Originally Posted by
redpear
Scrod,
I've got a big question about handlebars. In the past I know you've loved different handlebars, particularly risers and now compact drops.
Regarding risers, I've heard a few things:
1. Rearward sweep is good until you chop them down to shoulder width. Then they are not comfortable.
I have only one pair of risers chopped to shoulder width and they don't have a tremendous amount of sweep. To me, it feels like a bit more sweep would actually feel a bit more ergonomic.
2. Upward sweep is also good.
I have no experience with this.
What kind of risers do you like in terms of upward sweep, rearward sweep, and rise?
Back sweep is definitely a good thing regardless of how wide your bars are. My Nittos have a pretty good amount. Angie has a set of Leader risers on her 722 that have a little less sweep that she loves but they feel a little uncomfortable to me. Dimension makes an inexpensive riser bar in various heights that have 15° sweep that feel really nice (be careful if you're buying them online though because Dimension also makes a 24° sweep model). As for rise, I happen to like around 2.5".
Regarding upsweep, I would think that would put your arms in a very unnatural position and have bad effects on your wrists and elbows after a while. If anything, slight down sweep would be more ergonomic - but I don't think I've ever seen any risers that sweep downward.