Handel bar ..

Low rise or high rise ?

Looking for a handle bar that has better control . Is there a difference in handling between the two even
with taking or adding head set shims to fit a riders comfort style ?

Try wider bars, like 30" or so. If you don't like em you can cut them down in size. I tried them and can't go back... Rise is more of a fit issue than a control issue IMO. I like risers so I can mount bars closer to the headtube, seems to handle the chop better but it may just be in my head, LOL. My favorite bar is Sunline V1, 745 mm width and the higher rise model (they make a high and low in that length). My third bar is on order now at the shop, looking forward to getting it. They do suck in the tight stuff though...

That's a very good choice. I'm running the same on my DH bike for the same reason: because it's still available in the 40mm rise (I'm a bit old skool that way). I really want to try Syncros new 31" bar but will have to settle for this new trend of lower bars if I do. Not sure I'm ready for that.

Low bars suck!

Jenson has two of the best handlebar deals around right now:

Answer Pro Taper 2" rise 27" wide...$24.99

Easton EA70 HiRise OS 685mm $29 (best bar for the money period)


Both the Sunline and Easton are dang near the same bar with 9deg / 5deg sweep.

27" (EA70) vs. 28" or 29.3" widths (V1). The Easton is just 1/2 the price...and I like the 685mm personally. Jenson also has the Havoc in Low and Mid rise for $30 which is the same sweep / upsweep with a 28" width. The new Havoc 750 is 29.5" wide versus the Sunline 29.3, but then you're getting back into MSRP territory and shelling out 75 bones...BLEH!

Wide bars do rawk, but if you're riding really tight twisty stuff you don't want to go too wide. I know the wide bars some guys are running on there DH rigs would be a hand full in some of the tight spots on the trails around here.

I have wide bars (30" or so) on my trail and DH bike. I can't stand getting on anything with more narrow bars anymore (my FR HT has 28" and it feels too skinny!). I prefer low rise (19mm). Anyone who likes high rise bars is an idiot.

So basically, as you can see from above, bar preference is a rather personal.

Anyone who uses a handlebar is an idiot.

High rise AND wide.

Who knows, maybe you'd have better control with a drop bar or an H-bar. All depends where you want your hands to be.

Hi-rise bars rawk . . . moron.

^ More Photoshop, or did someone really build that? Had to ask.

Haha! Photoshop. I'd forgotten I'd done that - - just grabbed the first hi-rise bar pic I had.

Haha. It really needs tassles.

I prefer the feel of wider bars on the big bike. Until I start clipping trailside objects. Which happens to me often. So I actually ride pretty narrow bars.


More awesomely helpful information to follow. Sometime.

That's it! I'm driving down there in May to kick your ass!

As we saw in an earlier thread, some people can get away without using them!

Riding down to kick his ass would be more hardcore.


It could be a photo-essay thread.

Yeah but I'd want to take the DH bike and that bike would take forever to pedal down there.

Bring it! Make my day . . . punk.

I would say that if I drive down there, you'll end up needed a walker to get around but there's no point because that's status quo!

What earlier thread? So much good material there.

Maybe this one? https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...o-is-most-aero

Depends on the type of riding you want to do.

When I raced- I had straight bars about 2" below the saddle and a long stem to give the aerodynamic position. Quite narrow aswell but that helped negotiate the trees at speed. Races were only at most 30 miles or 2 hours and comfort did not really come into it- Speed and efficiency did.

But about 10 years ago I bought my first pair of wide riser bars. 3" wider than the flat bars and it took a good few weeks to get used to them. Lots of corrections on the trails till I did but within a month or so I could not get by with a narrower bar.

But the "Old" method of finding bar width was to never get a bar that is narrower than your shoulders. Seemed to work at the time but wider works fine providing you don't catch the bar ends on too many trees (You can go too wide) Height though is down to preference. No rules on this- just your body telling you what will be most comfortable for your type of riding. And this can be done with straight bars and just getting a higher rise stem of the correct length.