How To Set Ebike Handlebar Height

Whether you’re using your ebike for a mountain trip or as part of your commute, it is essential that you set the ebike handlebar height appropriately.

Handlebar Components

Before we jump into the steps, let’s take a look at the ebike handlebar components so that we know what we’re working with.

• Handlebar: this is the horizontal bar that you will hold onto and steer with. It is joined to the rest of the bike through the stem.
• Stem: this joins the handlebars to the steerer tube.
• Faceplate: bolted to the stem, the faceplate fixes the handlebars in place.
• Pinch bolts: these bolts connect the steerer tube and the stem.
• Steerer tube: these attach the handlebars to a fork through your bike’s frame.
• Spacers: positioned over the steerer tube, these provide the handlebars with more height. You will need to adjust these to either lower or higher so that you attain the handlebar height you desire.
• Top cap: this caps off the steerer tube and ensures that everything is secure.
• Headset: this is the ring-shaped object on top of your frame. It holds everything in place.

There are many ways to adjust handlebars on an ebike, and we discuss one here. Before you begin, you want to make sure that your brake cable has sufficient slack so that you can raise them. Otherwise, these brake cables may get torn out the next time you use your ebike. You will also want to ensure that you use a stand to support your ebike while you are adjusting the handlebar height.

Moving Spacers

You can adjust the height of your ebike handlebars by moving the spacers. Moving them above the stem to below will cause your handlebars to raise. Moving your spaces from below your stem to on top of it will cause your handlebars to lower. Here’s what you should do:

• Slightly loosen the pinch bolts located on the back of the stem. This will help you remove the top cap.
• Extract the top cap from the steerer tube, then extract any spacers situated between the tube and the stem.
• Go back to loosening the pinch bolts, loosening each one just a little before moving on the other so that no pinch bolt is ever significantly tighter or looser than the other. Continue this until you can slide the stem off your ebike.
• Get your desired adjustment by adding or removing your spacers.
• Place the stem on the steerer tube again, and replace any remaining spacers. Ensure that the top lip of the stem or spacer located at the top of the stack is placed just above the lip of the steerer tube. Ensure that there is sufficient slack in your brake cables.
• Replace the top cap and tighten it until you feel resistance.
• Arrange the stem so that it is aligned with the front tire. Tighten your pinch bolts just a little bit at a time until the entire stem is evenly tightened onto the steerer tube.
• Check that your headset is in a good position by placing one hand on it and rocking your handlebars back and forth with the other. You want to ensure that you cannot feel your steerer tube moving within the bike frame. If you can feel movement, loosen the pinch bolts and tighten the top cap. Do this until you can turn the handlebars smoothly without feeling any movement in the bearing.