I'm trying to make my mountain bike more comfortable by giving myself a more upright riding position.



I'm debating between these two shapes:




Even though I own a mountain bike, I ride on flat terrain and rarely shift gears. Do you think I would experience discomfort in my shoulders from the hi-riser bars? Would turning be more difficult in the handlebar where my hands are lower to the ground? Please share your experiences with these type of handlebars. Thanks a lot.

Re the first handlebar, if you're going from a flat bar with little to no sweep to one with this much sweep, it's probably going to affect more than how upright you ride. You might want to consider the same amount of rise but somewhat less sweep unless you're sure you want that much of a difference from what you have now.

ETA: I'm basing that suggestion on what I feel like I would experience; you might be fine with it.

My vote would be for the North Roads style in the first photo. Keep in mind that you'll probably need new grips, levers, shifters and cables.

The good news is that you're on the right track. Think of what you like about bike that you have now and what you hate. Try to find ways to increase the likes and decrease the hates.

The bad news is that experimentation doesn't come cheap. At the very least you'll need new, longer cables and housings with either of the examples that you posted. If you are paying a shop to do the work you're probably looking at a $70.00 labor bill.

There are a lot of new styles of bicycles being marketed today. Before spending a bunch money you might do well to cost out a new bike that's factory designed to better suit your needs.

I've switched a mountain bike to the first handlebar type -- in my case it was a north road style bar taken from an old Schwinn, but pretty much the same deal. And while I didn't try the second type, I've experimented with much taller stems.

My experience with comfort: The north roads will get you to a more upright position, partly due to the rise, and partly from moving your hands further aft. That was enough for me, especially the improvement in wrist comfort was night and day.

Counter intuitively a taller stem made the bike less comfortable. Sitting in a bolt upright position makes my body ache -- butt, legs, shoulders -- when pushing hard into a headwind or uphill, and standing to climb a hill gets awkward indeed. I think that at least for my body, I have to be hunched over -- not like a road racer, but moderately -- for optimal comfort over long distances.

It's a toss up how many of your original parts and controls you can use. That's where it makes sense to "scope the project." Find out the dimensions of the parts that are on your bike, e.g., grip diameter of the handlebar, length of the stack of controls, and see if they are compatible with the dimensions of the proposed new handlebar. Draw a diagram to convince yourself. If you're mechanically inclined, then you can just keep asking yourself: Does this make sense? On one bike, it was a simple handlebar swap with the same controls and even cables. On another bike, I had to re-cable it. Etc.

Of course a potential advantage of a brand new bike set up to your preferences is that you can ride it before spending money rather than after.

Frame size a bit too small, I'd say, but it's what you have..

Door #3, figure 8 bend trekking / 'butterfly' bars. [& perhaps a stem raiser (Maybe different stem) , definitely all new longer cables.]**

Nashbar Trekking Mountain Bike Handlebar offers a lot more hand grip positions around it.


My set up is a bit higher than the saddle , Recommend: a tubular stem raiser is a steel tube , it goes in place of your stem,
in the fork, with it's wedge tightened,
then your original stem goes in the top of the stem raiser..

its not for off road single track, but neither were your 2 options.

all the controls grip shifters and brake levers s are re used,

** without the stem raised (stem raiser tube) , you may not even need new cables..

there are foam grip sleeves, but regular handlebar tape works too .. 2 layers feels nice...







....

Very simply you have the wrong bike for you. If you rarely shift gears then you don't need a mountain bike, or any der bike.

Get a citi bike with 3 speeds and you will be fine. It has a very upright position.

I disagree that the OP has the wrong bike. No reason to spend money on a new bike. An older mountain bike can be a great all around bike.

I have a mid 90s Hardrock that I recently installed Northroad handlebars on, and it has become one of my favorite bikes.

Here's a photo from a recent morning 30 mile ride...

Just remember that your frame is set up to lean forward on your bars. When you switch to upright bars your bike will become very light in the front. I ended up putting a longer stem and bringing my seat forward to counteract this. I finally even cut two inches off each side of the handlebars. Needed a new seat for sitting upright. Works great now.

I'd go with the North Road style. You may get away with using the same cables, etc with that one but you definitely wont with the Ape Hangers (though they were the absolute coolest bar you could have when I was a kid). If you don't feel comfortable doing your own work, you should add the cost of having a shop do the work for you. Especially if the cables and housing need to be changed.

I like Nordo's setup so I would go with the North Roads. I think it will accomplish what you want with this set up.

The stem on my Hardrock pictured above is very similar to the OP's stem. Absolutely no problem on mine. The old style mountain bikes have a fairly long reach for their frame size.

Also, it looks like the OP's bike, like mine, has a quill stem. If that's the case, it can probably be adjusted higher.

I think my Sunlite north road handlebars cost about $30. That and about $12 for new cables and cable housing and he's good to go. Add a labor charge if the LBS installs it.

By the way, the north road style handlebars are for a 25.4 mm stem clamp.

Here are some more pictures, I was told that the stem is at the maximum height (For safety). Do you think those handlebars will work fine? Do I need to buy a stem extension?

It looks like your bike is similar to mine. My Hardrock also came with flat bars. If you install the North Road bars they will be both higher and closer than your flat bars. You will almost certainly need longer brake and shift cables and cable housing.

Several companies make versions of Northroad Bars, and they are all a little different. Mine are the Sunlite brand. I purchased my bars and cables on line and installed them myself. If you have a bike shop do it I recommend getting a price quote for labor before you buy them.

Here are a few more photos of my bike with a little closer detail.

This is with the original flat bars...



And this is with the North Roads. When I installed these bars I lowered my stem since these bars are higher than the flat bars. I also installed cheap friction shifters since my twist grip shifters were just about worn out.

A month ago, I went to my LBS and told them I was interested in the ape hanger bars. He told me with new cables it would be $70... I'm not sure if other fees were to be added to that. Do you think my bar ends will be able to stay on my bike with the new handlebars? It's nice having the option for an additional have position.

Bar ends, with the ape hangers? I knew where this was headed from your first post...

I should have been specific. I mean bar ends with the North roads. I assume that since my bike has them, the LBS will keep them on when putting on the new handlebars. Nordo, did you buy a wider seat after you changed handlebars?

There are no rules. There are, however, 'conventions'. Even here in Portland, OR where you can see at least one example of every imaginable configuration that is remotely physically possible, I have never seen bar ends on anything other than straight bars. Very, very occasionally you might see some on 'riser bars'. Anything more than a 6* or so sweep will angle the bar ends out. NorthRoads have about a 20* sweep. Bar ends will look ridiculous. But the 22.2mm diameter will allow them to fit.

The LBS will not imagine you want to keep the bar ends and will not re-install them unless you ask. FWIW this is (IMO) the kind of project that you take to a bike co-op or bike kitchen. The LBS kills you with the labor charges but the co-op will just charge you for the parts with a token labor charge, and may even do it while you wait.

An MTB already has you sitting up around 50*. The NorthRoads get you a little taller. Enough to warrant a change in saddle? Probably not. I looked at the before and after Nordo pictures and I cannot detect a huge change in saddle width, if any. That said, the seat on your bike doesn't look all that comfortable. I would have already changed it a long time ago. There is too little 'flat' surface to be properly supportive of even narrowish sit bones.

When I ride, I rest my hands on the bar ends. So I guess I really don't need new handlebars. Perhaps it would be better to get a longer stem? Maybe like 3 inches taller would provide a little bit more comfort while also allowing me to have a little bit of wind resistance?

I have a Specialized Crossroads from the '90s, similar to your bike, but with 700c tires. I raised the stem as much as possible, changed my handlebar to one similar to your "top" picture and changed the saddle to one more suited for upright riding. What a difference these "small" changes made! Not quite dialed in yet (I'm playing with my seat fore/aft), but getting there.


I had the saddle and paid the LBS for everything else. They were able to move my grip shifters and didn't need to change any of the cables. I think the bill came to $70.

Looking on-line for traditional upright handlebars can be confusing. Online retailers will display the same image & list 1/2 dozen different sizes under it. I've done scores of these conversions. My favorite handlebars these days are listed as: Dimension, 25.4, 70mm Riser Bar, 50 Degree sweep, Silver. Perfect. That's it, that's all. Done deal.

I got the new saddle before the handlebar change. It's not wider than the original, I just like it better.

After searching and experimenting for decades, I finally founds these. The amount of rise, the bend, and the amount of sweep put my hands in just the right position and angle. Hands, wrists, elbow and shoulders are all very comfy. $10.86 from Industrial Bike. Taped them for extra hand positions for wind and hills. 1970s glitter grips because I'm weird.