no3puttchad

Let me start by stating that I have never used a riser bar. I have however, used bar-ends since they first came out. That's right, the very first ONZA ends, that were like the expander bolt in the old style stem. Anyway, I just built up a new K2 Lithium, and have been thinking of trying out a set of risers. I notice though, that it seems that when a bike has risers, there are no bar ends. Why not? Am I missing something here?

Dannihilator

Bar ends on risers will get you the geek label.

Raiyn

I don't trust the odd leverage loads the bar ends will create on the riser's bends. Plus it looks DORKY. I mean DORKY as in ride the short bus, wear plaid polyester pants, and pick your nose DORKY.
The riser bars will make you forget all about the bar ends.

khuon

I agree that it looks uber-dorky but for some reason I'm not seeing how riser bars will give you the extra hand positions and ability to stretch out the way bar-ends can.

Raiyn

The leverage that I've gotten out of the change of position (even for climbing) has eliminated any use I ever had for barends, but that's me.

FoX Rider

All who use the word uber should die.



^^^People who saw uber^^^

no3puttchad

Well, I guess I am no different than the rest of you then. In fact, the biggest reason that I have never used riser bars is that I have always thought that they plain out looked dorky. What is the real advantage of them then? I know the advantage of bar ends...my current set give me at least 3 different hand positions that seem to offset some of the discomfort of being in the saddle on those epic 4-6 hour rides.

DocRay

Because they are not what everyone used 5 years ago. Pure poser fashion. Bar ends reduce hand numbness and help on climbs, as well as provide leverage for tricky turns and let you run a narrower bar.
I use these Serfas: light small cheap and ergonomic -all bad for posing. If someone made them for $300 out of carbon fibre and titanium, they would be insta-cool.

Maelstrom 

Riser bars allow for more cockpit control. People sometimes say leverage too but I don't know for sure nor care enough. I just know flat bars suck and tend to hurt my wrists (just like I can't arm curl with a straight bar and only bent bars. Bar ends are perfect for hook into trees and getting in the way. I like riser bars and find old schoolers who try to diss them pretty funny. It allows for me to change the sweep and angle of the front of my cockpit. I don't think it is meant to add more hand positions.

It also allows for more lengthening and shortening of the cockpit without needing a 100mm stem, allowing dhillers and freeriders to use a more compact stem which DEFINATELY gives more control over the front end at the speeds for dhilling.

WorldIRC

Risers are da bomb!

khuon

I've said it before but I'll say it again. Technically speaking, there is no reason a riser bar and a straight bar can't accomplish the same exact function... locating your hand position in a certain spacial relationship to the rest of your body. All that's required is proper sizing and stem. Now I know some people will say, "well that requires a longer stem with more rise." True but from a strength standpoint, you still have to decide where you place the knife. From an engineering consideration, you can go with the weaker design of a riser bar (relative to a straight bar of the same material) and a shorter more stout stem or you can go with a stronger straight bar and a longer possibly weaker stem. There are of course other ways to design around this problem too including taller head tube positioning.

Maelstrom 

Is a flat bar signifigantly stronger than a riser? Or were you talking in theoreticals?

khuon

It's an engineering point of view. In reality, most people overbuild their riser bars and slim down their straight bars. The respective strengths (assuming they're intended for the same application space) is on par with one another. That's merely a marketing decision. My point is that from an engineering standpoint, there is no reason one could not be substituted for the other. The marketing forces at the time caused the advent of riser bars to solve position problems. When they started becoming popular (mainly due to image, IMHO) this caused a shift towards more riser bar designs and availability and the straight bar popularity began to drop. In a perfect world, there would be bars of all shapes and sizes coupled with stems of all shapes and sizes and one combination could be equally substituted for another. But that's simply a world only concerned with function. We live in a world governed by what sells and what people perceive as "correct".

Maelstrom 

Ahh I understand now. Thank you ...

I love the comfort of a riser and never found a flat bar I liked. But I do know people who love flats and have had to settle for short rise. Kind of sucks for them.

Cheers

PS I do think risers look better too

wonder squirrel

I used to ride bmx a few years back and I had a set of Powerlite bars on my bike. I mention them because they had a certain bend half way through the grips length,(called by Powerlite, a "powerbend" or something?) that bent forward about an inch maybe? They were the best bars I had, very comfortable, even for long periods of time. Are there any places out there that have this type of short riser (1"-2") with a bend similar? Anyone here know what I'm talking about?

cryptid01

Why the hate? I bet you pick your nose.

Drop bars will give you even more hand positions than bar ends...have you considered that option?

cryptid01

Yes, although it was more than a *few* years back (circa 1986). Those Powerlite bars were awesome, and I loved them. They probably haven't caught on in MTB because everyone likes to cut their bars down to decrease leverage.

wonder squirrel

I had a new set of those sometime around 95' or 96'. Maybe I could find a set of the old cruiser bars someplace, not sure how well they'd fit a mountian bike though..

Raiyn

Not while riding the short bus wearing polyester pants I don't

McGuillicuddy

I'm really not clear on why you have such a problem with the bar ends on risers. I mean, I don't even notice it one way or another when I see them on another bike. Is this some sort of esoteric bike-weenie thing?

cryptid01

Hardly esoteric...more like utilitarian. Judging solely by the relative percentage of pros running bar ends, they're apparently not really necessary.

Factor that in with their additional weight and their propensity to hook on trees...well, it's the old luxury vs. speed equation.

Eschewing valve caps for the extra weight and time required to change a flat...now that's esoteric.

khuon

It depends on what you're doing. If you ride eight to ten hour epic XC rides then you're probably going to want more hand positions and bar-ends are a good way to get them.

a2psyklnut

My only comment is that riser bars generally have more of a sweep(backward curve) to them than flat bars. Also, risers tend to be wider.

I prefer risers for both those reasons. I'm a big guy, and the wider bars give me a bit more "openess" and the sweep keeps my hands in a more ergonomic position. With flat bars I always felt cramped and my wrists were kept in a funny angle.

Kinda like the difference between a standard keyboard and a ergo keyboard for your computer.

L8R

McGuillicuddy

I actually find the opposite to be true. When I'm in tight with some trees, I have often found the bar ends to be useful for guiding my bars around the tree rather than having the tree smack into my brake lever/hand. It may not be good form, but I sometimes use them as a sort of hand guard.

The other thing is that, occasionally, I have to take my bike on a semi-lengthy road ride through town (hey, it beats taking the bus). Raiyn's fanatical misgivings notwithstanding, the bar ends on my risers (which actually don't rise very much at all) are a great help is such cases.

cryptid01

The very first response in this thread:

This pretty much sums it up. I personally couldn't care less whether you're running ape hangers with tassels, a bell, and a banana seat, and you shouldn't either. Go with whatever works for you and your riding style. Just be prepared for sideways glances from some people, and don't say you haven't been warned.