# Raising the handlebar height



## wiggydiggy (19 Apr 2014)

Righteo its early days for me venturing into MTB and I'd love some advice please

I've picked up a Genesis Mantle 20 and really like it, but I'm finding the riding position can be a little 'achey' on my upper body/back.

Ive compared it to my commuter (a flat barred hybrid) and the geometry's basically the same except the handle bars are a fair bit higher on the commuter.

So I'd like to raise it a little, but what are my options? Or is it better to keep it lower and just ride it more to get my body adjusted to the new position?

Cheers!


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## marzjennings (19 Apr 2014)

3 possible options to raise the bars.


If you have any spacers sitting above the stem, you take them and the stem off and rebuild with spacers on the bottom and stem at the top (google: stem spacers swap)
Buy a new stem that's angled up to raise the bar. Ritchey make a stem with a 30deg rise.
Swap out flat bars for a riser. 
Or all of the above if you need to raise the bar a few inches.


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## wiggydiggy (19 Apr 2014)

marzjennings said:


> 3 possible options to raise the bars.
> 
> 
> If you have any spacers sitting above the stem, you take them and the stem off and rebuild with spacers on the bottom and stem at the top (google: stem spacers swap)
> ...



Cheers 

(1) is out as its at the top already, (2) and (3) seem the way to go, something I think I can do myself also as its not adjust bits as such just changing like for like.

Is there any MTB reason to have it higher or lower though? Handles differently or something like that?


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## smokeysmoo (19 Apr 2014)

wiggydiggy said:


> Its at the top already


Depending how it's fitted now you could try simply flipping your stem 180 degrees.

Look at this picture, see how the part I've circled is angled. One way it would give a lower ride, flip it round and it raises the bars and brings them in slightly. Hope that makes sense.







Or if you still need more height you could try an adjustable stem like this. Not the most aesthetically pleasing items IMO, but they serve their purpose.


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## wiggydiggy (19 Apr 2014)

smokeysmoo said:


> Depending how it's fitted now you could try simply flipping your stem 180 degrees.
> .......
> 
> Or if you still need more height you could try an adjustable stem like this. Not the most aesthetically pleasing items IMO, but they serve their purpose.



The adjustable looks a likely candidate, and given I was told last night I look like Phil Collins from 70's era Genesis, aesthetics on the bike are the least of my worries!


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## smokeysmoo (19 Apr 2014)

wiggydiggy said:


>


Christ on a bike


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## marzjennings (19 Apr 2014)

Generally low and forward (long stem) for XC racing where speed and pedaling efficiency are key and up and back (short stem) for downhill where bike control and being able to lift the front wheel are more important than pedaling.

For general trail ride having the seat and bars at the same height seems to be about the norm.


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## wiggydiggy (19 Apr 2014)

marzjennings said:


> Generally low and forward (long stem) for XC racing where speed and pedaling efficiency are key and up and back (short stem) for downhill where bike control and being able to lift the front wheel are more important than pedaling.
> 
> For general trail ride having the seat and bars at the same height seems to be about the norm.



Cheers.

I think general trail is the way forward, we have various rides planned out and they are all trail-ey rather than XC/Downhill. 

I'm actually very comfy on the bike when out the saddle on climbs and rough bits, just need to raise a bit for the trails I think.


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## Cubist (20 Apr 2014)

Try and get used to the current position. If you raise the bars too much you end up with a bike that lifts the front wheel on climbs, and doesn't handle as well on fast carving singletrack. 

You could try more of a riser bar if you don't get on with it, but I would avoid an adjustable stem, they aren't designed for off road riding. The clamping plates are on,y held together by a few alloy splines, and there is a potential for it to fail if all your weight goes through the bars on a steep downhill.


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## Pale Rider (20 Apr 2014)

Presumably a one piece riser stem would do the job and be safe:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/bbb-bhs-25-...m_medium=base&utm_campaign=uk&kpid=5360444768

I'm not much of a mountain biker, but agree with Cubist about trying to get used to the riding position as it is.

Proper mountain bikers talk of the attack position, which wouldn't work with a high bar.

http://www.mtbtechniques.co.uk/FundamentalsAttack.html


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## ufkacbln (20 Apr 2014)

The problem with the riser bars (and the adjustable ones) is that they work in more than one dimension.

It is easier to explain with the adjustable

As the length of the stem (handlebar to headset) is fixed travel will be in an arc. For this reason you bringthe handlebars closer as well as higher.

This can be sorted if you buy a specific stem for the bike with a fixed rise and stem length.... the problem is how you find out the exact dimensions you want. Unless you get this right then the height may be OK, but you re now too extended 





This one would raise the bars but keep them close to the headset






This one would raise the handlebars would be further forward


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## marzjennings (20 Apr 2014)

Pale Rider said:


> Presumably a one piece riser stem would do the job and be safe:
> 
> http://www.wiggle.co.uk/bbb-bhs-25-...m_medium=base&utm_campaign=uk&kpid=5360444768
> 
> ...



Yet the article you linked to features a rider on a bike with high bars (bars higher than seat). Attack position has very little to do with bar height, it's more about body position and weighting on the pedals.

Bikes are sold to a norm and unless a rider fits that norm it's to be expected that a bike will need to be adjusted to fit the rider.


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## Cubist (20 Apr 2014)

marzjennings said:


> Yet the article you linked to features a rider on a bike with high bars (bars higher than seat). Attack position has very little to do with bar height, it's more about body position and weighting on the pedals.
> 
> Bikes are sold to a norm and unless a rider fits that norm it's to be expected that a bike will need to be adjusted to fit the rider.


The rider in the photo has dropped his seatpost. JRA ( just riding along) position differs depending on the type of riding. With the seat all the way up I would expect it to be higher than the bars.


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## marzjennings (20 Apr 2014)

Cubist said:


> The rider in the photo has dropped his seatpost. JRA ( just riding along) position differs depending on the type of riding. With the seat all the way up I would expect it to be higher than the bars.


Not sure how you can tell that he's dropped his saddle for the picture. From the slight rise in the nose of saddle I'd have guessed that's his all day position for the saddle.Yes JRA position may vary by terrain, but my point was that bar height and saddle height have little to do with an attack position on the bike.


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## Cubist (20 Apr 2014)

marzjennings said:


> Not sure how you can tell that he's dropped his saddle for the picture. From the slight rise in the nose of saddle I'd have guessed that's his all day position for the saddle.Yes JRA position may vary by terrain, but my point was that bar height and saddle height have little to do with an attack position on the bike.


 tha saddle in the picture is about six inches too low for anyone wanting to pedal for more than a few yards. It's been dropped for downhill or tech riding.


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## marzjennings (21 Apr 2014)

Cubist said:


> tha saddle in the picture is about six inches too low for anyone wanting to pedal for more than a few yards. It's been dropped for downhill or tech riding.


Yea, maybe, other pictures on the site seem to have the saddle raised a few inches. But then again he may like riding with a low seat, I take my jump bike out for the odd 10 miler and that seat is an inch above the back wheel. It's just fun to stand and try and huck the entire trail.


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## Dave_1 (26 Apr 2014)

wiggydiggy said:


> Righteo its early days for me venturing into MTB and I'd love some advice please
> 
> I've picked up a Genesis Mantle 20 and really like it, but I'm finding the riding position can be a little 'achey' on my upper body/back.
> 
> ...



I'd bring the saddle forward a cm and not lower the stem. It reduces stress on back equal to lowering stem but keeping stem where it was-lower-allows you can still tuck a little when strong, bend elbows. If you raise stem you have less option to tuck & flaten back


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## wiggydiggy (28 Apr 2014)

Dave_1 said:


> I'd bring the saddle forward a cm and not lower the stem. It reduces stress on back equal to lowering stem but keeping stem where it was-lower-allows you can still tuck a little when strong, bend elbows. If you raise stem you have less option to tuck & flaten back



I'll give that a go, the seat is about right for me but worth a go cheers


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