Mountain bike, I want to get bars higher and / or more towards me, to avoids neck problems

is there any reason the stem can not point back towards rider?

At various times there have been some bikes that had the stem pointed backwards. I'd say try it if you think it's what will make the bike work. You can always put it back the other way if it doesn't. Might seem a little more sensitive at first when you are one handing it.

Just consider how much clearance you have for your knees. Especially if you turn the bars a lot when slow.

it will also be raised 110mm.

Now you are really making that bike look funky. My only concern with going that high is the load it put on the steerer tube. The further out the bars from where the steerer tube goes in the headset the more force that is going to that part of the steerer tube. At some point the force will be too much and the steerer tube will break or collapse. But how far is too far I can't say.

Still, if its for myself, I'd try anything at least once if it's something I think might help me.

Maybe high-raised handle bar? Don't know the type of bike you have but cabling could be an issue also.

your bike will become unstable, and you won't be able to stand and pedal at the same time, so you'll be walking up even minor inclines.. on the good side, you''ll have lots of time to play on the internet while you're recovering!

how are you raising the bars 110mm?

right I think you'll find that it will handle like a wheelbarrow !

try scooting the saddle forward instead !

/markp

If you reversed the stem and raised the bars 110 mm you would feel as if the bars were in your lap
Handling would feel very weird and probably unstable
You would also risk hitting the bars with your knees

Stems normally hold the bars forward of the fork for the same reason airplane wings slant upward.

That orientation imparts a natural stability and tendency to settle to level (straight ahead) when not pushed otherwise.

However, just as there have been successful airplanes with wings tilting down, nothing, except seat to bar distance considerations stops you from reversing the stem.

Odds are you'll need a stem with minimal extension, and be sure to allow for the change in rise when reversed.

Once done, expect the handling to be a bit more skittish until you adapt.

Here is the final result, stem is normal, with adjustable stem riser.

Road tested today, no back or neck pain!

So you didn't point the stem backwards like you were planning to?

I'm glad to see you got your bike more comfortable!

For what it's worth, you can ride a bike with the stem pointing backwards just fine. It helps if the stem does not have a large horizontal extension. If it is too long or your frame doesn't have enough reach you can run into knee clearance issues as other posters warned. With your stem it's not an issue, but non-adjustable stems put the handlebars lower than they were with the stem forwards when flipped backwards. I have a Surly that is a little too large for me (it was a really good deal), and I've ridden it with a backwards 40mm stem for a bit over a thousand miles. That includes several hundred miles of touring.

I think the handling issues of a bike with a hand position behind the steering axis are often exaggerated. One of my more ridden bikes is an old mountain bike with strongly swept upright handlebars. It is definitely different than a forward position, but the changes in handling are not hard to adjust to. The main everyday problem is knee clearance, which shows up at low speeds. I do have had to avoid putting weight on the bars when descending quickly. Hill climbing and standing up while pedaling have not been issues for me.

Thanks for the update and picture. I've always wanted to see one of those in use. Glad it works for you, Smokey

Glad it worked out for the OP;
I’ve used those tall, adjustable stems when building adaptive bikes for riders with disabilities or other mobility issues. I usually start out with a slightly undersized frame for ease of mounting/dismounting and starting/stopping, so I have to make the bike “bigger” and more upright.

I never liked the T-handle look of a flat, straight bar on top of a skyscraper stack of a steerer extension and a near-vertical angled stem, though; I like to fit a riser bar if I need to get a lot of height without adapters or super-tall stems.

Even my personal “Kruizer” has a mid-rise moto bar on a 50mm BMX stem for that high, wide riding position. I might be almost 50, but I don’t want to ride an “Old Man” bike


This thing is almost 4 ft tall at the grips (44”) and I’m only 5-10; it’s up there

no, did not.

Maybe look into some swallow handlebars.
Unique garagedoor opener setup there.

No matter how far back the handlebars are swept, if the stem is in the normal position - pointing forward - the axis of rotation when you turn is still in front of the steer tube, not behind it as it would be if the stem was reversed. So your handling claim doesn't really address what would happen if the stem was reversed.

It seems to me that the axis of rotation can't be anything other than the steerer tube itself. Handlebar grips move on a single circle centered on and perpendicular to the axis of this tube and can be in front, behind or beside the axis. The diameter of the circle is the shortest distance between a grip and the steerer tube axis. You could replace everything with a round steering wheel centered on the steerer tube's axis.

The only thing I see changing mechanically is the size and position in space of the circle, always centered on and perpendicular to the steerer tube's axis . How the rider's body fits the different mechanical possiblities and the degrees of leverage and stability (how the rider goes about holding on to the circle) they offer are separate issues.

That's basically it. The important thing is the relationship between the axis of rotation (the steerer tube) and the the grips are. The stem/handlebar configuration doesn't directly affect the handling, only the location of the grip position relative to the steerer. You would get the same handling with a backwards stem and flat handlebar as you would with a forwards stem and a swept back handlebar, as long as the sweep put the grips in the same spot.

You can't move the axis, because it is welded/brazed/bonded firmly onto your frame. If you need to find the axis of rotation of a part on a bike, it is usually where the bearings are.

The idea that the shape of the connection changes the behavior, even though the relationship between the axis of rotation and the point you're applying force to is the same, is the one that brought us L-shaped crank arms like these. It's been pretty thoroughly disproven.

This was your best solution. If you need to get higher, there are handlebars you can get with a higher rise.

I have ridden a bikd with backward stem with no handling problems.
We adjust well to changes in the lever arm about the steering axis.
People ride these with no problem, and the grips are WAY back!

Recumbents have the hand grips well behind the steering axis. They call it the tiller effect. With the exception of aforementioned knee clearance it is really no different that having the bars in front of the steering tube.

If that adjustable stem starts to creak you might consider a stem riser

I will never be able to un-see this.

The Gen-X kids who grew up in the 80s riding BMX bikes never really grew out of it.
(and this bike totally offends the purists around here; sorry, not sorry )

Needs a Uni seat.