Procedure

Remove the stem face plate

(the four bolts on the front of the stem).

Apply a small amount of carbon paste

to the bar's clamping area if either the bar or stem is carbon. (Skip for alloy on alloy.)

Place the bar in the stem clamp.

Set bar angle:

- Drop bars: typical setup has the bottom of the drops parallel to the ground, with a slight downward tilt of the bar tops. - Flat bars: a few degrees of upward sweep is normal; experiment.

Reattach the face plate.

Hand-thread all four bolts so they engage.

Verify the gap

between face plate and stem body is **equal top-to-bottom** (and side-to-side for 4-bolt designs). The face plate should sit parallel to the stem body, not tilted.

Tighten in cross pattern

progressively to spec — typically **5 Nm carbon** or **6 Nm alloy**. Work in 1 Nm steps, alternating bolts, to keep the gap even.

Reinstall brake/shifter levers

at desired position. Torque clamp bolts to **5 Nm**.

For drop bars:

wrap with bar tape (6.5). ---

Procedure #

Remove the stem face plate (the four bolts on the front of the stem).
Apply a small amount of carbon paste to the bar’s clamping area if either the bar or stem is carbon. (Skip for alloy on alloy.)
Place the bar in the stem clamp.
Set bar angle:
- Drop bars: typical setup has the bottom of the drops parallel to the ground, with a slight downward tilt of the bar tops.
- Flat bars: a few degrees of upward sweep is normal; experiment.
Reattach the face plate. Hand-thread all four bolts so they engage.
Verify the gap between face plate and stem body is equal top-to-bottom (and side-to-side for 4-bolt designs). The face plate should sit parallel to the stem body, not tilted.
Tighten in cross pattern progressively to spec — typically 5 Nm carbon or 6 Nm alloy. Work in 1 Nm steps, alternating bolts, to keep the gap even.
Reinstall brake/shifter levers at desired position. Torque clamp bolts to 5 Nm.
For drop bars: wrap with bar tape (6.5).

Handlebar Installation (Drop or Flat)

Tools