Riser bars???

Just got a new Fuel EX7. Just wondering about riser bars. Why would you need them? Benefits or otherwise??? I think they look cool...lol....but there must be some benefit other than coolness. Also...why the different rise and width? Just wondering......

 

What do YOU mean by riser? I ask because to most MTBR's, "rise" relates to 10, 25, 35 and some DH'ers are even doing a lil' more. However, I'm on a couple MTB related FB pages where people are running 80-100mm riser bars and swear by them. Most people running risers that high are on "city bikes" and like them so they can sit up straighter.

As far as benefits and opinions, everybody has their own. I run 25mm riser bars on both my "trail" and "enduro" bikes with the same backsweep because I find them the most natural fit for my riding position which = comfort. Like most people on here, I ran bars that were sub 700mm width and flat bars for years as that was the standard. They gradually got wider where is seems that 800mm bars are standard on most trail and enduro bikes. That is too wide for me at 5'8" and I cut all my bars down to 780mm. However, I have a friend that is 6'2" and he likes his at 760mm so it's all personal opinion.

 

Your bike came with riser bars, they are 15mm rise and 750mm wide. Most mountain bikers run bar heights from 15mm to 40mm and 760mm to 810mm in width. On my Fuel Ex they are 800mm wide with a 30mm rise, TagMetal carbon handlebars. I had to buy a higher riser bar because when I bought my Fuel, the head tube was shorter and took nearly an inch off of my overall height and my hands would get numb. So I had to go higher so my hands would not get numb. I had to go through 3 sets of bars till I finally got one that really fit me well. But really the different heights, sweeps and widths are just to dial in your cockpit to your liking.

 

Sorry, I’m in the camp of rise over 15mm just looks goofy.

35-45-50mm rise makes me think of ape hangers.

Personally I like flat to 10mm, but they are hard to find in wide bars, so had to compromise with 15mm.

 

Agree. And if you have some additional steerer tube length showing above the stem on your fork, quick/cheap way to experiment is adding spacers under your stem to see if that starts to get you into a more comfortable handlebar height. Can always add more bar rise if not enough. When I switched from my OEM setup to a shorter stem and wider bars, the new setup pulled me down and forward so adding spacers helped (luckily I had enough steerer tube to experiment).

 

Yes spacers help also, but you shouldn’t put more than 40mm of spacers under your stem.

 

Generally think of it as higher bars being less aggressive/more comfortable while lower are more aggressive/less comfortable.Higher is fine on DH bikes as the bike is pointing downhill while you keep a more neutral position. The opposite for climbers, as when your bike points uphill, risers force you up and back, lifting the front end up. I like the grips to be at saddle height, so use a combo of stem height and riser to get there. It's a good neutral starting place you can probably get with your stock set up by playing around with spacers to raise/lower the stem.

Plus companies like making money on selling you bike parts.

 

I actually just recently watched this video about riser bars ... good info.

 

Ha! I actually just changed bars on my hardtail. For reference, I ride a 2013 Charge Cooker I bought from Performance Bike years ago. The geometry is a bit old school compared to modern bikes.

The OEM bar was 720mm wide with about a 9mm rise, which placed the handlebars slightly lower than I liked. I felt the riding position was too far forward with that bar, so. I replaced it with a bar I had laying around that is 710 mm wide with 22mm rise (random I know). It feels good so far and no money spent! I may actually decide to go to a 30mm riser bar at some point. I'm a fairly casual rider, so I prefer to be comfortable over efficient.

 

You are correct the bike does come with 15mm at 750. I also find my hands getting numb at times...after I have been riding a lot...I also experienced this on my other bike. So, dialing in cockpit...I think I'm going to explore this option more! Thanks for the input!

 

Thanks! This video is a big help!

 

Maybe not related but I had some minor pressure numbness (but mostly just tired hands) with my thin/hard Lizard Skin grips so switched to a fatter diameter/softer grip (Oury or Rogue) which I love and solved the issue.
So along with getting your bar height right, might be worth considering touchpoints if the riser doesn't totally solve the numbness issue. YMMV. Good luck.

 

Cockpit setup is a never ending quest filled with compromises and experimentation. For me, I like to be in an aggressive position on my bike. That means hands 1-2" lower than my hips when seated with the saddle in climbing position. This helps while climbing bikes with slack head angles. But top tube length, stem length and seat tube angle all factor into this as well. At my height, I usually need to run 20-25 mm of spacers under the stem (I have read on Fox and RS websites that you do not want to exceed 30mm) and I run 25-35 mm rise on the bars just to get my hands into a reasonable position. Head tubes are short on most bikes these days, except the XXL Santa Cruzes.

You want to see something radical, check out Jack Moir's setup on his Canyon enduro bike. Crazy cockpit adjustments to compensate for a too-small frame.

 

Just my opinion and maybe I'm weird but for me the grips have to be a bit lower than the saddle. My back is happier being stretched out a bit vs sitting upright. The lower bar position definitely helps keep the front end down on the steep climbs. Also for me the lower bar position helps put weight over the front tire to help it stick when cornering. For my short ass this usually means no spacers under the stem with the bars rolled slightly back.

 

We agree. But I still have to stack a bunch just to get by hands to be 1-2" lower than my hips and not 4" lower.

 

I've got close to 38" inseam, so my saddle gets jacked up pretty high. Most bikes have a stack height between 630 and 640mm at highest... Which still means bars are quite a bit lower than saddle.

I run 39mm risers right now, which helps bring the grips up. The trade-off is steep climbs feel... Unweighted.

In reality the best way to fix it would be an XXL frame... But that's a whole other story

 

https://air-saddle.com/pages/uprigh...ihUTBOHF4XdawGAsd3YmVRZbiqrGoFqOtnNwbJB-33vaY

 

On a beach cruiser....sure.

for anything else.....f*ck no.

 

I'm not even sure I would put that on my beach cruiser

 

I can see that going very wrong very fast

 

Goes to a different product now (not an air saddle) but equally horrifying!

 

Pretty sure he posted what he intended in that link given the subject of the thread.

They do also have the “air saddle” on that site as well.

https://air-saddle.com/pages/air-saddle-private-sale

 

Yeah - I figured that out too. But I think I will get me the air saddle. BOOOINGGGG!