Handlebar height question
 

I recently bought a Novara Safari and everything is working out pretty good so far, except I had some neck pain on a 30 mile ride today. I know some of this pain is from me being new to riding long distances and my muscles need time to adapt. But could this pain be from my handlebars being to low? I know the ideal position of the handlebars is at least level with the seat. With trekking bars is that level where the bar comes into the stem or where the controls are? My bars are .75 inches below my saddle where the bars meet the stem and 3 inches at the controls. I am still trying to figure out how to adjust the trekking bars for the best ride. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The optimum height depends also on the reach. Personally I am more sensitive to reach than to height. If you can get an adjustable stem you can experiment with placement of the hand grips. Figure out which part of the bars is used for normal cruising (eg the brake hoods of road drop-bars) and position these for comfort then see what you can do with the rest of the bar.
Generally, treking bars are set lower at the rear.

There is no optimum height. It is very individual specific. The neck pain usually goes away with time spent riding, but higher handlebars may provide quick relief.

Personally I tour with my bars 2-4" below the saddle, but I am probably kind of weird that way :)