Mountain Bike - info needed - handlebar stem extensions?

Hi,

I have a new Giant Yukon mountain bike. All the terminology has changed since I was a bike mechanic in my youth. Help me out a little please. What, back “in the day” we used to call a “gooseneck,” now appears to be called a “stem,” except that the stem isn’t really the vertical part. Apparently, the stem, in combination with the steerer tube (top part of the fork) is what gives the handlebars their height.

If I’m wrong about any of that, please correct me.

OK, next. Other than learning terminology, my purpose for this post is learning what is possible to get more height from my handlebars. My handlebars are too low for me (forget all the center of gravity arguments). I want them to be higher. I’m trying to find out 1) what part needs to be replaced to increase the height of my handlebars, and 2) what range of height increase I can expect to get from available parts in Taiwan. I’m hearing several stories (every bike shop gives me a different story). One says that they have a 5cm “extension” and that taller extensions don’t exist. Another says they have a 10cm extension.

Here’s my thought. If the steerer tube (the vertical rise) is part of the forks, then it seems that I can’t extend that without replacing the forks. I don’t want to replace the forks. Or is there, literally, an “extension” for the steerer tube? Or do people just replace the stem, hoping to get some vertical improvement from the angle of the stem?

Any info will help. Sorry for rambling.

Thanks,

Seeker4

They always cut the stem down to put it on.

At 6’ 3" I had to get a new fork with no cuts and add spacers below the handlebar.

You can get extensions but I don’t want to trust them. Even 2’" 50mm makes a big difference to the riding position.

Easiest and safest way is a stem with a steeper rise. Eg. the stem you have now is a 5* rise and you get one with a 20* rise. A half-decent store would be able to swap it for you.
Something like this tutorial:
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fix/stem.htm

Thanks for the good info. All things considered, to get the amount of height increase that I wanted, I ended up going with a “stem extender”. Common item in Taipei bikeshops as it turns out.

Mine was made by Satori (black or silver), cost NT $350, took 10 minutes to install, and provides about 7-9 centimeters of extra vertical height, depending on what you do with existing spacers. It has the same fastening mechanism and method as the original stem, and worked fine with the original stem and brake cables.

Only a short time so far, but today it really helped relieve the backache while riding. Just what I was looking for!

Seeker4