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PART 3
STEP 6. Installing the Handlebar And Stem
138692 Rev 0 (04/22)
Assembling Your Bike
GT Bicycle Owner’s Manual
Set up handlebar and brake lever angle:
With the faceplate bolts still just snug (if necessary, loosen slightly to allow adjustment):
• Center handlebar in the stem. Most handlebars have aiming marks.
• Rotate to set brake lever angle.
• On a mountain bike or flat bar road bike (A), most riders like the brake levers at a 45-degree angle with
the ground.
• On a road bike with drop bars (B), most riders like the handlebar set where the flat area at the top or the
bottom of the handlebar is parallel to the ground.
Final tightening of stem faceplate bolts:
1. When you like the handlebar position, tighten the faceplate bolts (2 or 4) as evenly as possible;
alternating in a crisscross pattern so that the gap between the stem and faceplate is equal – top/bottom,
left/right.
2. Using a torque wrench and the correct size bit, tighten all faceplate bolts to the torque value marked on
the stem faceplate. If no torque marking is present, tighten to 7Nm.
