Vvolt Upright Citizen Stem Installation TipsUpdated 3 days ago

The Upright Citizen stem is a riser stem that elevates the position of your handlebars for a more upright riding posture. The extension is a compact 70mm, and you can expect your handlebars to be raised roughly 2.5" higher than the factory position. It's a lift! 

Follow these instructions for installation tips. Heads up: a bicycle's stem is a critical component and must be installed correctly to avoid a hazardous and potentially serious accident. Setting the correct headset bearing preload, aligning the stem with the front wheel, and properly adjusting the faceplate are all equally important for a safe ride. 

If you're hesitant, consider visiting an approved service center or your friendly local bike shop, and they can install it for you. 

Tools Required

• 4mm hex wrench
• 5mm hex wrench

Installation 

1. Remove the handlebars from your stock stem using the 4mm hex wrench. Let your handlebars hang down on the front of the bike, but ensure no wires or hoses are excessively bent or pinched. 
   Note the orientation of the hoses and wires! 
   Hold the Upright Stem up to the old stem, and marvel at the increased comfort you're about to experience. Oooh. Aaah! 
2. Use the 4mm hex wrench to loosen the two stem fixing bolts that secure the stem to the steerer tube. Then, loosen and remove the preloader top cap/bolt, and take off the stem. 
3. Place the Upright Citizen stem onto the steerer tube with your preferred spacer stack beneath the stem. Align the stem to the front wheel and use the 5mm hex wrench to add the correct bearing preload to the headset. 
   In this example, we have two 10mm spacers (20mm total) beneath the stem, which increases the rise to 85mm! 
4. Ensure both stem fixing bolts are tightened evenly and onto the steerer tube. You're aiming for ~6nm, so snug but not super tight. 
   Stem bolts on the steerer tube
   
   Experiment with various spacer stacks until you're comfortable
5.  You can now reinstall your handlebars! The two upper bolts on the faceplate are 'no-gap' bolts, so ensure they are tightened to prevent any gap from remaining at the top. Then, evenly torque the lower bolts. Wala! 

Pro Tips

• Once everything is back together, grab your front brake and rock the bike back and forth with the bars straight, then turn 90 degrees. There should be no play while performing this test. If there's play, you'll need to add preload to the top bolt.
• Bike fit takes a while to nail down. You can experiment with adjusting the angle of your handlebars and grips after installing this stem to achieve the best fit.