Handlebar position

TownyDC

Hi, have been riding Mtb's now since my early 20's and have recently got back into it a few years back at 40 after having a break of about 4 to 5 years. Having just bought my first suspension bike (Anthem X4) my first reaction was to push the handlebars forward by a few degrees. On the bar there are scales from 0 to 5 and 0 to -5.
After a recent jaunt to a trail centre with a few pals i was advised to drop my bars back to a zero angle setting to see how i got on with the postion, in case i was over stretching. I was told by a mate that i probably always adjusted the bar angle due to the fact that i am an old BMXer who always like his Renthal bars at around 90 deg to the ground and not follwoing the contour of my Raleigh Ultra Burner forks.
i have now reset my bars to a "shop bought" position.
How if any, will this affect my ride and does anyone else have the same bar phiosophy as i used to have?
Towny

supersonic

The best way is to experiment - see what feels best! Really is no right or wrong. Take your allen keys out and have a play.

NatoED

what SS said and TBH control positions make more of a difference make sure that the controls are in a straight line with your forearms so you aren't bending your wrist up or down , especially after you have altered the bars . It may feel odd at first but will help stop you getting numb hands .

timpop

What they said. It can take a while to get your cockpit set-up just right but it's worth the effort. It might take you a few rides before you find the right position so keep trying different set-ups until you're totally happy.

tenfoot

My guess is that you've got to ride with how comfortable you feel. The comment about ex-BMXers being over the front wheel too much would probably be more relevent if you kept going over the bars.

supertwisted

NatoED wrote:

what SS said and TBH control positions make more of a difference make sure that the controls are in a straight line with your forearms so you aren't bending your wrist up or down , especially after you have altered the bars . It may feel odd at first but will help stop you getting numb hands .

I deliberately have my levers high to force my wrists down, so as to force the front wheel through, rather than into obstacles when descending.

cooldad

It's a personal thing. I like mine set up so my hands are straight in line with my forearms.

NatoED

[quote="supertwisted"

I deliberately have my levers high to force my wrists down, so as to force the front wheel through, rather than into obstacles when descending.[/quote]

you need to watch out for that . prolonged position such as that can lead to vibration white finger ( like typists that drop their wrists ) as it restricts the blood flow to your fingers . the back of your hand should run parallel to your arm while in the attack position as it opens up the veins carrying blood to and from your fingers .
It also helps reduce stress on the wrist joints and possible over rotation if you jar your front wheel . the force moves up your arm instead of flexing your hand back and possible over rotating the wrist joint .


A friend of mine used to run his brake levers almost parallel to the ground and though i was mad runniing mine at 45 deg down untill he tried it. It felt more natural and comfortable to use the brake levers and control .

Most people will find a downward dihedral of between 30 and 50 deg depending on hand size , frame geometry , fork height ect .

To get an idea of what i mean look at the under side of your wrist . when you tilt the wrist up it tightens over your veins and they are closer to the surface . Tilting the wrist down and you skin loosens allowing the veins to become unrestricted so blood can flow easier even when pressure is applied to that area ( much like holding onto handle bars of a bike) .

TownyDC

Thanks guys for the responses, was due to go out on Wednesday to see how i got on with the new position but have succumed to a bout of "man flu". i'll let you know how i get on when i ride next.

NatoED

it's a pitty x-lite don't make those massive riser bars still . You'd love them from a bmx back round