Mountain Biking - Handle Bar RISE or FLAT

Waths better? Flat or Rise handlebar?

My bike have flat but somebody told me rise is better performance.

But in a Bikestore they tell me that flat are better and rise ar non pro.

abeloco
I think this is a fit thing. Do what's comforatable for you. It matters not what is professional. I've been told to get the height so that your back is straight. There is a discussion of this over on the Rivendale site.
hth
Joe
:beer:

Like Joe said, go with what feels good not what you perceive as being the trend. Riser bars seem much more common now than they used to be. I put them on my old bike and my new one came with them. The straight bar hurt my back on my old bike.

just to give an opposing viewpoint, i love my straight bars. I just seem to get a more responsive front end with them. It all depends on whats comfortable for you.

abeloco
Rivendale bicycle works has a discussion on bar height.

http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/

Joe

Hi there,

I've tried both, and seem to have stuck with flat bars....but from what I learned, I found that riser bars offer more control in technical conditions, conpaired to flat bars, but I also found flat bars are better when cycling uphill.

Cheers

Rich

Riser bars give you more torque when cornering or pounding down a downhill (or jumping). Flat bars are generally better for cross-country or racing.

Increased torque?

Probably not what you meant. Torque is proportional to the force applied multiplied by the distance from the steer-tube. So, unless your rise bars are wider, you'd produce the same torque. I suppose different stem geometries could affect torque though.

My thinking would be that, sitting more upright with rise-bars, less of your upper-body weight is carried by the handlebars. It seems like you should have better control with this situation than if you're both steering and supporting a good amount of weight on the flat bars.

I find rise bars more comfortable for easy rides, but prefer the aggressive geometry of flat bars for tougher trails (lower center of gravity).

Okay, maybe more torque for jumping though ... we're talking about torque about a different point then.