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Get your handlebar and front wheel perfectly aligned w/DNR Design’s new tool

Written by Jessie-May Morgan November 04, 2020

handlebar and fork alignment tool for bicycles

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DNR Design’s Keep It True tool is a bicycle handlebar alignment tool that takes away the guess work. We’ve all been there. You’ve just tightened a loose headset, or crashed and bent your bar, or just swapped the stem, and you need to realign the handlebar with the front wheel.

You hold the bar, tap the wheel left… too far. Tap it right… too far. It’s a super frustrating exercise. You finally decide it’s lined up, only to ride away and realize it’s still ever so slightly wonky. Fed up? DNR Designs may well have a great solution for you.

DNR Designs KIT Handlebar Alignment Tool

DNR Designs are making handlebar alignment easy with their new, possibly over-engineered Keep It True (aka KIT) tool.

The KIT clamps to your handlebar either side of the stem. Two metal plates run down from the clamp area to the fork stanchions. These can move relative to one another so you can adjust them to suit the length of your bike’s head tube and fork crown.

Simply adjust the handlebar-front wheel alignment until the two prongs of the lower metal plate both come into contact with the fork stanchions. Basically, it gives riders and mechanics a reliable visual and mechanical cue for handlebar realignment.

Pricing & Availability

The DNR Designs KIT handlebar alignment tool is made in the US. Pick one up for $220.

If you prefer lasers over a physical stop, there’s also the minimalist bicycle handlebar Tune Spurtreu alignment tool. It’s a lot more affordable at $95/69€, but if your wheel is dished off center (as many disc brake wheels are), then the DNR KIT looks like a more reliable option.

DNRDesigns.com

Jessie-May Morgan

1,221 articles

Jessie-May Morgan is the UK & Ireland Tech Editor of Bikerumor. She has been writing about Mountain Bike Riding and Racing, and all its weird and wonderful technology for 4 years. Prior to that, she was an Intern at the Mountain Bike Center of Scotland, and a Mountain Bike Coach and Leader in the Tweed Valley.

Based in Innerleithen, Scotland, Jessie-May can often be seen riding the Glentress Trail Center, and its neighboring Enduro and Downhill Tracks. She regularly competes in Enduro at a national level, and has recently competed on the World Stage at a handful of Enduro World Series events.

For Bikerumor, Jessie-May is testing the latest mountain bikes, equipment and kit, letting readers know what’s hot and what’s not.

For context, she weighs 60kg and stands at 5ft 4″ tall (163cm).

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33 Comments

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Miclaroc

2 years ago

Ridiculous!!!! Here you go: tie a weight (ANYTHING) to a string, dangle it from the middle of your stem and see where it lies and line it up to the center of your wheel. Total cost $0. You’re welcome

SpaceRaccoon

2 years ago

Reply to Miclaroc

…if you can guarantee the bike is perfectly straight upright

Pete

2 years ago

Reply to Miclaroc

and only if your front wheel is dished perfectly

Joenomad

2 years ago

Created by someone with OCD for those with OCD. I never had an issue with the toe tap method or using a straight rule.

Tom Jones

2 years ago

Super frustrating lol. I sure wish aligning my handle bars was the most frustrating thing in my life…

Sean

2 years ago

I would totally use one of these. As someone who is super anal about the straightness of my bars, this would save me a lot of time setting bikes up. But $220 is a bit steep.

Scott R Respass @ DNR

3 months ago

Reply to Sean

now 107$, was just getting started – sorry guys

Mark

2 years ago

1. Take off the front wheel
2. Stand the bike up with the fork dropouts on the floor
3. Lay a yardstick, broom stick, etc on the floor up against the fork tips
4. Eyeball the handlebars relative to the yardstick and adjust as needed

Pedro

2 years ago

Reply to Mark

Great method ! Because what eventually matters is not the stem position but the handlebar one : perpendicular to the wheel …

ttxxdd

2 years ago

imagine buying one on these. smh

Stuart Tevendale

2 years ago

I thought the Tune Spurtreu (https://bikerumor.com/2018/01/17/review-perfectly-aligned-handlebars-tune-spurtreu/) was overkill, but it’s got to be easier (and cheaper) than this.

Scott R Respass @ DNR

3 months ago

Reply to Stuart Tevendale

to many variables to get a true alignment –

2 years ago

Mark FTW.

2 years ago

Is there an e-bike version?

Robin

2 years ago

For a shop or mechanic that wants to things just that much better for customers, this is a great idea. Yes, it’s a little more expensive than the Tune Spurtreu, but it’s also maybe a little more robust with respect to maintaining alignment of the tool itself. For team wrenches, this could be an excellent tool to have around, and I think it could be true for bike fitters, too.

People scoff at anyone worrying about handlebars misaligned by a fraction or two of a degree, but for some riders with previous injuries, fit issues, and the like, this might help. Even if all it does is put a rider or customer’s mind at ease, that’s a good thing. Going the extra mile for customers can make life easier for the LBS owner or wrench.

Mr Pink

2 years ago

Great idea but $220??? Think the threshold is $40-$80. They get it in that range it’s a winner. Sure they’ll sell a couple at asking price.

Scott R Respass @ DNR

3 months ago

Reply to Mr Pink

we have then at $107, just starting out was tough! check us out http://www.dnrdesignsllp.com

Scottg

2 years ago

Try ruler method, explained by the estimable Dave Moulton.

http://davesbikeblog.squarespace.com/blog/2007/3/21/aligning-handlebars.html

timbo

2 years ago

Space Racoon – I’m pretty sure you can use the same string or plumb bob to ensure the bike is perfectly straight upright.
Pete – good point, but I’m sure you can measure the distance between the inside of the fork leg to the rim to confirm it is centered.
All – how does this ensure the handlebar is perfectly symmetric and the accuracy is better than using Maclaroc’s method. What is the tolerance on the symmetry of a handlebar? ± ???

Jclaa

2 years ago

I need this. I can’t get my stem straight to save my life.

Scott R Respass @ DNR

3 months ago

Reply to Jclaa

we have gotten the price down to $107 and also changed the design – http://www.dnrdesignsllp.com – hope to see you!

Thesteve4761

2 years ago

Solution looking for a problem.

2 years ago

I use the Tune version. Pretty dang handy. It doesn’t fit great on really wide stems, but it gets close enough most of the time. I can totally relate to the authors description of the typical scenario and love having an option to save time and stress.

Greg

2 years ago

This and the Tune base themselves on assumptions that other parts of the bike are perfectly square. A perfect tool would take the place of the front hub and have a rigid, triangulated rod that can be placed at the stem centerline. It eliminates all variables.

bmx

2 years ago

A piece of string, held tight between two hands, close one eyeball -see the center of the tire and the center line of the stem. It doesn’t get more precise than that.

This is just silly nonsense for thick people.

dfkrenik

2 years ago

DNR? Do Not Resuscitate?

luggednut

2 years ago

Seriously, where’s the bottle opener on this thing?

Hank

2 years ago

Will there be a carbon version? How about electronic version?

Daniel M

2 years ago

Or a gravel-specific one?

Jeff

2 years ago

How is the option with freaking laser beams less than half the cost? This is the true question.

Tad

2 years ago

When the guys at DNR brought the KIT by our shop we checked alignment of several bikes and found that even industry veterans would not align the bar perfectly each and every time. This is the most repeatable method I have seen for this task. When a bike leaves our shop we strive in every way to make sure everything is perfect and this tool allows us to know we are getting this important aspect of the bike set up perfect every time. Kudos to DNR for creating a tool I didn’t know we needed.

Lemondrider

2 years ago

I made something similar out of injected carbon unobtanium and sold them for a measly $4500…..

bikeman

2 years ago

This is the method I use. Temporarily secure a 2ft spirit level ($10- $20, many people already own one) across the fork blades. Visually align the stem so the handlebar appears parallel to the spirit level’s edge.