HOW TO: Align Bicycle Handlebars Perfectly // The BEST Method!

The easiest way to get perfectly aligned handlebars on your road, gravel, or mountain bike. Works with drop bars or straight bars. No special tools required. Come for the how-to, stay for the mathematical proof!
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Now, to get those levers perfectly symmetrical:
• HOW TO: Symmetrical Ro...
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[@nesutoneko]

Dude! FINALLY some content that satisfies my bike-nerdery OCD! This is fantastic work, well produced and clearly delivered - without cutting any corners or glossing over important details. Please keep up the excellent work and please continue the deep-diving nerdery! 💪✌️

[@TheBikeSauce]

Haha will do. Thx

[@meibing4912]

Highly recommended. Works like a charm. Used a clothes hanger with a broad base. Made it very easy to be sure it was aligned with the fork/wheel and perpendicular to the handlebars horizontally. Also, the clothes hanger top and head negates the need for any tape!

[@rc51bigdaddy]

Thanks! No more stopping in the street for another handlebar adjustment!

[@TheBikeSauce]

Ha! Happy to share the tip

[@AdamL_18]

last ride i stopped 3 times to readjust my steering.. no matter what i did my brain just couldnt make it straight

[@CheepSteal]

I'm loving the technical side of cycling that doesn't focus solely on Watts. Thank you! Keep up the great content!!

[@TheBikeSauce]

SPM>MPH! 😀

[@lawrenceperez4922]

Thank you! i was installing my new drop bar right now and saw your video, big help for me

[@thhall459]

You nailed it, brother! My slightly crooked handlebar on my 2014 Specialized Tarmac SL4 "bothers me to my core" every time I ride it! I will try your method to get it right (finally) in 2024. Thank you!!

[@richiel5557]

Great video. This fixed my handlebars in about 5 minutes and it feels just like it did when I bought it

[@dyaz_de]

As a bike n00b, this is freaking helpful. Love the thorough explanation!

[@prof_writer]

Every video your production standards are going up...loved the equations showing me how many degrees off center my handlebars are...and to think I've been eyeballing and tightening up for 30 years. Great work and it's clear you are an effective educator.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Haha, fantastic feedback. Thanks

[@artad6420]

i've been using a wooden 1 foot ruler that i tape to the fork. works all the time. great content video and use of animation to reinforce the point. thanks for the algebra lesson.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Nice! Everyone can benefit from a little math once in a while.

[@Robwhat]

Wow, thank you for this! I have been “eyeballing it” for 20 years now and this is so much faster and more accurate.

[@IPAColosseum]

Thx for this... will help with years and years of riding with slightly off kilter bars!

[@derekt3923]

Very helpful, this and the Future Shock 2 video have helped a lot. Keep up the great work!

[@raimokumpulainen1389]

Thanks. After watching this, I realize I'm not insane after all. Or maybe, I'm not the only insane one out there. Good stuff.

[@MrGoodaches]

Excellent vid. Useful topic. Fast, practical solution. Good reference to the relevant math

[@remegiobalane6121]

Very clear tip. Perfection is with it!

[@zdravo4]

Hello and thank you for this very useful video. I am strugling with this setting just as you said and when I got on the bike, I have impression that it is not 100% algined. Your method is genius, I also found a video of famous bike mechanic RJ the bike guy which has similar method with ruler put against the edges of the forks, same principle as yours but a bit different.

[@h.p.734]

This is great advice! What I do is I press the handlebars (shifter heads) against the wall, whilst putting a rod against the front fork (with the wheels removed). I make sure to align the bar to exactly the middle of the fork and measure the distance between the wall and the edges of the rod. Basically the same concept, but I feel it's more accurate as I don't trust my eyes to align them perfectly.

[@SortaYeah]

I watched the video, then read your reply (which was super helpful) and made a little variation. This one requires equal spaced planks, as in a deck surface or something similar, or even just a 2 X 4 could work. Remove the front wheel, and rest the fork in the space between two planks (or up against the 2 x 4). In the next gap, place a piece of plywood or something similar (I used a large picture frame), and align that with the shifter hoods. Finally I can stop looking at my front wheel and wondering if I'm losing my mind.

[@MTB-Josh]

Good stuff. A "tool" that most people have at home that I've used for a long time is a ruler. I set the ruler on the stanchions of my fork and align my bars that way.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Right on! ..but what about ‘geometric amplification?’ 😆

[@bugeyesprite119]

Great video, keep up the good work! Really enjoy them.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Thanks for the continued support!

[@davidmatthew5246]

Thank you so much!!!! I am like you. But I have to ride the bike to notice then stop reset, ride again, etc. (UGH!). I will try your method as soon as I obtain a stick. I will mark the stick center and an equal distance out, to also line the bars up left/right on the stem center line. Thanks again.

[@geokite]

Perfect, exactly what I was looking for.

[@kristiandawe85]

this is brilliant, i'll use this method all the time now.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Nice!

[@nosiestaguiding]

this dude = good stuff ! plus humour at no additional cost thank you

[@TheBikeSauce]

Ha, thanks! Glad you appreciate it!

[@steveretiredandcycling]

Excellent video. Thank you for the tip! All the best, Steve

[@TheBikeSauce]

Thx Steve! Retried and cycling - living the dream!

[@kahakelii]

Hawaiian....Its about time someone talks about this equation conundrum....I still use a 10 inch magnetic level to achieve what your talking about.....Mahalo!! Great Video !!

[@Gregamz]

What an ingenious simple approach. Good stuff.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Thx!

[@yellchai]

Solid theory and anyone can do it. This is why I am subscribed to the channel. Thanks.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Thanks!

[@michaelrheiner2415]

Yeah....you certainly never hide the fact that you are nerding out....and yeah, I watched the whole thing so...it says something about me. Thanks for another nice tip!

[@TheBikeSauce]

Ha! 😂 perhaps it means you are a fellow bike nerd!

[@michaelrheiner2415]

@@TheBikeSauce I definitely have learned to enjoy learning from Nerds! My first job post graduate school was at VIrginia Tech (counselor), and the nerds would come do stuff to the computer...and rather than leave, I’d ask questions to learn. I will never design computer boards to test friction on a brake rotor, but yeah, learning from a nerd is wisdom :-). I may not be smart enough to be a nerd, but I’m wise enough to learn from one. Thanks for what you do and what you teach me!

[@TheBikeSauce]

Too kind!

[@flacche]

This is a great tip - Thank you! The most difficult part is securing the stick on the fork parallel to the handlebar. I guarantee bike companies like Canyon, Trek, Cannondale, etc. have clip-on jigs (sticks) to do this quickly/easily. I also recommend taping your fork to protect the paint from whatever you rest against it.

[@meibing4912]

I used a quality clothes hanger with a broad base and placed it towards the fork bars. Does not get easier than that. Even makes it very easy to check that you are horizontal with the handlebars.

[@stevecroney63]

Thanks mate crooked handlebars been annoying me for years. Kept forgetting to do something about it until next time I was riding then it would annoy me again.Your method worked a treat love looking at the wheel in-line with the handlebars.Cheers

[@TheBikeSauce]

glad it worked out!

[@gianpaologliori3604]

Clever but simple idea - thanks! 👍

[@skulluxe1541]

I also use this method to set my brake/shift levers on road bikes. You can tuck the stick against a common point on the hoods (usually where the lever and hood meet) and check that both levers are even vertically and horizontally with the bars. No more uneven fore/aft or up/down levers

[@TheBikeSauce]

Nice! You foreshadowed this week’s video

[@seanhayes6035]

Great tip! I'm trying to find a way to align the handlebar sweep with the tires contact patch on my mtb. I have Renthal bars with a 40mm rise and I'm finding it a bit perplexing.

[@zulfikarbiruni]

This method works well for me. I thought, however, the most crucial part was how to make sure that the stick is true level on horizontal alignment since it will change the perception of our sight. Very useful and simple trick! Thanks mate!

[@TheBikeSauce]

Thx! Yea it’s not perfect, but the idea is that even if the stock isn’t perfectly horizontal, it won’t matter as much due geometric amplification

[@nazardemchuk9122]

Thanks! Nice method !

[@tedguan108]

Thanks. It works very well.

[@billvallette5607]

OMG nothing makes me crazy like out of whack bars. i can eyeball level within very close tolerances but you have just changed the game for me. thank you.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Haha glad to have helped.

[@paddyredbeard]

I obsess over getting my handlebars straight every time I set them up and have never come up with a satisfactory method. This is awesome!

[@TheBikeSauce]

Simple yet effective!

[@fotosaccion]

AWESOME!!! I LOVE it!!

[@yamdrew]

I’ve always done a straight wooden dowel in the fork dropouts, works quite well and costs just a few bucks.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Makes sense!

[@galer.7220]

Does anyone know what to use as a point of reference? I really liked that the video explained everything since it makes it so intuitive, but I’m still struggling with how and from where I should look at the point of reference.

[@asian432]

Geometrically speaking... straight on! Thanks for the info...

[@TheBikeSauce]

😆

[@markp353]

Thanks, great tip.

[@rumenripe]

how easy this could make things easily easy.. thanks for this in depth.

[@TheBikeSauce]

😆

[@AlternativeBike]

Perfect! Thank you.

[@chrisrap52]

Excellent. Like the nerdity.

[@Oddity26]

Great tip thanks!

[@TheBikeSauce]

Thanks for watching!

[@JosephDowski]

Just discovered your channel and subscribed! Please do one on aligning your saddle next!! My OCD constantly has me fiddling with saddle height and the worst part is not adjusting the height, but aligning the saddle.. #bikenerd #whenyoufindyourpeople #ocd #adhd

[@TheBikeSauce]

Yes! Right on. That’s a good video topic

[@Ranger42]

Brilliant!

[@buster.keaton]

I love this video! Aligning the handlebars has annoyed me for decades. I don't understand why bicycle manufacturers don't simply put a mark on the top or side of the fork tube and the back of the stem clamps that we could line-up to ensure straight bars with no effort.

[@dannyloo9688]

I don't think it's made anymore unfortunately but the Tune Spurtreu is a pretty cool laser device to align bars. Doesn't work on all stems unfortunately but when it does work, it's pretty slick and convenient.

[@victorjoseph2260]

Thank you so much.

[@TheBikerCuteChannel]

Nice. Thanks man.

[@huetish]

Do training wheels fit on this bike?

[@happinessisinternal]

Great idea. Another perhaps easier way that I know is to take your front wheel off and rest your forks on the ground. Then use a long, straight ‘stick’ like a spirit level on the ground touching your forks. Same principle as yours but perhaps less possibility of human error in taping stick to frame. Thanks tho. I look forward to watching more of your videos

[@TheBikeSauce]

Yea definitely would work too.

[@nelsonsilva6842]

Just use a big spirit level, it's straight and can secure it get the spokes. Yes it's the method!

[@bunnyadrian]

Oh, I feel this so much!

[@TheBikeSauce]

😂 ok good, so not just me.

[@dansotelo228]

A quick and easy method is to turn your handlebars at a 30 or 45-degree angle so you can see the entire front and the rear of the tire making it very easy to line up the handlebar & stem. Been doing this method for over 40 years and works great.

[@rainypath96]

Dude thank you. I just tried this and it’s perfect

[@dannyr333]

Friggin awesome

[@TheBikeSauce]

Haha nice

[@BennoSattler]

Nice one! Lefty-owners (and all of us, too) could use a rod fitted through the front hub, like an overly long axle....

[@alextang9745]

what bar is that and size?

[@arieljohnmaduro9788]

Looking forward for a collab with Locked in and Path Less Pedaled 😊

[@TheBikeSauce]

Haha, I’ve been slowly bugging them; don’t want to be a pest 😆

[@KabirBindra]

Great video

[@TheBikeSauce]

Thx again!

[@PhilCrombieMTB]

Awesome! Subbed!

[@TheBikeSauce]

Thx!

[@mikepaysan]

Very informative, thanks a bunch. Glad I subscribed to your channel. Incidentally, what is the stem length on your Diverge bike?

[@TheBikeSauce]

70mm on size 52 frame. Larger frames get 80 and 90mm, I believe.

[@mikepaysan]

@@TheBikeSauce thank u. Let’s ride at Fully loop and carbon canyon loop when u have time. I live in the local area and new to gravel riding.

[@klr10410]

Do you use a tape measure?

[@RAP4EVERMRC96]

What are those Ritchey bars?

[@youme77324]

I enjoy the theoretical explanation but I would liked to see a hands on approach to it as well where you show step by step and apply what you spoke about

[@nedt]

Thanks mate

[@mrpunchy100]

Man! Finally something that work.s Thanks! Do you have a solution to align the shifters too?

[@TheBikeSauce]

Haha it’s a bit trickier, but I’m working on a video for shifters

[@mrpunchy100]

@@TheBikeSauce Appreciate it!

[@rickmancini772]

Brilliant

[@Freddy3792]

I usually stand over the top tube as far back as possible and line up the front plate of the stem with the middle of the tire that is the furthest away from me. So basically looking forward on an angle as shallow as possible. Which results in a big distance between both reference points. So if the example you gave is looking at it on a 0° angle. I much rather use a 45° angle to line everything up which is not perfect but works a whole lot better.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Right, sounds like you’ve also leveraged ‘geometric amplification’ 🤘 The issue might be that, while the front of the tire is a good distance away, the end of the stem isn’t super far from the axis of rotation (fork steerer in this case), but certainly better than looking straight down

[@jakubkowalik4791]

Recently I've used laser (small office laser pointer) to adjust saddle. Probably you have some good method for saddle adjustment ?

[@TheBikeSauce]

Lasers. Nice. I usually just use string passed through 3 critical points: rear of saddle, front of saddle, center of stem top cap. Three co-linear points guarantee a straight line. BUT, this method has its caveats. String tension/ friction on nose of saddle, etc.. Perhaps another video is in order.. haha

[@mudbone59]

i clip my necklace around the stem and hang it over the front between the bolts. The pendant works as a pendulum that i center over the tire. Works perfectly every time and anywhere.

[@TheBikeSauce]

How do you ensure the bike is perfectly vertical?

[@mudbone59]

@@TheBikeSauce A bubble level.

[@theforeigner6988]

Genius

[@bet609]

nice vid. can you please make a video on how to align shifters and brake levers for both road and mtb :)

[@TheBikeSauce]

Trickier, but I’ll work on it!

[@speedikat6822]

Terrific! Now I just need a way to line up drop bar brake levers.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Ha, yea. Working on it for next Sunday's video.

[@speedikat6822]

Ha ha yeah. I'm looking forward to it. Things were simpler in the days Chinelli 66 bars and the like. Drop bars are all over the place!

[@paulbarham7083]

For extra nerdiness, maybe tape a second stick across the bar ends of the drops?

[@n0ch91c3s]

A couple issues: As you mention, the stick must be parallel to the handlebar. Depending on the shape of the fork, it could make a big difference. Also you're assuming the crown and leg area are symmetric. More and more often with road and gravel disc they are not. All "fancy" bar alignment gauges make assumptions regarding symmetry and alignment of other parts, for instance the Tune gauge that drops a laser onto the tire is assuming the wheel is in dish and the hub is perfectly square in the dropouts, etc. And just like you said, small variances can make for great stem angle offsets. I currently just install the thru axle without the wheel and reference that to the bar. Ideally, an extra long thru axle could be used, just like you use a long stick. The hub must be concentric with the axle. Then anything can be misaligned, but if the axle and bar are parallel to each other, the bar is perfectly straight.

[@TheBikeSauce]

werd

[@rgefryer]

It never occurred to me to line up the bars with reference points; I've always just looked at the direction the wheel is pointing! With the stick idea, can you clamp it to the forks using the spokes, avoiding the need to tape it in place?

[@TheBikeSauce]

Sure I suppose that’d work too!

[@erikwolfe3187]

Yep, that’s what I do...

[@cosinus_square]

This issue has mostly been solved on modern design bikes, as most new fork steerers are not round anymore. I always used a ruler, long enough to fit snug between the brifters and simply align the centre of the ruler with the centre of the wheel. Done

[@TheBikeSauce]

Curious. All my steer tubes are still round.

[@cosinus_square]

@@TheBikeSauce the new Emonda had a square'ish steerer, new Aeroad etc, the downside is proprietary fit.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Right - fork and stem combo. Proprietary, but solves the issue for some.

[@AverageReviewsYT]

I jsut set them close then blind fold myself so I don’t have to see the crooked bars while riding

[@TheBikeSauce]

😆

[@dirtwolfmtb]

There is it uses a laser, mounts to the bars and laser is a line on front tire. ~$75 usd

[@shannonparker7404]

Oh Man!! Thankyou! It bothers me how much not having straight bars bothers me!

[@TheBikeSauce]

haha, that's very 'meta,' but I totally understand

[@joelungaidon]

Oh god thank you!

[@TheBikeSauce]

😆

[@velosurseine]

Thanks for this! I'm getting a Ted-Ed vibe from your voice and video :thumbs up:

[@TheBikeSauce]

haha I like it

[@chrisoliveira2038]

Great tip! I work on lots of bikes every week and love an elegant and effective solution to something I do regularly. Now I will soon be obsessing over the "perfect" handlebars alignment gauge device: wood dowel, carbon arrow shaft, SS tubing, should it be a light color, maybe I should 3D print 2 x 90deg risers to touch the bars...

[@TheBikeSauce]

Haha nice!

[@PaulBeiser]

This is great, thanks! You and Dustin Klein (NOT A MECHANIC! :-) ) should partner for a set of videos, these would be awesome!

[@TheBikeSauce]

Would love to, but he’s on a higher level I think 😆

[@PaulBeiser]

@@TheBikeSauce nah, you guys would be great together!

[@bobwatkins1271]

I've been considering deliberately skewing my handlebars to compensate for the difference in the lengths of my arms. It turns out that my right arm is about an inch longer than my left.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Oh interesting. Sounds like a pro bike fit might particularly be a benefit as they can account for this type of discrepancy very accurately

[@yanuarpermana5986]

now my problem is to find the straight stick

[@shawnsangha]

Trying it now...

[@BP-id4cq]

Great tip! I’m wondering if you would consider doing one on crank lengths. My the mathematically speaking, is a 170 mm better than a 165mm?

[@TheBikeSauce]

It would seem that way at first, but loosely speaking, optimal crank is a function of rider leg length from my understanding

[@oldanslo]

Having delved into the research on crank arm length on cycling performance, it turns out that it doesn't matter over a reasonable range as long as the cranks aren't too long for you. The difference between 165 and 170 is 3%, which is pretty trivial.

[@MusicBoxVinyl]

My handlebar goes to the right (crooked)

[@dakrisht]

Great stuff as usual. #NerdShit here, for us psycho’s who need 0.0mm of angle. Haha. Love it.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Haha. Some might require 0.00mm 😆

[@dakrisht]

@@TheBikeSauce I spent an hour aligning bars a few months back, one eye closed, angles, different positions lol. Found this trick in a blog, felt like I just finished a 2k climb 😂

[@DoomOfConviction]

I’m totally that kind of guy, sattle and handlebars have to be perfectly straight xD

[@leethomaskc3327]

The front or back face of the fork may not be symmetrical.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Yea I proactively apologized to Lefty owners

[@yynnooot]

But how do you actually straighten it…

[@ddg227]

1. He still has full hair, not fair. :) 2. Be careful with finding a rod so perfectly straight, you might end up realising the fork itself is skewed...it's a slippery slope. 3. This actually taught me how to be a better programmer.. really seemed like bad code review day in a great team.

[@KabirBindra]

Future video request = the math behind disc vs rim brakes - kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3uukJdspNOBoNE