I bought a GT zaskar sports 2015 for hitting some local trails and training in the sports one year ago. the bike is very good responsive and fast but for me that I am new to the sports is quite tiring. I get wrist pain and the experience after 20 km is not comfortable at all. The fork is nice for the train and the gears of good quality but i feel that i sit on top of the bars despite the correct fit i have to the bike. The seat is correct height, the bar cannot go more up ( all the spacers are below). the bike is XL and i am 190cm tall yet i still cannot understand what should be done. Any ideas? Would a shorter stem or more angled help to get a more controlled feeling of the bike?
Stem: ALLTerra 1-1/8" Threadless, 3D Forged, 4-bolt w/ CNC face plate, 6 Rise, 31.8mm Clamp
handlebars:All Terra Riser, 710mm Width, 15mm Rise, 31.8mm Clamp

Play with this a little:
Stem Comparison Tool | yojimg.net

A shorter AND/OR a stem with more rise can help and Is far cheaper that a new handle bar with more rise,,BUT and this is a biggie !!

Going taller can mess you up climbing unless your skills bag Is complete. (You gotta lower your chest more, You gotta get down over the stem better)

Taller can take weight off the front end making you wash out faster In corners,,,
unless your skills bag is complete..(You gotta lower your chest more and shift your weight onto the forks to compensate) and you gotta be better at steering with your feet and hips.....

Don't forget the saddle,,It should be level,, a tiny bit of UP in the front as well as up in the rear can cause all kinds of pain in many places.
Then again some riders like a nose up a tad or down saddle fit..

I changed stem and bars to pull my grips back one inch and up 9 mm and this pretty much solved my fit/pain Issues..

Another thing and this was a major deal for me.
I took off my aluminum handle bar and moved permanently to a Carbon handle bar. I will never ever ride a single mile on any mountain bike with an aluminum bar.
The Carbon bar cancelled out all the harmonic vibrations the aluminum bar was Amplifying and transmitting into my hands and arms. This was giving me numb fingers and forearm pump.

The change and elimination of numbness and pain was Instant and profound.

Problem solved.

Did you get a bike fit ? Things like:
With pedals level at the 3 and 9 o clock position,
Ball of the foot exactly over the pedal axle on the forward pedal,
A weighted string hung over the knee cap should be directly In line with the pedal axle,,,,,,,,
This sets the saddle forward and/or aft correctly,
(I like my seat an extra 1/4 Inch back),,and yes a half inch back causes me a little knee pain on long multi mile fire roads when I am making time...

Things like that count In a big way...

Factory fit was a 90 mm stem with a 6 degree rise and a 710 mm wide flat bar, rode that a year.
Started getting faster,,,
Next I rode a 90 mm stem with a 17 degree rise, rode that a year.
Then I got faster and In far far better shape,,

Now I ride a 70 mm stem with a 6 degree rise and a 740 mm bar with a 20 mm rise.
For me Perfection has been achieved ..

If your stem is mounted like the one in the picture you can simply flip it over to raise the bars a bit. You'll need two allen wrenches, a 4mm and a 5 and just a little knowledge. Park tools and even youtube can help it you need it.

awesome detailed answer. Thanks a lot! I have fitted the bike well in all aspects I think, saddle height, position etc... yet the problem remained. I understand the concerns about going taller, but i will take my chances...Since somebody has tried with same changes I am going to go for the experiment as well. I spotted a 70mm 17 degree stem.. I will try that first for a couple of routes, see how it will behave...

Thanks a lot once more

thanks a lot for the detailed answer. Since there is some people that have tried, im gonna experiment with the stem in the beggining as well. No my skill bag is not complete, i know basics i am pretty flexible on the bike sidewards and front back but thats it, no bunny hops hardly a proper manual etc. The bike is indeed fitted in all the ways. I will go for a 80mm 17 degree stem, see how it reacts on the trail. Last but equally important. The bike came with continental race kings 2.2 which are good tyres but show obvious limitations on wet terrain and thin soil like here in Denmark.Any good grippier forgiving tyres that would help? Mostly the terrain is wet with very thin soil and lots of wet roots emerging in the trail.

Tires,,,At the trail head, what's everybody else riding on ?
Ask them, Go Tubeless.....

Don't forget to check out a set back seat post.....Will unload the front tire about 5% If you do not adapt your ride position !!!!

Before you start changing parts, try moving your position on the bike. The symptoms you describe sound like the bike is not properly fitted to you. Try this-

Lower your seat a little and move it back. Ride and see if this helps with wrist pain and if the control issues improve. If they do, lower the seat again and move it back a little more. Ride again and adjust accordingly. As far as the stem- If anything you will need a longer stem, with your height, a shorter stem on that specific bike is going to make the handling twitchy and increase pressure on your hands.

hmm the seat cannot go lower for my legs, the bike is XL meaning the biggest available and therefore the recommended (by the manufacturer) for my size. I could probably try to move the seat back only and ride it like this. I found a stem from a friends mtb that is 90mm long and 20 degrees angle. Im gonna try that as well, which is same length with the original but different angle. I will come back with impressions.

The Zaskar is a racey XC rig. The riding position it is designed for is not necessarily going to be comfortable. I suffered from hand issues with my XC bikes at first. Do lots of core exercises and work on your flexibility. My road bikes and XC bikes now have their handlebars below saddle height finally. My trail bike have the handlebars higher for the more downhill inspired geometry.

If you can't get the bars up high enough to be comfortable, have your LBS install a stem riser and then install an adjustable stem on it.

You can then dial in the rise to where it feels comfortable.

You CAN lower your seat a little...

Try it.

+1

My DH bikes always have dropper seatposts, and after a long day I often find myself riding the last mile or so with the seat in the middle position just to give my knees a different feeling/experience. And, no injuries or problems by doing this.

OP, you might find that a 1/4-1/2 inch down, or forward or backward makes a big difference.

Then, maybe some grips would add to that difference. I always use the grips with the palm supports, and that makes a big difference for me.

Then, if there are still problem, go with bars and stems.

By the way, my Epic WC is considered a XC race ready bike and it is comfortable. XC bike with race geometry can be comfortable!

More sweep on the bar?

Hold on here, in numbers I understand, you are 6'2 on an XL. On most bikes that height would be just over the line from L to XL. Just in general you shouldn't be having this problem.

Of course the saddle can be adjusted. There's no magic formula that says "the seat shall be here." It's either positioned by the rider after days and weeks of riding and tweaking or fitted by a trained expert during a fitting session lasting several hours and costing hundreds of dollars. So feel free to lower and move it back as needed. A small change of less than a centimeter can make a huge difference in comfort. Trust your body, not the commission sales guy at a store.

Other factors include bar width, overly-wide bars are a bit of a fashion these days and will stretch out the rider on an otherwise well-fitted bike. Do try your buddy's stem. But unless you have physical issues with flexibility you should not be having these problems on a bike this size.

Get a stem riser and an adjustable stem. That usually solves a too low bar problem.