I’ve been doing some reading about handlebars and just wondering what kind of rise people are riding. I know it’s largely a personal preference thing, but just wondering what kind of rise people are riding.
I’ve been thinking of replacing my 25mm bars with and I’m wondering if it’s worth it performance wise or if I just want some cool bars that match the green of my frame. 
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Go with the cool, cool factor is everything.
I run 30mm which I still feel is high, but only 3 rides on them, may be too much upsweep also.
It is all about personal preference and feel. I am not a racer and want to be comfortable, I run an ultra tall front end with a 35mm rise bar that is 800mm wide on a 50mm stem. I was running 25mm rise and switched up my bars and went with the 35mm rise and love it. Now keep in mind I am 6ft 7 and on an XXL bike and due to my height I have to have the seat higher than most for pedaling and the higher rise bar sits me up more and makes the bike substantially more comfortable.
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I’m not too far off with an XXL frame and a 50mm stem, but my bars are 787 and have a 25mm rise. I’m also two inches shorter with a bit less seatpost sticking out, but I wouldn’t mind going up to a 35mm rise eventually.
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I’m 5’8 and own a racing bike. Flat bar. But I’ve been contemplating getting a riser myself.
Got one on my two of my bikes my old 29 (25mm) and fatty( only 10mm) I prefer being a little more upright. But then again fast is fun. Haha
Part of the reason I’m thinking of this too is I find my hands get numb riding my new bike. I’m going to fiddle with the bar and lever positions it’s possible that I just need to adjust them, but was wondering if a higher bar might be better suited for me. As @a.mart said it would shift my weight backwards. I am on the tall spectrum at 6’2".
However a flat would help with climbing which has always been a weakness of mine.
I’m all over the place trying to make a decision.
20mm rise, 755mm width for this kid. Shimano Pro carbon bars, currently. Used to always run RF SixC bars, but couldn’t get them last time I needed a replacement.
5’10" tall with a short wingspan. I found 780 too wide and 760 was just about right, so I took another 2.5mm off each side and it’s perfect.
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720mm/20mm on my trail bike though I’m looking at going a little bit wider- maybe 740mm. On the DH bike it’s a stock 760mm with slightly more rise (maybe 30mm?) which I love but too wide for a daily driver for me.
6’0” and have a 780mm bar with 25mm rise and 9 degree sweep. Took me a while to find the perfect bar.
It’s also carbon and 31.8mm because I find carbon provides enough damping to stop my hands from going numb on longer rides. I’ve had the bar for a few years/ on a number of bikes now.
I have 35mm alloy bars of a similar shape on my hardtail (stock so don’t know exactly). Size and shape feels good but they’re definitely harsher.
I run a copolymer 2 bar, 305mm riser. I’m told its too flashy, like I’m compensating for something, but it works.
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I’m running Chromag Fubars on my bikes, 25mm rise, 8 degree bend, 5 degree upsweep. I’ve got them cut to 770 mm.
Also around 6’2” and have a 20mm riser and a 110/130 XCish bike
Maybe want to also adjust your shocks to ease the hand pain and make sure your getting the right amount of travel for the trails you’re riding.
My XCish bike is set up for MR but way too stiff for Whopper or anything rooty and that’s usually when I feel the hand pain coming on.
How many spacers between your top cap, and your stem? I slammed by stem with the smallest spacer I could find last season. And its night and day for climbing. Less drift in the front end, keeps me over the front end descending.
I think bar height and cock pit set up is probably as complex, and as important as suspension set up. Subtle differences can adapt a riders style to the geo of the bike.
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Thanks for all the replies, seems my bars are in the range everyone else is riding (25mm Rise, 780mm Width, 9° Backsweep, Upsweep) so it’s probably a setup issue.
When I got the bike I felt like I was sitting very upright which I didn’t like so I rolled the bars forward a bit. This is a likely cause of the hand numbness. I guess it should also be an indicator of my preference for a lower setup. I think (as @Enduro_Performance) suggested maybe I should try moving a spacer above the stem - currently there are none above.
I hate taking the stem off because as much as I try I can never get the adjustment right. I always start off fine then after a bit of riding there is too much play. Oh well practice makes perfect.
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If you’re having trouble adjusting the headset, try taking the stem and spacers off, hold the fork under the crown and push down on the headset ensure everything is seated. Keep holding the fork while you put the spacers and stem back on, and tighten the top bolt until you don’t feel play any longer while rocking the bike back and forth with the front brake on. Then tighten the stem bolts. It should be tight at that point.
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Thanks for the tip, I usually just have the bike standing on the floor and don’t think I’ve tried the holding the brake and rocking. I’ve read numerous tutorials on how to do it properly so I’m not sure if I missed these tips or if it was just taking in too much information.
I’m just running the stock stem and bar on my trek fuel. Believe it’s 25 mm rise on the bar.
My rocky mountain blizzard fat bike has a stock 35 mm riser bar. But swapped the stem on it more to add some color to it… the bike is entirely black coming out of the store… lettering on the frame included
Not to muddy the waters more, but you may also want to experiment with your seat position a little bit, because it’s fore/aft position and tilt will influence how much weight you’re putting on the bars.
As for bar setup, I’m 5’9" running a 750mm bar, 15mm rise (as far as I can tell - stock bars on my Trek Fuel), but I’m still trying to get my cockpit dialed because my wrists get a bit sore during longer xc rides. I too am contemplating either a higher rise and/or shorter width because I’ve noticed I angle my wrists a lot while seated.
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Good point. I have the seat as far back as it can go because otherwise I feel like my ass is hanging off the back. It might not hurt to try a few different seat settings too. I too felt my wrists bending at first too and thought a longer stem was the solution. That’s one of the reasons I rolled the bars forward - figured it’d be easier than having to find a replacement stem.
I did move a spacer above the stem last night and re-set the bars and levers and it feels better already - at least sitting in the basement. Might be a different story once I get rolling.
I rotated my bar a little bit back and swapped positions with my shifter and brake lever on mine… bringing the shifter closet tk the grip having to have my hands over the bar more for braking was creating numbness from the elbow down. And tbe shifter being further away was making it more tiring on the thumb to shift on longer rides