john21042

I bought a GT Zaskar 9R Comp (29r) mountain bike last year, and I am having a lot of wrist pain after rides > 10 miles, and I think I need to raise the handlebar. I am 49 yrs old and like longer rides on easy trails.
I looked up the specs, and the bike currently has this stem: Easton EA50, 1-1/8" Threadless, 8° Rise, 31.8mm Clamp

Would it be better to replace it with one that has a steeper rise, or get and adjustable one, or get a stem riser?
I looked on Amazon, and I see that they have 25 - 40 deg rise stems, adjustable rise stems, and stem risers.
What are the pros and cons? I just ride for fun, so competition and weight are not my biggest concerns.
How do I go about finding the right option?

thank you,
-John
P.S. I am a newbie, so if this is not the best forum for this question, please let me know

catgita

Adjustable stems are mainly to make bike sales easier because it does not require swapping parts for different customers.
If your stem is short, as most MTB are these days, getting a steep angle stem may only move the bars an inch or so up and/or back.
You can move spacers from above the stem to below, if there are any. If you have a carbon steerer, make sure the stem is not clamped at the very top of the tube.
For steel or aluminum steerers, you can use a steer tube extender:Amazon.com : XLC Satori A-Head Alloy Bike Handlebar Stem Riser Lifter - Black : Sports & Outdoors
For a big change, consider changing to a riser handlebar.

FRANK CANNON

Are you sure it's the height? If not, pull your grips and cut the bars shorter, there should be markings on there. Don't go inside what the lines say or you won't be able to fit your controls. This will shorten the reach to the bars and might fix the issue.



If not, that's a decent stem so if the reach is okay I would try a little extra rise in the bars first as you can do this cheaply.

I bought these for less than $20 shipped and they solved my problem. This will bring your bars up an inch or so with the 40mm rise.

https://www.blueskycycling.com/produ...-Handlebar.htm

Also, if you have a spacer on top of the stem you can move it underneath to get a little extra height on top of that. Let's see a picture of the bike as it sits now, this fix is as easy as it is important.

And put that adjustable stem out of your mind as it just might be the death of you on a MTB.

FRANK CANNON

One more thing, 8* is the sweep or how much they come back to you, the rise in your bars is 15 millimeters. Sweep can also effect the fit but you have to be careful as it has a big effect on the handling in the woods.

dsbrantjr

What kind of grips do you have on the bars? I use Ergon GP_1 and GP-2 grips and they are great. Much more comfortable than the usual round grips. ERGON BIKE ERGONOMICS

Bill Kapaun

I need a bit more upright position because of my back.
I got a 2" riser bar at the LBS for $20.
I did have to use longer cables.

john21042

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I ordered the TruVativ Hussefelt handlebars as Frank Cannon suggested, and I also ordered a set of Ergon GP1-L grips. I think the standard type should fit. I just put the bars on the bike and they feel great riding around the block, and I am looking forward to trying them out on a ride this weekend.

Here is a pic of both the old and new bars (top)