Inquiries answered Mon to Fri Austin, Texas
+1 (565) 555-2353
Xervilo

Group 05 · Bar tape, grips, stems, spacers

A stem is ordered by three numbers: clamp diameter, length and steerer size.

Bar tape in cork, synthetic and leather-look, 2.5 to 3.5 mm thick. Lock-on and push-on grips for 22.2 mm bars. Stems by clamp diameter 25.4, 31.8 and 35 mm, and headset spacers to set the height. For road, city and kids' bikes, shipped from the parts desk in Austin, Texas.

Bar tape from $16 a pair Grips and stems from $14 Indicative, confirmed in our reply Quote held 7 days
Send your bike's details Clamp diameter table
  • 22.2Grip section diameter on every flat bar, in mm
  • 3Stem clamp standards in use: 25.4, 31.8, 35
  • 5–6Nm torque on most alloy stem face bolts
  • 2.5–3.5Bar tape thickness range, in mm
  • 25.4 clamp
  • 31.8 clamp
  • 35.0 clamp
  • 22.2 grip
  • 1 1/8 in steerer
  • Quill 22.2 mm
  • Cork tape 3 mm
  • Lock-on grips
  • 5 mm spacer
  • Stem 90 mm
  • Stem 110 mm
Hands wrapping brown cork bar tape onto a drop handlebar
Half-width overlap, wrapped from the drop end upward. A pack covers both sides with enough left for the lever bridge.

Item 01

Bar tape, cork, synthetic and leather-look

Tape thickness is the whole decision. At 2.5 mm you keep the bar shape under your hand and the lever hoods stay close; at 3.5 mm you get real padding on chip-seal roads and your hands stop going numb after an hour. Cork is grippy dry, goes slick when soaked, and crumbles at the edges after a couple of seasons. Synthetic tape handles sweat better and lasts longer. Leather-look is the heaviest and ages best on a steel bike.

Every pack goes out with two rolls, two bar plugs and finishing tape. We send plugs that match, not generic ones, because a loose plug is how a bar end cuts someone in a crash. If you want to pad the tops under the tape, say so and we add gel strips to the quote.

  • MaterialsCork, synthetic, leather-look
  • Thickness2.5 to 3.5 mm
  • Pack2 rolls, plugs, finishing tape
  • SuitsDrop bars, 23.8 to 24.5 mm tops
  • Checked againstBar shape, lever type

Per roll pair with plugs. Indicative from $16, confirmed in our reply.

Leather and rubber bike grips beside two alloy stems

Item 02

Grips and stems

Grips are easy on diameter and fussy on length. Every flat bar grip section is 22.2 mm, so the bore is never the problem. Length is: a bar with a trigger shifter and a brake lever has around 125 mm of free bar, while a city bar with a twist shifter may only leave 90 mm. Measure from the bar end inward to the first clamp and tell us that number. Lock-on grips use one or two alloy collars and a 2.5 mm hex at about 2 Nm. Push-on grips cost less, feel softer and go on with a spray of alcohol.

Stems need three figures. Clamp diameter where the bar sits, length from steerer centre to bar centre (70 to 130 mm covers almost everything we send), and steerer size, normally 1 1/8 in threadless, sometimes 1 in on older frames, or a quill stem with a 22.2 mm shaft on city and kids' bikes. Quill and threadless are different parts and no adapter makes one into the other. Headset spacers come in 5 and 10 mm, and we send the stack you ask for in alloy, because plastic spacers compress and the headset goes loose.

  • Grip bore22.2 mm
  • Grip typesLock-on, push-on
  • Stem clamps25.4, 31.8, 35 mm
  • Stem lengths70 to 130 mm
  • Steerer1 1/8 in, 1 in, quill 22.2

Per pair of grips or per stem. Indicative from $14, confirmed in our reply.

Clamp diameters

Measure the bar, then order the stem

Loosen the face plate, put a caliper across the bar where the stem grips it, and read the number. Anything else is guessing, and a 31.8 bar in a 25.4 clamp does not go.

Handlebar clamp diameter by bar type
ClampAlso calledTypical barsFound on
25.4 mmStandard, 1 inFlat and riser bars, older road barsCity bikes, kids' bikes, road frames before the mid-2000s
31.8 mmOversizeDrop bars, flat bars, riser barsMost road, gravel and hybrid bikes since about 2005
35.0 mmSuper oversizeFlat and riser barsNewer flat-bar bikes; rare on road
22.2 mmGrip sectionBar ends, not a stem clampEvery flat bar, for grips and controls
23.8–24.5 mmDrop bar topsTaped section, not a stem clampRoad bars, where tape is wrapped

Shims that take a 31.8 stem down to a 25.4 bar exist and we will supply one only if the stem maker lists it. A shim improvised from a drink can is how bars snap.

Torque. Alloy stem face bolts are usually 5 to 6 Nm, steerer clamp bolts 5 Nm. Carbon bars want carbon assembly paste and the lower figure. Overtighten a face plate and you crush the bar; undertighten it and the bar rotates the first time you hit a pothole. The numbers are printed on the stem.

Changing stem length changes the brake and gear cables. Go 20 mm longer and the housing may be too short, which pulls the brakes on when you turn. We will say in the reply whether your change needs new housing, and that comes from cables and housing.

How a cockpit inquiry runs

What we need and what comes back

  1. Measure the clamp and the free bar

    Caliper across the bar at the stem, and a tape from the bar end to the first clamp if you want grips. Two numbers, thirty seconds.

  2. Say what the steerer is

    Threadless 1 1/8 in, 1 in, or a quill stem that slides inside the fork tube. A photo of the head tube from the side answers it if you are unsure.

  3. Tell us what you want to change

    Shorter reach, higher bars, thicker tape because your hands hurt. The complaint is more useful than a part number.

  4. We reply within one business day, Mon to Fri

    Each line lists the checks: clamp diameter, steerer size, length, grip bore. Indicative prices alongside, total held for seven days.

Objections, answered

Fair questions before you send anything

Can I just tell you my bike model?

It helps, but it does not decide anything. Bars and stems get swapped by previous owners constantly, and the same model year ships with different cockpits in different markets. We work from the measurement on your bike.

Will new tape fix numb hands?

Sometimes. Going from 2.5 to 3.5 mm with gel strips under the tops is a real change. But if your weight is on your hands because the stem is too long or too low, tape only delays the ache. Say what hurts and where, and we will tell you which of the two we think it is.

Do you supply carbon bars and one-piece cockpits?

No. Integrated bar-stem units are frame-specific and route cables internally, and getting one wrong is an expensive mistake to post back. We stick to tape, grips, stems and spacers.

Is the price here the price I pay?

No. Prices on this site are indicative. The number in our reply is the one we will hold for seven days. There is no checkout on this site.

What goes in the reply. Clamp diameter, stem length, steerer size and grip bore are written next to every line, with the indicative price in the column beside them. You can see why the part fits before you agree to anything.

Not sure what you are looking at? Call +1 (565) 555-2353 during the week and describe it. We have talked people through a caliper measurement over the phone plenty of times.

Send the clamp diameter and the steerer size. We will do the rest.

One business day reply target, Mon to Fri. Indicative prices held seven days once we reply.

Send your bike's details

Nearby in the catalogue

Cables and housing Brake levers Lights, bells and racks Road bike parts City bike parts Kids' bike parts Compatibility checks