

[keithj69]

actually Litebike is correct. You can get an adjustable stem, or a riser that the stem fits on. Or play around with the shims. as described above.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I would vote for adjustable. Added one to my old ebike and never had a problem. One on my surface604 is standard equipment. As long as you are not bombing down a mountain side and you check the torque on the stem occassionally, you'll be fine.

Agree. My Surface 604 also came with an adjustable stem. Really helped me dial in riding position (now a little forward of upright).

No issues. I check the bolts periodically. A year in, none have loosened — even with bumpy trails a few times a month.

 

[Sparky731]

A stem riser can be an excellent solution — adjustable or rigid.
If self-installing pay attention to the length of your cables to ensure you can turn your handlebars without binding.

 

[J.R.]

I needed some rise, but not as much as a steerer tube extension and as I do ride some rough trails I didn't want an adjustable stem. I went with a long (120 mm), and steep 40° stem.



It gave me enough rise and is rock solid. Just another option to consider.

A couple things about stems. The shorter they are, the quicker the steering. If your handlebars are on the shorter side, and or you have a short or a steep stem (either by adjusting or rigid), your steering is faster and more twitchy. Less margin for error. You also have less leverage for control over rocks, roots and curbs. A good rock or root can wrench the bars right out of your hands.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Usually, rising the handlebars leads to moving more of body weight onto the saddle, and then the rider starts looking for a "comfortable saddle"...
Just saying.

 

[manytu]

I am sorry I was meant to type adjustable stem or stem riser. Even I am confused.

I guess both options are safe or even rigid stems.

Also, as the last post I will look for a more comfortable seat(recommend any options if you have), I will also buy suspension seatpost.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I am sorry I was meant to type adjustable stem or stem riser. Even I am confused.

I guess both options are safe or even rigid stems.

Also, as the last post I will look for a more comfortable seat(recommend any options if you have), I will also buy suspension seatpost.

Let me tell you how that works. The scenario is:

• You have raised the handlebars because you were not accustomed to riding your beautiful e-bike in the position as designed for the type. Fine, that will work well (either the stem riser or the adjustable stem perform the action perfectly).
• Then, your appetite for longer rides grows. After some kilometres ridden, your butt hurts so much it becomes unbearable.
• You are replacing saddles one after another in the quest of the "rainbow saddle stuffed with a cloud". After having your drawer full of saddles, you are riding a sofa-type of the saddle and discover that your inner part of thighs gets chafed, and your butt is full of boils.

Try to sit on a real sofa: you will notice it becomes compressed under your body weight (but your body tissues get compressed even more!) And you cannot pedal while sitting on a sofa The same happens to any "comfortable" saddle.

It took me a long time to realise that. Then I did anything to move my body weight forward, reinstalled the stock saddle (firm and narrow), ride in chamois and can ride for 200+ km painlessly.

Your KTM Macina is a beautifully designed e-bike (I look at the picture of it now). The geometry of your e-bike is just perfect. Please, please, please do not spoil it. Get used to it!

Regarding the suspension seatpost: It is a good idea.

EDIT: Your e-bike will take a Kinekt 2.1 30.9 mm suspension seatpost, or a Redshift ShockStop suspension seat-post 27.2 mm with a 30.9 mm shim.

 

[J.R.]

I am sorry I was meant to type adjustable stem or stem riser. Even I am confused.

I guess both options are safe or even rigid stems.

Also, as the last post I will look for a more comfortable seat(recommend any options if you have), I will also buy suspension seatpost.

The stem is the part that connects the handlebar to the steerer tube. A steerer tube extension, extends the your existing steerer tube.

 

[keithj69]

Another possibility if the cabling would allow it is to change out the handlebars to one that has a higher rise. That way you do not mess with the riser or stem on the bike. But that adds a new twist to things and brings in things like the rise, the sweep and the width. If you bought the bike from a shop, go back and talk to them. If you didn't it still doesn't hurt to go in to a good shop and talk about your situation.

 

[manytu]

Let me tell you how that works. The scenario is:

• You have raised the handlebars because you were not accustomed to riding your beautiful e-bike in the position as designed for the type. Fine, that will work well (either the stem riser or the adjustable stem perform the action perfectly).
• Then, your appetite for longer rides grows. After some kilometres ridden, your butt hurts so much it becomes unbearable.
• You are replacing saddles one after another in the quest of the "rainbow saddle stuffed with a cloud". After having your drawer full of saddles, you are riding a sofa-type of the saddle and discover that your inner part of thighs gets chafed, and your butt is full of boils.

Try to sit on a real sofa: you will notice it becomes compressed under your body weight (but your body tissues get compressed even more!) And you cannot pedal while sitting on a sofa The same happens to any "comfortable" saddle.

It took me a long time to realise that. Then I did anything to move my body weight forward, reinstalled the stock saddle (firm and narrow), ride in chamois and can ride for 200+ km painlessly.

Your KTM Macina is a beautifully designed e-bike (I look at the picture of it now). The geometry of your e-bike is just perfect. Please, please, please do not spoil it. Get used to it!

Regarding the suspension seatpost: It is a good idea.

EDIT: Your e-bike will take a Kinekt 2.1 30.9 mm suspension seatpost, or a Redshift ShockStop suspension seat-post 27.2 mm with a 30.9 mm shim.

I get what you are saying about geometry if you are talking about the stem riser or adjustable, but i am a tall guy and i am leaning over quite much. This is the reason i would like to be more upright.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I get what you are saying about geometry if you are talking about the stem riser or adjustable, but i am a tall guy and i am leaning over quite much. This is the reason i would like to be more upright.

I wonder whether you chose the proper size of your e-bike?*

It is nothing wrong with raising the stem if you need to ride more upright and understand the consequence of riding in a more relaxed position. I was using stem risers myself until I understood it was the wrong way (for me).

You can use any 1-1/8" stem riser, such as this one:

Amazon.com

The setup is very easy, and you can use the provided spacers to set the stem rise freely up to 78 mm (it is a lot!) The only thing you should be careful about is that the top of the stem (or a spacer above it) is really aligned with the top edge of the steering tube, so the cap is slightly compressing the assembly downwards after you have tightened the main long screw.

As I said before, I had been riding with stem risers on any of my e-bikes for almost 3 years, and I only started wondering whether that was the right decision when I read posts of people such as @mschwett (who advocated for narrow & firm saddles; and he rides a lot!), and thought of reducing the air drag on my rides. Then my rides changed to be beautiful and painless. (More aggressive riding position than it was originally designed for those e-bikes!)

*) My brother owns my former e-MTB in size M. He is a tall person (far taller than I am). If he tried to ride that e-bike as designed, his head would be located below his butt! So yes, he has a 75 mm stem riser installed for a proper riding position, which is still aggressive for him! But that is just because of the wrong e-bike size!

 

[manytu]

I wonder whether you chose the proper size of your e-bike?*

It is nothing wrong with raising the stem if you need to ride more upright and understand the consequence of riding in a more relaxed position. I was using stem risers myself until I understood it was the wrong way (for me).

You can use any 1-1/8" stem riser, such as this one:

Amazon.com

The setup is very easy, and you can use the provided spacers to set the stem rise freely up to 78 mm (it is a lot!) The only thing you should be careful about is that the top of the stem (or a spacer above it) is really aligned with the top edge of the steering tube, so the cap is slightly compressing the assembly downwards after you have tightened the main long screw.

As I said before, I had been riding with stem risers on any of my e-bikes for almost 3 years, and I only started wondering whether that was the right decision when I read posts of people such as @mschwett (who advocated for narrow & firm saddles; and he rides a lot!), and thought of reducing the air drag on my rides. Then my rides changed to be beautiful and painless. (More aggressive riding position than it was originally designed for those e-bikes!)

*) My brother owns my former e-MTB in size M. He is a tall person (far taller than I am). If he tried to ride that e-bike as designed, his head would be located below his butt! So yes, he has a 75 mm stem riser installed for a proper riding position, which is still aggressive for him! But that is just because of the wrong e-bike size!

I am 193 cm and to be honest in almost all bikes that i have tried i was leaning too much for my taste.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I am 193 cm and to be honest in almost all bikes that i have tried i was leaning too much for my taste.

So you might be a rare case of the justified raising the stem!

 

[J.R.]

I am 193 cm and to be honest in almost all bikes that i have tried i was leaning too much for my taste.

I am 188cm and I ride large frame bikes. I had to have a little rise as well. You ride more when a bike fits correctly. Most people have some trial-and-error getting to the best fit.

 

[PDoz]

I am 193 cm and to be honest in almost all bikes that i have tried i was leaning too much for my taste.

STAY AWAY from a stem riser at your height - it brings the stem backward as well as upward .

If you want to do this properly, close your eyes and put your hands where you would like them, and then think about what it's going to take. My expectation is you're looking for higher bars, then perhaps more reach forward once they are at a comfortable height? Your KTM already has a relatively long and high angled stem - go for higher bars first. But before buying those bars, have a think about how much width + sweep you want ( again, close the eyes and see what's comfortable ) . Taller people usually have wider shoulders, so getting correct bar with / sweep can be challenging.

Go to a decent bike shop - preferably one with a tall mechanic. I'm willing to bet that 20 minutes later you will have tried 2/3 different bars and be happy. Remember to bring good coffee, because those bars are worth $100 each, and every time they decide a slightly different one is worth trying, they have saved you $100!

Ps I have a wife your height and teenage son who is taller, it's been an education trying to keep up with his ergonomic needs as he's grown / improved his skill !!!!

 

[6zfshdb]

Whether riser or stem, unless you're into downhill, adjustable is better. That way, you have some latitude if your cable lengths are questionable.