Thanks for the helpful feedback, guys!
Have you ever tried a more level seat angle? Forward sloping like you have generally puts more weight on the hands.
is it possible you have such a slanted seat because the seat to bar distance is a bit too far (and why you like the reverse trekking bars?)
That seat position evolved over many of the early years I had the bike. I had adjusted the nose down to avoid the numbnutz phenomenon. But looking at it now, I see you are right. I took a level and set the saddle up with a very slight downward tilt. I'll see how it goes. I haven't found myself putting too much pressure on the bars. I've always felt that the reach from saddle to bars was a bit short, and that's the main reason I reversed the trekking bars... to get the controls a bit farther out. This was my first mountain bike, and the dealer "fitted" me... who knows how accurately?
Originally Posted by
Jeff Neese
You have the brake levers all the way to the inside. You did that so you could fit the grips, but look how close together your hands are when you're in that position. You have much less control, especially under hard braking, with your hands that close together. Move the brake levers as far to the outside as you can and still give yourself enough room for your hands. Even then it's hard to get them wide enough to have full control while braking hard.
I see your point. However, I've had these bars on this bike for several years and have never had a feeling of inadequate control even under "stoppie" braking. I suppose if I had the tendency to ride one-handed I might have an issue, but I keep both hands on the bars. I like those grips for the comfort they give my wrists. It will be interesting to see how the "normal" arrangement works on my road bike.
EDIT: It would be interesting to put brake levers on the more forward part of the bars.
EDIT 2: Actually, the places where the centers of my hands rest on the grips are 16" apart... only about 3" less than on another bike with a straight bar. This may be why I haven't noticed a lack of steering control.