How to Adjust Your Handlebars - Is Your Cockpit Setup Slowing You Down?

[@NeilL269]

I came here for a height setup, but ended up changing everything else after watching this. Very helpful, thanks for this video!

[@TheLoamWolf]

Great to hear!

[@troyesch6203]

Great video! I think everyone watching this went out and checked their bike out and likely made an adjustment or two. I know I did. Well done! Thank you

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thanks so much! I’m glad to hear it now

[@paulmaul]

Totally agree on the brake lever angle. Tried the “flat” way after hearing about how it would be better for your wrist, man was it uncomfortable and I got thee most arm pump ever. In line with your wrist the way to go.

[@asd5738]

Great Video, I been mountainb biking for 2 years, and I can say this will help me setup that cockpit later in the week.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Awesome to hear it! Glad to hear it brought some new thoughts and ideas to your next set up!

[@useport80]

love in depth videos like this. sometimes i dont know 'how it's supposed to feel' to even adjust my cockpit.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Experiment and don't settle too soon. sometimes comfortable isn't best!

[@silverfox0072]

This is hands down the most helpful and clearly defined cockpit setup guide ever! I just got a new stem and bar so I’m excited to set my cockpit up tomorrow! Thanks so much!

[@TheLoamWolf]

Wow thanks so much for the awesome compliment. Enjoy setting up your ride!

[@86peppers]

Thanks great video! For DJs its a bit harder to adjust bar and lever since we need to do it standing on the pedals.

[@jamesWilliams-pg4ye]

This video is pure gold, beautifully explained. Definitely making some adjustments after this.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lucasswalker]

Very informative, plus contains real life examples, which we all appreciate I guess. Thanks you !

[@alancirwin]

Thank you so much! fixed everything that was annoying me about my bike in about 10 minutes after all of your tips. Goes to show you nothing is wrong with the bike only the idiot setting it up!

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thank you very much and so happy to hear this helped you out! Enjoy.

[@topcat304]

My flats compared to clipped in; my leg is slightly more extended on my flat shoes compared to my crankbrothers pedals/ clipless shoes.

[@yaircohen2303]

Excellent video, I've been riding for a while and I got to watch some videos.. I thought to myself they're probably not going to renew anything for me. l you renewed and sharpened it

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thank you very much for the compliment! Glad we could help.

[@eduardosozo5394]

Very good video, thank u bro!! I'm having a hard time controlling my dh l bike downhill at high speed, but now I'm going to try to put these tips into practice

[@TheLoamWolf]

Good luck!

[@highlander5304]

Best bar setup video I’ve encountered yet. I get pretty OCD over my bike setup lol Love this video. Fantastic tutorial!! Thank you.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Awesome to hear that thank you so much!

[@N8MRN]

Going from a small 160mm F & R bike to a large 120 mm hard tail, with a longer stem, i wanted ALL the spacers under the stem. When i decide on a new stem, maybe i can take out some spacers and be able to climb switchbacks, lol!

[@TheLoamWolf]

Be interesting to hear how it works.

[@jonsalvador5051]

Thanks mate, the push up analogy was epic.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thank you! Glad it helped.

[@robertennis5220]

Great video, makes you think about the small thinks that can improve your ride. Keep these vids coming

[@TheLoamWolf]

Awesome to hear the feedback thanks. The goal was definitely to pose some questions and introduce theories as to what minor things could be making a big difference on the trail and in your head... We'll make more.

[@robertennis5220]

@@TheLoamWolf I just got a new eMTB and will be trying out those techniques this weekend

[@fredrikmehlin]

I dont like the new school of brake lever angle. I tried it and it put alot of strain on my wrist. Good to see that old school still works like a charm! I cant agree with people saying that you can roll hands off the handlebars in a big drop so you need to ride with your brakes in a level position. Im very light on the bars and have never lost my hands.

[@catsym58]

Thank you for your video

[@TheLoamWolf]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching.

[@TheNotoriousMIC]

Only 6 minutes in and it’s already the best bar set up video I’ve ever seen. Good work. Wish I had this when starting out. Didn’t agree with the brake lever angle theory but you ended up at the my preferred angle anyway. 🤣

[@TheLoamWolf]

Haha, right on well we're glad to hear it.

[@weathdone]

its always i lil subjective..

[@bdscott86]

Great tips but the order is backwards. Set your saddle height/fore-aft. Then stem stack and length. Then cockpit.

[@cg1983]

Really great content as usual .... Thanks wolfs !!

[@TheLoamWolf]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for watching.

[@Skogmtb]

Great vid, thanks 🤘

[@mablom1]

Great video, but why are you sitting while adjusting? Is it not best to do it while in attack position?

[@amilton1015]

Great lesson

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thanks we’re glad it was helpful

[@Hondeer]

Old school way I learned for bar rotation was, look at the callouses on your hand. They should be even all the way across. None on thumb side, roll bars back. None on pinky side, roll bars forward. *Index finger should have very light to none b/c braking finger.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Nice tips!

[@nateodom8681]

Awesome video!!!!!

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thanks!

[@ononewheel7]

Great video!

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thanks we appreciate it.

[@THESEGMENTPR]

Great information. Thank you!!

[@TheLoamWolf]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rodrigopages1054]

I would suggest to do saddle height first then seat post position and cockpit second because your saddle height would let you know our bar roll and stem height aswell as to know if you would prefere a higher rise bar or a shorter/longer stem and finally your lever positioning

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thanks for the suggestion Rodrigo. We're downhillers at heart so we tend to set things up for maximum performance and comfort for the DH and then work on making it more comfortable for the high seat/pedal position. That's why after we get our seatpost dialed we suggest going to pedal around and verify it feels good for the position you'll be in for most of the ride, but still gives you the best and most efficient feel for the DH. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@rodrigopages1054]

@@TheLoamWolf yeah I guess my suggestions are more oriented to all mountain/ enduro riders considering at least 40-50% of the time it’s consumed pedalling uphill

[@TheLoamWolf]

@@rodrigopages1054 Sadly... the ratio of down to up is never in our favor! haha

[@rodrigopages1054]

@@TheLoamWolf HAHAHAHAHAHA i bet for me it’s mostly 50-50 so my bias to a more pedal efficient setup it’s greater. It’s also worth mentioning that I run a 170 mm dropper which slams the seat practically down to the frame so when going down the climbing aspect of my setup does not affect much and I also setup my bars with a 70% bias towards downhill because going up for me it’s important and as long as my seat height is perfect and seat set correctly (fore/aft) handlebars aren’t as important because it’s just for steering 🤔 but without this setup I wouldn’t enjoy my overall experience when biking

[@gatoryak7332]

@@rodrigopages1054 It all depends on the terrain. Where I ride, there's no way to spend 50% of the time descending. More like 10%, or less. However, the ups are just as technical as the downs so there is also no way a good rider would spend much time on the saddle, even when climbing. In fact, the saddle is used only for resting during the short stretches of flat and smooth trail that mother nature as provided to us. That is a small fraction of the total riding time. The seat height is only set as the maximum that the rider would ever want. Otherwise it is manipulated by the dropper lever. Conversely, a rider's standing position is, or should be, constantly changing is response to the demands of the terrain. Therefore, whatever way the cockpit is set in the shop, it will be nor exactly right most of the time on the trail. My strategy is to get it close in the shop. Then, carry a multi-tool in my pocket and tweak the cockpit settings during the ride until I find the right compromise. That usually takes just one ride to get it dialed in, and you have to do this anyway, so don't get fussy in the shop.

[@johnwilliamson9453]

Really thorough and well explained vlog.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Glad you liked it!

[@weathdone]

Absolutely one of if not the best bar set up vid... and i have watched A LOT... apprecitate you taking time to do all your vids.. I def press that sub button.. :) again u explained everything and how it effects things and body and not just say this is how i like my bars lol Awesome Aweosme.. wish more people were this in depth and also love that u always say in my opinion as well ... KUDOS to u brotha.. ;) LOL u da man!!!

[@TheLoamWolf]

I appreciate that! Very appreciative of the feedback and kind words.

[@weathdone]

@@TheLoamWolf NP brotha.. only when its worth it do i comment... Keep up amazing content my man!!!!

[@papayou66]

Thanks very good video !

[@JesseStarrPhoto]

Torque wrenches are useful

[@Anykine50]

Nice! Good info.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Glad to hear you found some value in there

[@tillilisko]

When adjusting stem height with spacers should there be a spacers between top cap and the stem? What is the maximum gap between top of steerer tube and top cap?

[@johncarrington8612]

The spacers should go a bit higher than the steerer tube so that when you tighten the star nut bolt everything is pulled tight.

[@paulmaul]

There should be approximately 3mm of gap at the top of the stem to the top of the steerer tube. (If that makes sense…) in other words, the steerer tube should be below the top of the stem by around 3mm. If you find the steerer tube sticks up further than that or even comes thru the stem and protrudes a little above the top of the stem, use as many spacers on top of the stem as it takes to get a 3mm gap then install your top cap. The reason for this is if you don’t have enough gap between the stem top and steerer tube you won’t be able to tighten your headset properly

[@jannatsohel8363]

Best. Very helpful

[@TheLoamWolf]

Glad it helped

[@renzolo87]

Hi man, I have the same handlebar on my HT 2021. Im 6.08 ft on a Large Bike. I feel my seat is to high for my cockpit. Could a higher riser bar, maybe 25 or 30, could help? Because im tall, moving the spacers down would reduce my reach and that is something I dont want.

[@TheLoamWolf]

That could be worth checking out. Also possibly going to a 5mm or 10mm longer stem could be worth considering because even a slightly taller rise bar could also bring back the reach, very slightly, but still could due to the backsweep angle.

[@paulmaul]

You could also try using a stem with an up sweep. Most stems nowadays are flat but there are a few that offer a 10*, 15* or even 20 degree up sweep. (Some are measured in MM of rise) These stems can also be flipped upside down for people looking to fine tune their stack by actually dropping the sweep. I have a NukeProof Horizon stem that has 5mm of up sweep. If you flip it upside down that would be 5mm of drop. Something to consider if you have already got a high rise bar and have maxed out the amount of spacers under your stem and still want more stack.

[@Rambles123]

Excellent vid for the (real) MTB newbie. Lol

[@TheLoamWolf]

Welcome aboard! and thank you for watching.

[@stephendenagy3396]

That elbow position is big trouble for wrists. That posture gives me carpal tunnel issues.

[@kiethpederson7558]

Damn think i got the wrong size frame! No biggie bikes are very affordable shouldn't be a problem to swap it out

[@orangielegros]

Is that the whiskey daredevils in the background??

[@TheLoamWolf]

Nice!! Solid band

[@orangielegros]

@@TheLoamWolf Seen them here in Pittsburgh. They are from Cleveland. Play with my buddy’s band the legendary hucklebucks

[@TheLoamWolf]

@@orangielegros That's rad. We'll have to check them out.

[@Gbark713]

This bar height advice is the same as all the other fashion mag received wisdom about MTB bar height. Look at the riding position of motocross and supermoto racers. MTBs are accidentally getting there, but it’s so dumb that you never see BODY POSITION illustrated and discussed as the focus of this whole “cockpit setup” thing. If you aren’t looking at your actual body in profile on a bike, in different positions for different terrain, this cockpit stuff is just theory you’re working your way to the truth around.

[@murray1961]

Fantastic thanks so much, very helpful.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Right on you got it! Glad it helped.

[@douglasalexander4348]

Brakes in line with your wrist. But, if your downhill orientated, your seats going to be lower or dropped, so are you and your elbows.

[@richardwebb3013]

Thanks for inserting boring terrain footage as you were explaining bar roll. Horrible.

[@testtesttesttesttest884]

Adjust your audio levels. Holy crap. You blew out my ears

[@emailromo]

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