My new bike

[L84THSKY]

OK, it's not new, but I just bought it on Ebay.

All you younger dudes please post up on your opinions. I did some research, and this bike was my favorite. The color is awesome and it looks ready to ride.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=025

[thesk8nmidget]

fun bike! im not a fan of that style frame but that dual crown front for will provide lots of fun travel!

grrr i need to get my bike back from my moms house!

[b-rad]

Nice. Thats a relic! You will be lucky to break ~5in travel with that fork. Good match for the bike though! I still love Klein's paint work. As a company though, they've really gone down since being bought by Trek..

Oh, and do yourself a favor and get some lighter/better tires! I can tell you from experience, those Hutch. leave alot to be desired.
All in all a great find!

[L84THSKY]

I just received it yesterday. A few comments. In the picture, the seat is set low to be lower than the handle bar. If I did that, the seat to pedal distance would be too short for me. I want to raise the seat, but if I do, the handlebars are way too low for my back. Can the stem of the bike be replaced so that a higher positioned handlebar can be mounted. I'm totally new to this style of bike, just getting to understand how they work.

Originally Posted by b-rad

Nice. Thats a relic! You will be lucky to break ~5in travel with that fork. Good match for the bike though! I still love Klein's paint work. As a company though, they've really gone down since being bought by Trek..

Oh, and do yourself a favor and get some lighter/better tires! I can tell you from experience, those Hutch. leave alot to be desired.
All in all a great find!

[blndweasel]

I'm not sure if you can have a fresh stem pressed into the yoke... my understanding is that most come with, say, an 8" stem, and you only get one chance to cut it.

I could be wrong, though.

Looks like fun!

(currently riding 2005 Giant NRS C2)

[aceyx]

You can get bars with a higher rise. Getting a stem with a higher rise might change your stack height.

If you're going over 1.5" rise, get a double bar or reinforcement bar. LBS should be able to help you.

[L84THSKY]

Who or what is LBS?

I think the stem isn't adjustable, and most dog bones only have different lengths making the handlebars forward or back, but not higher. Hopefully a different handlebar can help.

I'm gonna adjust the seat again, and seat what's comfortable.

Originally Posted by aceyx

You can get bars with a higher rise. Getting a stem with a higher rise might change your stack height.

If you're going over 1.5" rise, get a double bar or reinforcement bar. LBS should be able to help you.

[b-rad]

Yeah you can switch to a higher rise bar. Go for something like an Answer ProTaper, 2in rise. you may also find that you're cramped in the cockpit, and a slightly longer stem would be better.. its very simple to change either out and it looks like the stem clamp, bar clamp, etc you have is all current standard.

LBS= Local bike shop

[aceyx]

A longer stem is gonna mess up the geometry of that bike--it'll turn REAL slow.

If a 2-2.5" rise bar doesn't do it, you may be able to replace the steerer tube on that double-crown fork. Cut it longer and add spacers underneath the stem.

[cooljess76]

Good thing you have a buddy in the bike biz. First, level the saddle by loosening the two nuts underneath it. It shouldn't be pointed up, that's bad for your junk. The seat rails should be pretty close to centered on the seat post. There should be markings on one or both of the rails. Do not adjust it past the markings. Then raise the seat post until you have about a 10 degree bend in your leg at the bottom of the pedal stroke(6 o'clock position).Lean up against a wall while sitting on the bike and grip the handlebar. You should have about a 45 degree bend in your back. At this point you could either A)slide the saddle back or forward slightly, however this changes your position over the cranks, or B)get a different stem, they make some with up to a 40 degree rise. It looks like you already have a riser H-bar, but if not you could get one of those as well. Your steer tube is a standard 1 1/8", so it shouldn't be hard to find a stem. Try to keep it about the same length because if you go longer it will cause you to lean farther forward and also affect steering. The stem length is measured from the center of the steer tube(headset bolt) to the center of the handlebar in mm. My advice is to get a saddle that fits you. This might require going to a bike shop and trying about 10 different seats. I use a Selle Italia SLR Gel Flow road bike saddle. It's hard as hell, but the shape is what is important. After 20+ miles ALL seats will feel hard. You really appreciate a properly fitting saddle the day after your ride. Also, once you become comfortable with your bike, I recommend getting a set of clipless pedals and MTB shoes. The stiffer the sole the better. Either have your cleats mounted by the bike shop or hit me up for instruction. Crooked or misaligned cleats are very bad for your knees.

BTW, wanna see mine?

[b-rad]

I also work in the bike industry, and I dont think that a slightly longer stem is going to do him any harm. The reason i suggested it was this bike is currently set up as more of a DH type ride, whereas he wants to lift his saddle to get proper leg extension, which leads me to believe he's not riding DH. For what you're talking of, try to stick around 80mm stem length and then a higher rise bar.
But ill tell you what i always tell my customers: Don't buy a bunch of crap to throw on, then you wont know which parts/adjustments affect you in which way.
I think we've established that a handlebar should be your first investment. Then from there stem and/or saddle. Any good bike shop will take the time and switch parts out at their store so you can try it in the parking lot before you buy.

[cooljess76]

From the looks of the photo, he already has a riser bar. A longer stem will cause him to lean further forward, increasing the strain on his back. They make stems with a rise up to like 40 degrees. I agree the bike was setup for DH or dirt jumping, but it seems as though he's going for comfort. While a slightly longer stem is an option, it's not the best option. Read the post where he said the handlebars are too low for his back. How would reaching further out help?

[L84THSKY]

The seat angle can't be changed with this seat post. I just put this nice air ride seat on it, from another bike. I will need to get a seat post that can be adjusted.

After playing with the seat height, I adjusted it to get the full extension of my leg on the pedal. This raised the seat about 4 inches, and now the handle bars are below the height of the seat. I need to get a stem with a riser, as mentioned, or a handle bar that rises. The problem with a handlebar with any riser is that it causes a torque around the stem clamp, and could come loose with hard riding.

Just to let you know, I don't plan on any downhill or uphill racing, just casual riding, and the occasional dirt trail.

Show me your bike, I need some comparisons.

Originally Posted by cooljess76

Good thing you have a buddy in the bike biz. First, level the saddle by loosening the two nuts underneath it. It shouldn't be pointed up, that's bad for your junk.

BTW, wanna see mine?

[aceyx]

The stem clamp should be fine, just make sure the bolts are torqued properly (usually around 100ft-lbs but check with the manufacturer). Riser bars have been on BMX bikes for years without problems, and they beat those things to hell.

My rig is at the shop getting new bearings for the rear hub. Would have been done today but it's an odd size we had to figure out and next order goes in Monday. It's an Azonic Steelhead set up for 4X riding. Not fully built up, but it's fun to hammer around on.

[L84THSKY]

I think I found what I need to make my bike right for me.

Stem with angle

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=020

Stem length I need to check, and maybe rise angle. Richey makes a brand that will adjust to 45 degree rise.

Seat post that adjusts angle.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=012