Mountain Biking - what is right bar stem/handlebar combo

i have a bike that i have been riding for a few months and it had an adjustable rise bar stem that i kept at 45degrees and have a flat bar on it .the stem became( how should i say this) unsafe.i have a 120 mm 10degree rise stem now with the same flat bar.the climbing is way better but the down hill,cornering, and long distance riding suffer much.after about 5 miles my hands and wrists start to hurt and at about 5 more they dont hurt cuz theyre numb.should i go with another short 45 degree And ariser bar like a hellbent or such or 10degee with riser bar or some other combo.i like climbing as well as scary fast and looking for good mix of both.the frame is a mongoose xr850(looks like a mountain cycle monoque frame)i am real happy with the geometry of the frame but trying to find balance.thanks

i have a bike that i have been riding for a few months and it had an adjustable rise bar stem that i kept at 45degrees and have a flat bar on it .the stem became( how should i say this) unsafe.i have a 120 mm 10degree rise stem now with the same flat bar.the climbing is way better but the down hill,cornering, and long distance riding suffer much.after about 5 miles my hands and wrists start to hurt and at about 5 more they dont hurt cuz theyre numb.should i go with another short 45 degree And ariser bar like a hellbent or such or 10degee with riser bar or some other combo.i like climbing as well as scary fast and looking for good mix of both.the frame is a mongoose xr850(looks like a mountain cycle monoque frame)i am real happy with the geometry of the frame but trying to find balance.thanks

I like my Race Face air alloy (full) Riser bars since it helps keep me in a more upright position than a flat bar would. It makes popping the front up for wheelies easier too.

If you do primarily XC, you may find it a wee bit on the wide side though. Easily fixed with a pipe cutter, or hacksaw and a steady hand.

thanks. i was leaning towards just a riser bar.how much rise does it have .i do mostly xc but also like downhill.if too wide i have a pipe cutter

I like a 2" rise. Anything less and I feel like I don't have the ability to adjust the cockpit around. With two inches you can roll it forward to lengthen the cockpit and turn it in the shorten it. I love the ability to change my ride about completely. :)

i was looking at some 1.5s and 2" thanks for telling about 2" bars.do you use a low angle stem or higher.im at 10 deg. and 120 mm long .would changing that help also or will shorter distance or higher angle hurt climbing thanks again

I use a 70mm 10 degree stem on both my bikes. Shorter stems will affect climbing but will help on decents. 10mm long seems really long and if you feel comfortable with that it could be you have a short top tube. Which means a 120mm long stem works. I would have to see you on the bike to see what is going on. There are a lot of factors in sizing a bike and I personally feel having a 120mm stem usually means the bike doesn't fit right. However for xc it makes sense as it puts some of your weight over the front wheel (something I don't want ;))

Hope that made some sense.

i will try a mid length like a 70mm and if it does not fit right i can always go back to 120.am going to get a riser bar asap and stem and some better grips.that may help if i get bigger grips to help me not grip as hard and stay more relaxed.thanks to all for the good advice.

Sounds like you are reaching too far and more of your weight is being supported by your hands on the bar. You are pinching (maybe not the best term) nerves in your hand causing the numbness. Going to a shorter stem and some rise helped me when I had this problem.

thanks for the info.i ordered a raceface prodigy with 80mm length and 8 deg rise and a set of profile bars with 60mm rise,cant remember width now just remember wide and i do have a tubing cutter if needed.i will let you know how it works.had problem on my old bike in shoulders and back am glad that this is fixable without a new frame.thanks for all your help

the prodigy came in but the bars have not yet and what a difference already.i think the bars will make a bigger difference than the stem.the climbing was not affected much but cornering sure is different!.my current bars are 24" wide and used to feel wide now they feel too narrow.thanks again for the advice,i got over 5 miles before i even felt any pain in my wrist or hand.cant wait to try out the new handlebars and see how that changes the pain and riding characteristics.down hill felt more controllable and climbing was not bad.

Sorry I cant even begin to read what your saying, otherwise I could help. I suggest using capital letters and spaces in your sentences.

got tired of waiting on backorder and found a lbs that the owner is in it for the love of bikes (can you say 2 retirement checks each month).he sold me a bar with 2" rise 3deg.sweep and 25"wide.i am still fiddling with the right setup but so far no wrist or hand pain,climbing and cornreing are about the same as with new stem only,and this seems to be the right setup.got some new grips too that are fatter and softer than old ones. i say thank you for the responses i got they made the difference