how to fix a crooked handlebar stop forcing it

Riding a bicycle for a long time or accidentally falling during a ride can cause the handlebars to become misaligned, severely affecting the riding experience and safety. Many beginners might resort to forceful methods like 'brute force' or 'kicking' to adjust them. While these methods can realign the handlebars, they are highly improper and can even damage the bicycle components.

So, what is the proper way to realign the handlebars? Today, Bass Cat will show you the correct method. Next time your handlebars get misaligned, don't 'abuse' your beloved bike!

1. Use an Allen wrench to loosen the stem's locking screws at the top of the fork tube. Usually, there are 1-2 screws, and you only need to loosen them slightly without removing them completely.

2. The top cap of the headset serves to tighten the stem to the head tube of the frame. Therefore, when realigning the handlebars, you also need to slightly loosen the top cap to make the stem easier to turn. However, be careful to only loosen it slightly! If the stem is too loose, it will be harder to adjust, and a slight turn might cause the handlebars to over-rotate. But don't make it too tight either, as this can cause damaging friction between the inner wall of the stem and the outer wall of the fork tube, especially with carbon fiber materials.

3. Stand facing the front of the bike (or straddle the frame), clamp the front wheel tightly with your legs (avoid wearing light-colored pants), and use your hands to turn the handlebars left and right. Your eyes should look straight down from above the stem to ensure accuracy. When the stem and the front wheel are aligned in a straight line, the handlebars are properly aligned.

Straddling the frame and turning the handlebars is also an option.

4. Re-tighten the top cap and stem screws, in the order of first tightening the top cap screw, then the stem-to-fork screws (use a torque wrench if possible). If you reverse this order, the headset may not be properly tightened, causing looseness in the front end. This can lead to noise, reduced riding comfort due to gaps, and over time, damage to the headset, fork tube, and even deformation of the head tube.

For bicycles with an expander wedge stem, such as old steel frame bikes and vintage bicycles, you only need to loosen the top screw, realign the handlebars, and then tighten the screw again.

If, after carefully following these steps, the handlebars are still misaligned due to an accident like a fall, check if the handlebars are deformed (common with metal handlebars, less so with carbon fiber ones). If the handlebars are deformed, the best corrective measure is to replace them with new ones.