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PART 3
STEP 6. Installing the Handlebar And Stem
Assembling Your Bike
GT Bicycle Owner’s Manual
Remove the cardboard tube from the steering tube of the fork. You can discard, recycle, it is just a spacer
for packaging.
There will be one or more round metal spacers on the steering tube. Leave them in place.
Now take the complete stem and handlebar assembly and slide the stem over the steering tube. Be sure
that the handlebar assembly is properly oriented. A good way to check this is to be sure that:
• The shifters are facing up, towards you.
• The brake lever on the right controls the rear brake. The rear brake is already connected to the right
hand brake lever, so you can squeeze the lever and see that you have the right hand brake lever on
the correct side of the bike.
• The left hand brake lever will be connected to the front brake, but is not at this point.
Once you are sure that the orientation is correct, place the top cap and bolt on top of the stem. Thread the
bolt into the threaded fitting inside the steering tube. Snug this bolt with the 5 mm allen wrench. Rock
the bike forward and back a bit and snug this bolt to eliminate play. You are setting the bearing pre-load
on the headset, the bearings on which the fork pivots. You want to tighten enough to eliminate noticeable
play but want the fork to turn freely without a lot of resistance. No torque spec here, it’s a matter of feel.
Not super tight, but more than finger tight.
Now move the handlebar and stem assembly so that the stem faces directly forward. You can sight
where the front wheel will be in the fork. Once centered, use a 5mm allen wrench to tighten the two stem
clamp bolts to the spec marked on the stem or 7 Nm. You are now clamping the handlebar and stem
assembly to the steering tube and fork so that you can control the bike.
After the wheel is installed and you are doing a final pre-ride check, if you find that the handlebar and
stem assembly is not quite centered, you can loosen the two stem clamp bolts, center the assembly and
then torque the stem clamp bolts to the spec marked on the stem or 7 Nm.
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