msdumo

I have a mid 80s Raleigh MTB. I have raised my handle bars the max. The stem is too high and there is a risk that it could come out.
I would like to get my handlebars 2 more inches higher. The handle bars have a 2 in riser.
The problem is that I have cantilever brakes which use a hole in the stem.
I have 2 options. I could change my brakes to V-brakes and then I have more choices or I could look for handlebars with a larger riser.
It is a vintage bike and I would like to keep the look.

Papa Tom

I, too, am taunting the devil with the height of the handlebar stem on my 1996 GT Outpost. Wanting additional height after raising the stem to the max, I added mountain biking bar ends and positioned them as shown in this photo. This enables me to shift myself to a more upright position at will.

It's not a good idea if you're worried you can't get to the brake levers quickly in an emergency, though.

Trevtassie

You can get a canti brake hanger/stop that mounts on the top of the steerer, under the headset locknut. Another type will clamp onto a 1" steerer above the locknut. Then there are ones that attach via a bolt through the brake/fender hole at the top of the fork.

Andrew R Stewart 

Handle bars with an aprox. 5" rise and/or some grip swept back are available. allowing one to retain the stem. There are stem rising adaptors too. One could also use a cable casing stop that clamps around a stem or fits onto the steerer under the top nut. There's all kinds of options.

Most likely your bars have a 25.4 clamping diameter and a 22.2 quill fit within the steerer. Expect to need longer cables and casings, often the old rear cable can be swapped to the front to save that cost. Andy

John Nolan 

Riser bars are another option.
If get a longer stem without a hole in the stem you can use on of these (make sure you get the right size!), or maybe one of these.

Both of these have to advantage that you don't have to re-adjust the cable if you adjust the stem.

Clyde1820

For the routing of the cabling, you don't need a stem with a hole in it. You can use a cable hanger that attaches to the steerer tube. Something like the Funky Monkey cable hanger from Paul Components.

For a higher hand position, you can either do a riser handlebar and/or a taller (or more steeply-angled) stem. Assuming a 1" quill stem on your bike, you could do something like the Nitto DirtDrop or HiRiser stems. Some stems are quite a bit taller; some, having a much steeper angle.

A riser bar can have several inches' of rise, along with a pull-back of several inches. Myself, I'm currently doing a build project on a '90s era Trek 970. Changing from the typical forward-leaning riding position to one that's nearly upright requires quite a bit of pull-back on the bars and a shorter stem. I'm using an unbranded set of riser bars with 5" of rise and 9" of pull-back. (But there are all types, out there, up to "ape hangers" with huge amounts of rise to bars with varying amounts of pull-back.) Identify where your best hand position would be, measure the distance from the current stem's position, then determine which combination of stem height and bar height/sweep will get your hands to where they need to be.

andrewclaus

Great suggestions above. A couple of details: 1) If you've ever had problems with squealing front brakes and want to keep the cantis, using a fork-mounted cable hanger will help quiet them. 2) If you decide to change to linear pulls, be sure to change brake levers. They have different cable pull and leverage requirements.

And you really are tempting fate, and expensive dental work, if you're extending the stem beyond the maximum.

msdumo

Good option. Thanks