Handlebar tweak to completely change your mountain bike

Previous video about relaxing your road bike posture: • Bike Fit Tip: This han...
Use this simple tip to again change your wrist position and improve your posture on your mountain bike.
Problem-Solving Programs:
Solve Saddle Pain
bikefitadviser...
NEW BIKE? Get the right size:
bikefitadviser...
SOLVE KNEE PAIN on the Bike:
bikefitadviser...
My favorite cycling insoles amzn.to/2G3Sv9n
Here's a Playlist on...
More information at: bikefitadviser.com
Sign up for free as a member and get exclusive content at bikefitadviser...
*** The usual social links: ***
**** bikefitadviser
**** bikefitadviser
**** johnweirath

[@grosjoster]

As a bike fitter, I can say that you're one of very few on KZbin that knows what he's talking about. Great videos John!

[@brianagee2790]

Hey there. A question for you as bike fitter. I am going into a bike shop tomorrow in order to get a bike fit for a bicycle I had purchased online. This is the first time I've done this I'd look forward to it much more if I weren't being charged $79 for something I'd imagine perhaps regretting having not spent some time looking at online videos and figuring out myself. Do you think I have the wrong attitude about this? Is it actually a fair or worthwhile expense?

[@ansimran659]

I totally agree. There a lot of other guys on youtube with pretty nice caneras and flaahy bikes etc. But this guy is a real bike fittar. MashaaAllah!

[@Tiger24kicks]

What handle bars should I use for going down hill for stability and control for a Specialized rockhopper comp 1X

[@w.m.aslam-author]

Thanks for this. I've changed to a higher rise and sweep; it has made my ride much more comfortable.

[@haroldplatypus2732]

Really great video! A couple of years ago, I switched out the straight bar on my mountain bike for a swept back bar (made by Metropolis) and it made all the difference in the world. Yes, a straighter handle bar is probably best for very technical off-road and downhill trails. However, when I go out for rides, we often have to do a lot of flat paved/gravel road riding to get to the rougher trails. During these long rides, the extreme forward posture (required when using a straight handlebar) would cause pain in my wrists, shoulders, neck and back. The only way to relieve the pain was to sit up straight every once in a while and ride with no hands in order stretch my back out. A swept back bar basically eliminated any of this pain and allows me to go a lot further without taking a break. A swept back handle bar will present the rider with minor disadvantages on off-road terrain, but will provide way way more comfort over the course of a long distance. Either way, the most important message in this video is you can always modify the fit of your bike using different components (handle bars, spacers, etc) if you're feeling discomfort.

[@MrPipo4pipo]

I'm planing to change my flat bar to backsweep bar and your experience and comment was really useful.Thank you.

[@actonscaletrails2753]

I bought sq labs 12 degree back sweep. I'm coming off 8 degree which were KILLING my wrists. I have two rides so far and they are much better. They feel twitchy in the tight fast corners but I think I just need to get used to them. One thing to note is if you increase back sweep you probably need to increase stem length to keep overall reach similar. Great video.

[@rdkuless]

Straight bars made my thumbs go numb and cause pain in the thumb and hand. I swapped out for a Jones Bar with a big sweep. All the pain went away and I enjoy the ride now.

[@tinman1955]

Jones bar looks interesting to me.

[@riteandleft]

In the UK, blame the mountainbiking media who constantly harp on about using silly, ultra wide bars (800+) with 'ner a word about backsweep. As well as being ergonomically poor, it's also totally wrong for the type of riding that most riders do; not everyone spends most of their time going down the gnarliest of alpine rock gardens and needs ultimate bar leverage. I use Answer's 20/20 carbon bar with, as the name suggests, 20 degrees of backsweep. Comfortable? it's like sitting in an armchair. Sceptics, do this. Sit on an easy chair or a stool and with your arms outstretched in front of you and holding a ruler or stick in each hand, close your eyes and flex your wrists in all directions for about 30 seconds, finally allowing them to rest in the most comfortable, natural position - don't think about trying to beat the test, you're looking for the most comfortable, natural position. Now open your eyes and see the position of those rulers! That's how your hands want to grip the bars! And it ain't five degrees, more like 20+! Also, the WIDER the bar, the MORE backsweep our hands and wrists crave, as you can easily see in the test by swinging your arms in and out. No, mountainbike development has got a long way to go yet and the present trend towards more upright riding positions (glutes de-activated), slacker head angles, wider bars, etc etc will go on to extremes until someone decides that enough is enough, there's no more 'gains' to be had and designs start to go the other way again, hopefully to some kind of happy medium that works well for most situations, not just downhilling.

[@Blown86]

What is the name of your handlebar ? Thanks in advance :)

[@Only-one-life-68]

Brilliant idea From a guy in 🇬🇧

[@dkgray828]

The ruler/stick test is nice and all, but that your natural hand position with straight arms. Now bend your elbows to get in attack/descent position and see what happens with your hands. Those 20+ degrees become significantly less.

[@riteandleft]

@@Blown86 Protaper 20/20 carbon bar.

[@riteandleft]

@@dkgray828 Yes, but most riders don't always ride with bent elbows. When you're 'riding the trails' your arms tend to be pretty straight. Sure, backsweep is both a compromise and dependent on a riders' style and riding terrain. But in general I reckon more backsweep would benefit most riders.

[@jonnymorrisuk1]

When I bought my first mountain bike it had been configured for xc racing so had narrow straight bars, this gave me very nimble and light control but I did get wrist pain during and after a ride, despite my wrists and elbows being relatively straight. I later switched to a wider bar but this only made the wrist pain worse as my hands were now at an extreme angle as you described; I use computers a lot during the day and was diagnosed with RSI, I changed to a vertical mouse at the office and went all the way to Jones Bend bars on the bike which have a 45 degree back sweep on them, best bike upgrade I ever fitted! Combined with ergo handle grips these bars provide a great relaxed riding position, instant wrist comfort, now I never get wrist pain from riding. I don't know if they are the right bar for extreme technical stuff, but for xc style all day riding they definitely work. I think most riders do not race so probably don't need to ride in such an aggressive stance, but there's that group mentality going on so they probably put up with the pain to look good in front of their mates.

[@johnwheels89]

Lawd 45? And you actually take that on the trails? Lol i couldnt do that

[@riteandleft]

The only problem with Jones bars ( i have own two sets) is that there is no forward bend to offset the huge back sweep, so your hand position is pushed way back towards the rider, affecting handling. But yes they're comfortable.

[@123moof]

5 sets of Jones bars in my garage (4 are on my bikes). I've got both the Ergon grips and the ESI Extra Chunky XL 200 mm long grips. I like the feel of the Ergon's more, but really enjoy being able to move my hands around on the really long grips to move my body position around with the ESI ones. Not sure which I prefer overall, and kind of wish there some sort of mash-up to allow a forward position with the foam, and an rearward position with the Ergon contoured feel. Both setups have done 8-11 day bikepacking trips without undue pain and no numbness.

[@alwAudio]

I've recently got back on my bike after years of it gathering dust and was finding bike comfort the biggest limiting factor, particularly numbness of hands. Adding some swept bars with a bit of rise and a new saddle have utterly transformed the bike. I'm not doing fast downhill or other technical off-road where I need that forward position, and for touring it's perfect!

[@JNOTECH]

One of the things I learned about my MTB bars has to do with bar rotation. For some reason when I changed to a higher rise bar, the front felt a little on the twitchy side, not bad at lower speeds but almost too sensitive when riding faster. I rotated the bar back towards the seat a few degrees and it restored the stability I was looking for. Lesson learned: rotating the bar forward made the steering more sensitive, overdoing it made it twitchy at speed. rotating it backward made the steering more stable, overdoing it made it feel lazy.

[@guru963]

Ohh no i am also struggling deep shoulder pain while starting cycling and my handle bar is also first one , 7degree . Thanks John.....

[@lifelong5425]

Converted my last road bike to a flat bar recently....on 3rd. set of flat bars now, trial and error, but have gone rise and and sweep now...elevated stem, and palm padded grips with good spec gloves......massive ride difference....For years riding the road bike dream....too old to care anymore, just riding comfortably is so much more enjoyable. Still get to pull up on the bars for hills. Now adjusting the cockpit controls...brake and and shifter positions to complete the process.....good video....

[@garyroberts5478]

Hi, - went from a 3 degree flatbar to a 10 degree 50mm riser bar and the comfort with 75% of my riding now has GREATLY improved. I'm 61 now so need it!

[@ed250256]

I was experiencing numb thumb and forefingers, so fitted SQLabs 16 degree bars, problem now gone. Also found them more comfortable even on aggressive technical downhill tracks.....No negatives for me.

[@gatoryak7332]

I've had the same experience.

[@crankybloke]

Best thing I ever did was put Ragley Carnegie bars on my bike. The 25º sweep is so much more comfortable than standard 7-9º bars. Sadly, they are no longer available, but the Salsa Bend Bar 2 is available in 23º sweep which is close enough. These bars combined with Ergon GP1 grips means no discomfort, numbness or tingling even on epic all day rides.

[@richardpatterson4312]

Thank you

[@willlange9978]

After several broken hand events in my 50s I could not grip well with the straight bar or even with a slight sweep. Pain on downhill sections told me to try a bold back sweep, so I bought Budnitz “newsboy” type handlebars. Complete success. Game changer. Wish I had seen this video three years ago! Thanks

[@jackfederski7646]

This is a critically important point to me. Because of injury in a different sport that took two years for the inflammation in my arms to settle down, I could not ride for any length of time with any twist in my forearm, so it was not possible to drop my elbows at all. I converted my hybrid "road" bike to drop bars, but my MTB trail bike was a different problem. No only did I need a forward sweep, but it turned out I also needed a downward rotation of the wrist. I spent a fortune on every curved bar available, and I spent a lot of time converting my bike. It took me even longer to get the bike to handle OK - my hand position was so wrong it changed my balance and I could not safely ride the bike. I finally have the bike dynamics OK, and now I think I have the inflammation solved (partly a diet issue, which is why it took so long for the inflammation to stop). I lost years of riding and am afraid to change it now that the bike works, but I am concerned that the bar is not meant for off-road. I would like to look at more regular swept bars. Is there more detailed information I can get in this subject before I mangle my bike's geometry again?

[@endoalley680]

I had a pair of Syntace bars with 12 degree sweep. They were fine for climbing and cross country riding. But to me they felt awkward descending with higher speed. After a month I switched back to 8 degree sweep. Both sets of bars were 780mm width carbon fiber.

[@scottwhittet5226]

This is the holy grail toward getting comfortable on your bike. Not a racing or commercial trend but a basic ergonomics setup to make the bike fit you. Starting at the wrists through elbows,shoulders and to the neck issues.

[@bensieber6960]

Switched to swept bars on both my MTBs and noticed immediate improvements in reduced arm and hand fatigue, improved breathing, and relaxed shoulders and neck. It took a few rides to adjust my reactions for control and steering, but now I'll never switch back.

[@bikefitadviser7012]

I had much the same experience. Thanks for weighing in!

[@rinky_dinky]

How much back sweep you have ? I'm considering between 12 and 16 degrees

[@aleksanderpusz892]

@@rinky_dinky Have you chosen between 12 and 16?

[@rinky_dinky]

@@aleksanderpusz892 i gotten the 16... although its a comfortable bar for mellow rides, i felt that it kind of kinked my wrists a little off , i took a few hard drops and my wrist developed a click and ache at a certain rotation on my wrist.... so i took it off for the time being

[@aleksanderpusz892]

@@rinky_dinky Thank you. So maybe indeed 12 deg is better for gravity as sqlab states...

[@JonPrevost]

Classic original bicycles used a lot of sweep angle... probably for a reason. I used to be surprised by how frequently people chose appearance over function. Now I'm just sad when I see somebody not using 5% of their brain for 10 minutes to just TRY and understand WHY some things were the way they were. Seems so silly but too often I find the most flippant response to my questions about things done in the past is, "they are stupid" which just is not true. What did G.I.Joe say? "Knowing is half the battle." lol. Thanks for the reminder that looking the part doesn't mean you can do the part. Posers be warned. Some Jones bars or cruiser bars can get you across the country without elbow, back and shoulder surgery :) I love your content. It assumes the viewer knows more P.T. or O.T. than the average person but doesn't leave a layman scratching their head. Thanks for bridging the gap and please keep up the good work. More cyclists... well fitted to their bicycles = lower insurance premiums ;)

[@denisemoore8536]

thanks - just raised my handlebars with a riser and installed ergon grips to relieve weight on hands - big difference

[@lkb3rd]

I always adjust the roll on my bars, which affects the sweep, allowing you to fine tune it without swapping bars.

[@Stellaspapa]

Unless, you have completely straight bars.

[@gatoryak7332]

But it does change the rise.

[@ajc4093]

I had tons of wrist pain while mountain biking. I switched by bars for SQ lab 12 degree carbon bars, ESI extra chunky grips, and some specialized gloves that have gel padding on the palms. Took a little experimenting with angles of the bars (which I tried with previous setups), but this one definitely worked to get rid of the pain. Took a little while to get use to the width, but worth it in the end.

[@ChesterChi3]

After reading your comment, on a whim I bought one of SQ Labs' 12 degree carbon bars. They arrived yesterday, and today I tried them out for the first time on a 4-hour ride. I was surprised that I didn't have any of the usual soreness in my upper back! I don't know if it was a fluke or due to the 12-degree bars, but it would be amazing if this fixes my problem.

[@PatrickJWenzel]

Yeah absolutely the crux of 70% of my comfort issues. I originally thought this could be remedied by bringing the entire handlebar assembly up and back, which I tried. I just ended up squeezing my shoulder blades together more causing more discomfort. Your videos are right on point. Thank you.

[@bobjimenez-padyakpt2686]

Im from the Philippines. And also a Physical Therapist. You teach with profound knowledge in kinesiology and body mechanics that applies in bike.

[@JavonDGreen]

This is fantastic. I have a very bad neck and I lift weights the way that I used to. I'm too young 36 to have surgery at this point and the ortho wanted me to do PT to try to help me live better with the situation that I have. I took up biking as an alternative to weight training. My arms would get very numb and tingly throughout my longer rides. This is due to my neck situation. Using this type of bar has helped me 1000% Thank you so much for the advice.

[@leqin]

You just said what I learned the hard way and, as a Raynauds sufferer, the best thing I ever did was start playing around with the sweep of the bars on my 26er years ago and today I would never dream of fitting my 29er with anything less than the Jones H bars.... even if they are the only bit of a Jones bike I could ever afford :.) Great video and thanks.

[@seanknight9898]

Before seeing this a few weeks ago, I purchased a Flexx Bar with the available 12deg sweep. The suspension is a whole other comment but the sweep specifically nearly eliminated shoulder pain.

[@kuraitabinin]

I was eyeing that Flexx bar as well but opted for the SQ Lab 30x instead to save some $$$. I did opt for the 12 degree sweep though and I'm definitely hoping for some comfort improvements.

[@fatboyfat2184]

I have a Breezer liberty 6 ,I changed stock bars for sartori noi rette No more elbow pain or wrist numbness Thanks for your wise counsell mate

[@JensMHA]

Totally transformed a quite horrible Merida 29er by swapping the OEM bar with a Surly Open Bar, it has a 53 dgr sweep with a 40mm rise. It is now somewhat rideable. Very good video, thanks for making it and putting it up.

[@marcusbevz6500]

The attack position on a mountain bike and even dirtbike requires you keep your elbows UP not down, when your bombing downhills the elbows being UP and your back in squat position where your butt sticks out and your scaps retracted is key for bike control, wide handle bars help you get in that position, so it depends on the riding you do

[@sp4msolo724]

i agree.

[@gatoryak7332]

This is outdated advice. The upper arms should not make a T with the spine; they should make an inverted V. That will bring the elbows in and down bit.

[@jonthesailorman]

I did not think about how higher backsweep can help with lat engagement. I’m all for more core recruitment ❤

[@JerryWDaviscom]

I ride and prefer a lot of technical riding, both up and down, but last ride I had pain in both wrists. My carbon bar is my secret mistress, and I don't yet want to change it, so I did this: Bought some padded road bar tape from amazon, a very cool yellow/black camo color, and replaced my handgrips with this tape. I wound it a little thicker at the bar ends in order to push my wrists back towards straight. I also rotated the bar a bit to give me just a little more sweep back. Tomorrow I ride. I think this might do the trick because I have ridden this bar for months with no pain, but when I initially put the tape on my bars, it went on a little shorter than a standard grip, and farther out. I remembered that my former grips had a tendency to drift inward a 1/4 inch or so over time, so I figured that I was unconsciously sliding them inward when I was riding. Therefore, I reinstalled my tape today a little longer from end to end, and relocated my shifter/brake housing inward a bit, too. This will align my wrists more, and maybe enough to enable to keep my lovely carbon bar. Also, I did take your advice a few weeks ago and drop my stem about one inch while also sliding my seat all the way rearward, which eliminated my burning ass syndrome. Thanks for all the good dope.

[@jltrack]

I’m 6’2 with longer arms. I was riding 780mm bars and notice elbow pain. Swapped them for a 760 with a 7degree back sweep and it is so much better. I don’t understand why people think ultra wide bars are better. For downhill/enduro yes, but trail riding, it is overkill and it makes steering less responsive.

[@joondizon5416]

This video is very helpful. This helped me realized what what i did wrong. I developed this wrist pain because of the flat bar that I use for my commuter bike. I felt that there a little problem with my bike setup but i ignored it. now i have to fix mt wrist ;-(

[@co7013]

Couldn't agree more. I made a change like the one suggested here. From an old fashioned fairly straight and narrow bar to one with some more sweep, width and a bit of rise. Had to change the stem for one a cm longer. Also added ergonomic grips (specialized). Best change ever. More stability, more relaxed without changing the angle of my back, less strain on the wrists, more control. Wouldn't want to go to the extremes in width seen on modern trail bikes, as i use mine mostly for touring, xt, marathon.

[@vintagerider4301]

I would also think the handlebar settings depends a lot on the style of MTB you're doing or the type of terrain. (It's definitely not the same whether you're on a XC or a DH bike)

[@jpogigtxcr1778]

If you have a straight bar and having wrist issues, but choose to stick with it for some reason like needing more control. You can do a thumb over grip while in a mild segment of the trail. It will make your wrist in a more natural position, like being in a swept bar. Then if you've come across to a more technical trail or downhill. You can switch back to the thumb under grip and be back in that agressive elbows out stance.

[@DavidRoberts555]

it's all the little tweaks lie this that makes me more inclined to build my bike up rather than buy off the shelf for my next ride. It's important to get the bike right for you.

[@BIKER38]

that's actually a very good advice, and I noticed it at the gym when I waqs lifting bar that too close or too large, your power changed. nice channel btw, +1 suscriber !

[@bikefitadviser7012]

BIKER 38 Thank you!

[@b.s.adventures9421]

If you look at dirt bike moto bars, they are wide, and tall with a good bit of sweep. They tend to be pretty comfy. To tall for most mtb applications but interesting. Moto guys figured this out a long time ago. I have put them on cruiser clunker builds. (They fit a bmx stem) Work good for cruising and trails. Easy on your wrists, shoulders, and back.

[@petersilie2432]

In my experience the back-sweep of the bar doesn't do much for comfort, without the proper amount of up-sweep. For me the sweet spot turns out to be when the back- and the up-sweep are angled 45 degrees towards my arms. In other words - when the grip-areas of the bar when viewed from the side point almost straight towards my elbows. When my elbows drop to far out of the line between shoulders and bar it quickly becomes very uncomfortable in every situation - including long rides over 7 hours.

[@keithhagberg3019]

Recovering from rotator cuff.....seems like the bent bars would help a lot. Love to see a video or comments on that. thanks for the great info!

[@stevencole7331]

I did something I would not recommend is I took my straight bars and put some sweep in them with a pipe bender . I was going to buy a new bar but wasn't sure of how much sweep I needed . The straight bar gave me hand pain and tennis elbow . To my amazement all the pain went away . I also feel it is more stable across the board even going downhill as your body adapts .

[@jeffreymckinley2936]

great insight .. I've been riding for over 30 years... one of the best things to get is a good carbon fiber handlebar.. at lot less fatigue in the elbows and forearms.

[@ma.d.racingtrackdayteam5028]

What has carbon have to do with that? NOTHING

[@ToysRUsKid_Critter]

I concur ! 12-15 degrees is perfect for my paws

[@richarde1355]

Interesting observations. As you said early in the video, much will depend on the type of riding and the rider, For s more advanced rider who jumps or gets airborne or who leans forward into the cockpit area a lot, they will want their cockpit area open so they can have more range of motion when they pull and push their batts to or away from their chest area. A more pronounced sweep would not be as beneficial. Think chin-ups or pull downs; if trying to pull the bar to one’s chest, narrower makes it more challenging. With that said, the majority of riders don’t fit this description or have that need. To that extent, comfort should be a big(get) factor, and more sweep than typically provided on factory bars might be better. As you initially noted, a big part of the answer is the type of riding, and it’s also a function of the rider’s skills, needs, and riding style.

[@HCMORGI]

i absolutely love your channel, been binge watching for days now. i sell bikes and always provided basic bike fits, but those videos really help to bring me to another level. what did you study initially? i admire you, you are now my rolemodel :D i'm actually now thinking of a way to "become you" and set up a shop here in berlin in like the next 10 years. lots of love from germany

[@bikefitadviser7012]

Christian Morgenstern I was fortunate to be able to go to physical therapy school in the mid-90's and so I began bike fitting with that as my background. When I started fitting the only real information out there was "drop a plumb line from the front of the knee for KOPS" and other nonsense. So it was a long slow process of using my PT background to my advantage and learning what worked and more importantly understanding and reasoning through *why* it worked. I'm sorry my experience isn't going to be helpful to everyone, but the best thing you can do is learn as much as you can about biomechanics and human movement and then practice. If you sign up on my website as a member (bikefitadviser.com) I have a free "how to" for using basic digital video technology that most of us have at our disposal as a means for completing a pretty decent bike fit. This can give you decent data to work with as you practice and hone your skills. Good luck!

[@adireitinho]

Hi!!! Kept my 9Deg Sweep bar/Ergon Grips on the Mountain bike. On the Tourism/Long distance Installed the Jones Loop 710, and it incredibly increased my comfort and the bike handling under big loads. On the city bike Installed the Cube 30Deg Swept Handlebar with the angled Ergon Grips. Have to say that i am considering changing my MTB handlebars... :-)

[@grcgrcgrcgrc4]

I just purchased a set of the Stooge Cycles Moto bars. Cut them down to 780mm. Noticed the difference right out the door. Much more stable than my SQ Labs with the 12° of sweep.

[@jerrybear3081]

good video, thanks. i have been trying to fit my girlfriends new bike to her to avoid her arms getting itchy from bumps. the bars it came with were 700cm i tried swapping a pair of narrower bars with more rise and backsweep and it really did seam to help. i might try narrower bars myself, i feel as though extra wide bars are a fad and i have never struggled turning a bicycle wheel.

[@molatio17]

I've been watching your videos last days and they are very very useful for road bike biomechanics, you helped me a lot with them. But I have to disagree a little with this video, for climbing it's better to have your elbows down, that´s totally correct, but for descending you'll probably lose control if you don't have your elbows out. That´s why climbing MTBs have a narrower flat handlebars and descending bikes have that big wide handlebars with a bit of angle. You can see it clearly in an XC competition (search for some here on youtube) they climb with elbows down, but when it arrives the descending part, elbows out always! Continue like this! your videos are very useful! Thanks a lot!

[@gatoryak7332]

Elbows out is harmful to your shoulders and puts them in a weak position. Elbows out is outdated advice and the best instructors now advise to keep elbows directly behind the grips: www.leelikesbikes.com/elbows-in-or-out.html

[@johnvalderama522]

great info for different sweep degrees of a mtnbike handle bar affects the posture of your arms and shoulder. thanks for sharing.

[@jeepdude67]

A lot of this is trial and error based on your riding style and comfort. I used to run a swept bar, but found the stress on my traps was horrible, and I ended a 15 mile ride with a lot of upper back and neck pain. I switched to a straight bar with more width and even though I feel a bit of strain on my wrist after a long ride, I have no back and neck issues. So right now I run a 35mm rise with zero sweep and 760mm. I think ideally, to take some strain off my wrists, I will eventually go with some sweep, though nothing drastic. I ride technical on occasion, but primarily high speed single track. I like the control of the wider bars.

[@bizgaru1771]

A lot is in play. Upsweep, backsweep and rise of the bar. Stack height of steerer tube. Length and angle of stem. These days are with aggressive toptube length. Fork travel, head and seat tube angle. To make matters worse, dropper posts and full suspension frames. Roadbikes and hardtail mtb are easier to work with their rigid rear end. The bars that i have stuck myself with are 760mm, 25mm rise, 9x5deg back and upsweep.

[@davidhalley9795]

Love your channel, John. Just getting back into riding. Lifestyle change to the west coast brings new challenges for more off-road riding for me. My MTB is basic still and this gives me good information.

[@fatboyfat2184]

Purchased a Breezer liberty 6 , standard bars maybe 9 degree sweep not bad short commutes Now running satori noirette bars 30 + sweep ,I can ride all day in comfort ,thanks mate 🍺

[@jacobkeller29]

I ditched the dropbars on my Poseidon redwood and went with the soma dream bars. Have 25 degrees of sweep. Much more comfortable and better ability to apply breaks. Also, I have a dropper post with suspension built in, and now my upright riding posture places my weight more upon the seat and takes advantage of the suspension.

[@siriderkert2172]

You might need a longer stem if you increase the sweep.

[@ThisGuyRides]

For me it was previous shoulder injuries that got me looking at "alternative bars". I rode with 25 degree bars at first, starting with Mary bars, but ended up with 16 to 17 degree bars for my two bikes. Salsa bend 2 was first then I found SQLabs 311 bars that are 16 degree but longer than Bend 2 bars.

[@kevinclark9176]

After 4y, what’s your thoughts on the SQLab’s 311? I’m looking at getting that bar (Carbon 311 FLX, if that’s the same). This is for a “flatbar-gravel” or “light-XC” bike. The Next SL bars with minimal sweep (720mm) give me wrist pain so thinking the 740mm & 16 degree will be really nice. Now I can go Corvus Sweet 16 for $180 vs $290 but it is a bit wide (780mm) and I think the SQLab has better flex (but I haven’t ridden either). Worth the hefty price tag?

[@ThisGuyRides]

@@kevinclark9176 My shoulder got better so I don't need that much back sweep anymore so running Salsa Rustler bars now. I ran alloy 311 so can't tell you if CF bars are worth the cost. Maybe try the alloy bars first if you're not sure if they will work for you.

[@richardjeffery517]

I'm 5'7" tall ,I've got a 2011 demo small .It was far too short for me .I needed a medium size .The front felt heavy .I put a spank 30mm stem on that made the front lighter ,high riser bars 43mm and an Easton ea70 seatpost 30mm layback .I gained about 15mm top tube length with.my weight more over the back wheel .Done some DH trails ,no traction on the front so I dumped psi until I go it right .My bike rides amazing for me now .

[@realchicagophill]

Best video I've seen in the subject so far.

[@barrybebenek8691]

I’ve struggled with numbness for so long. This was SUCH a helpful video. Gonna look into different bars now. Thank you for posting. Cheers.

[@MyMegaJOKER2]

And? Did you buy new handlebars? I'm curious

[@richyrich9761]

@@MyMegaJOKER2 I did based on the article, I too was getting numbness after long rides. 15 degrees back sweep, 7 degrees up sweep and 55mm rise and some Ergon GA3 grips and no more problems with numbness. Upside was better handling and confidence through technical single track.

[@markthorrowgood3266]

I like Ergotec-Humpert stems and handlebars with Ergon grips. There are specialized ergon grips for swept handlebars, and the small size grips are nice on the hands. The Ergotec-Humpert grips can be uncomfortably fat.

[@wss327]

New to MTB and bought a bike with a 6 degree sweep bars. Pulled a shoulder muscle (back of shoulder) on the 2nd ride and thought it was me being too old... I was told by some that elbows up is the right way for best control... Then after about another 10 rides, zero improvement and now the crooks of my thumbs are also killing me. I attribute that to the twist in my wrist from the 6 degrees and the difficulties in shifting gears and activating the dropper. After watching a ton of videos... apparently elbows up is very old school and now it is more important to activate the lat muscles with sweep... so... now I am waiting for the delivery of my SQLab 16 degree bars.

[@TazErrant]

@wss327 How are you going? Any update as to how you found the 16 degree bars? I'm having problems with wrists and have ordered the SQLab ones as well.

[@wss327]

Hi. I had good success with my SQLabs 16 degrees but then I traded in my bike for the LevoSL and the standard bars that came with the bike and did a bike fit again. This time I turned my bar ends higher, adjusted my saddle front/back and now I have no problems with a standard bar. I also made more effort to keep my elbows high and that also helped.

[@TazErrant]

@@wss327 👍Nice bike! Maybe my next one will be electric. Thank you for your reply. I've just bought a Fuel Ex. Very new geometry compared to my old bike of 2011. Fingers crossed the new bars help with wrist position. While I'm waiting I'll focus on keeping elbows high as you say. I was putting it down to age as well. 😊

[@wss327]

I’ll be 60 in 2 months and hope I can keep riding! But jumping at this age is a challenge and seems I always buy my protection gear one crash too late! Best of luck to you with the bars. I was in that bad place and it sucks!

[@TazErrant]

@@wss327 Awesome! Yes lets keep on going as long as we can. I just turned 66 and starting to learn to jump. Just bought myself a full-face trail helmet. Got to look after the few teeth I have left LOL. 🤣

[@ridingdeep8530]

Great video, I have trouble with my lower back and hands going numb after some time on the bike, I am going to try a bit more sweep and rise to my next set of bars.

[@StiloNautica]

Oke thank you. i was looking for this video. my wrists hurt, so i wil look for a 17% sweep bar. (or other) Dont know how much sweep i have now, but i need some more sweep. It takes the enjoymed out of riding. I want to be more relaxed and have a better body position. Thank you again..

[@kuraitabinin]

I just ordered a set of SQ LAB 30x 12 degree bars. I'm eager to test ride them and hoping for a significant improvement in comfort. If it relieves my hunched shoulders and "heavy hands" it will be amazing and will probably get me riding more.

[@AdamRayGrayman]

I move to a handlebars riser of 400mm 9° sweep from a 100mm riser with 3° sweep, I gotta say that I felt more comfortable immediately!

[@vagabond-yj8pn]

I just got a new mountain bike and haven’t been on a bike in 15 years. The bars on this bike are pretty much straight and I’m having troubles riding and being able to comfortably bend my neck up to look down the road without having neck pain.

[@jendabekCZ]

That's how all the handlebars look like ... except those on MTB. What an invention ...

[@annenglehart4651]

Thanks for the great video! I’ve been riding a road bike for almost 15 years (an old Trek 2100-size 50-that I love; it likely has more reach than newer road bikes). I have a spinal condition that has become progressively worse over the years. I just bought a flat bar fitness bike this week (women’s Trek FX3 w carbon fork, size medium) to do more in-town fitness riding since I’m not able to do the long road rides as much. After the first ride (and second too) on the flat bar, my upper back between shoulder blades and my traps are killing me. My lower back/SI area feels really twingy and unstable, and Psoas and hip flexors are uncomfortable too. I’m going in for a bike fit and/or get a smaller bike on Friday. I haven’t felt this kind of pain from the road bike in years so this is really surprising and upsetting. I’m DEFINITELY asking about handlebars with “more sweep.” I hope I don’t end up on a bike with front suspension. Ha those make me feel like I’m riding a giant slo-mo marshmallow.

[@davehause8571]

With the straight bar, bend your elbows in, not out. Don't be afraid to put weight on your hands!

[@albertfranqui3598]

Very nice and simple explanation all about body mechanics, I suggest let take some pictures when you are on the bike and the picture will help.

[@douglasholt9337]

Chucked the straight bars for heavy duty road bike bars with a little out sweep, A 101 hand positions and one can drop down and get the grunt out Road racers do actually know something about grunt-n-go.

[@DesmoDreams]

How about changing the length of your stem as well?

[@gatoryak7332]

Try it! It's amazing how much change you'll feel with a 20mm stem length change. Longer or shorter? It's up to you. You just have to pony up, put on a different stem, then ride it a half-dozen times.

[@austinpaynter1775]

Elbows out like a dirt bike and trust that front tire.... You guys could learn alot from us dirt bikers.

[@31.8mm]

i got avg straight bar as stock and i find myself especially in fastroad move my thumb to the top, so my elbow can go down more without force, just like neutral hand position on road bike, then when things getting more rough or more obstacles i hold my bars normaly

[@ChristianSantosXian]

I wish more handlebar manufacturers would release high backsweep handlebars. SQLab 30x 16 degree backsweep handlebars are great but the price + shipping is a bit too expensive for me.

[@Skiamakhos]

Try an Ergotec Lenker 31 - it's about half the price, and only a tiny bit less rise.

[@purdoy25]

Sometimes I put my pinky behind the grip to have some semblance of using a handlebar with more sweep. It makes my arms more comfortable but puts a lot of strain on my pinky finger so I think I have to get a bar with more sweep. My current one probably has less than 10 degrees of sweep.

[@alex_n8863]

Having problems with my back on my new MTB. Shortened the bars and stem, also trying Ergon grips for more support. If that doesn't work for me I'll try changing the bar. Thanks for the advice! 👍

[@propertyphotoprodurango4199]

try the SQ lab grip. Better than ergon imho

[@wazzup105]

I am struggling with my (almost) straight handlebars and now I understand why. My aero bar is a lifesaver though.

[@super-sim1665]

I found wide bars painful on the wrist. Prefer narrow bars for comfort.

[@ZychuZychu]

Tomorrow Im ordering Ergotec riser bar with 50mm rise and 12degree backsweep. Will post my feelings after mounting it to my Trek Stache. Currently riding 750mm 38mm riser with normal 6 or 9degree backsweep and my wrists are in pain!

[@ReviewChick]

Can't wait to hear your thoughts! I'm thinking of roughly same swap. That straight bar is woopin' my wrists!

[@ZychuZychu]

Ok so Im after my first real mountain ride and I must say that I like the Ergotec bar a lot. No wrist pain, more relaxed position. A little bit too high however on the climbs so I might lower the bridge by one spacer. Other than that I think its a really good investement. The backsweep seems really natural and it corresponds to what John said in the video - your arms lower automatically so you are actually just holding your bars instead of leaning on them.

[@ReviewChick]

Awesome!!!! I cut a total of 1.5 inches off my bars and added Ergon GP3 grips and wah lah, no pain! I'll be putting a video out of that soon on my channel. Great to hear, I really appreciate the update!

[@bikefitadviser7012]

That's cool...thanks for the update!

[@bikefitadviser7012]

I've had many riders go with a little more sweep and some of the smaller riders also trim the width a little to better suit their upper body and significantly improve how they're sitting. A few of them it was the only change we made and the result in their posture was dramatic. Thanks for letting us know how this went for you!

[@31.8mm]

i changed my flat bar to loop bar and got a very good result, as im able to sit back and recuit glutes i feel more relax above and powerful below in the same time

[@ShaggyWill]

Do you mean the Jones H-bar loop? I've got one on my gravel bike instead of drop bars, and have fitted it to my hardtail too. Love it!

[@joescheller6680]

you guys cant keep up with your jargen, what is a loop bar,

[@robertash75]

50 years ago they knew how to shape bike handlebars with a lot of sweep Just as when your hand is low like shaking someone’s hand 90 degrees of rake Or if hand high over shoulder height little rake Bars with little rake will give you golfers elbow

[@100toeface]

It might sound ridiculous, but now I put super high monkey bars (like you might see on some harleys) on all of my bicycles, so my sitting position is upright and arms go straight out parallel to my shoulders. It sounds like it would be tiring 'holding' them up there, but it is quite the opposite. This in conjunction with a b schultz suspension seat post makes non-recumbent bikes tolerable for me.

[@lukefarmer5391]

Too wide of a bar will also put strain on your shoulder joints. Wide bars look cool but you loose pulling strength and become more susceptible to shoulder injury.

[@golddiggerdave]

Having a nightmare, fitness is good but my week point is neck and shoulder pain on my MTB, anything over 2-3 hours an I really feel it. Ordered a 50mm riser bar to see if this gives me a slightly more up right position.

[@jeffkeith637]

Great advice, I've suffered this wrist position and elbow problem for years. Now I know better. Something to watch, at the least. Cheers

[@rmcclintick]

This video really helped me

[@darkanchordesigns5906]

thanks. Im gonna try this. Im new to MTB and my wrists are killing me.

[@mysteriousMatchStick]

For cross country mountain bike riders they can employ the same principle that the author covered in the road bike video by using a flat bar and mounting bar ends that provide the needed wrist elevation. Then riding on the bar ends will provide a similar wrist and arm position as a road rider who rides "on the hoods" - as most roadies spend over 60% of their riding time on the hoods. Of course bar ends are out of style with today's mountain riders, so you can choose to follow fashion and suffer, or mount some bar ends, set their elevation angle correctly, as shown in the authors road bike video, and enjoy hours of cross country riding, without losing the the benefits of the flat bar in technical areas.

[@leogp536]

james lemezis I cannot agreed more with you. With bars ends one can change the hand and arm position very easy

[@garyblair3426]

They work well until you hook a vine or sapling; that's what ended the bar-end craze.

[@grumpyadventures3843]

I miss my bar ends greatly. Rode with them probably 20 years and could count on one hand the number of times I hooked a tree. Hate they are "out of fashion" because I loved having the different positions available. I could adjust for any ride.

[@mikemoren532]

Same here, about 20 years riding with bar ends, and maybe hooked a sapling 1 or two times. I love bar ends. I always used them on the climbs.

[@joescheller6680]

what are bar ends, i could care less about style and crazes, are they still available to adapt current straight bar

[@barskir]

that is exactly the problem I'm suffering from! thanks

[@smefour]

Thankyou so much this helps, I really appreciate your view on this

[@bikefitadviser7012]

smefour glad you found it useful....

[@strokenumber3]

It would help if you made sure the handlebar was in the shot when you demonstrate it's factors.

[@musarra195]

I think I had too much sweep on my handlebar because my wrists were hurting me. I cut the handlebar a bit to make less wide and that’s helped a bit still not perfect. I’m sure there are a number of factors in play.

[@drewstratton7972]

Good video, but the comparison between the riser 7 deg bar and the flat 17 deg bar seems misleading. How much do the shoulders drop just because you have 20mm less rise?

[@notafan1275]

I had the seller swap the straight handlebar on my new "trekking bike" for a standard "city bike" handlebar, and when he testrode it, he discovered that it really was much more comfortable... My favourite handlebar had a nearly 90-degree sweep, like a road bike handlebar, but flat, (bought it second hand, no idea what it was called, never found one like it again) but unfortunately it was stolen with the bike it was on :(

[@itsallspent]

I have a plus bike with a short bar that makes it difficult to turn the three inch tires. So I would like to try a Jones SG 2.5 Aluminum Loop H-Bar. That bar will raise and give a wider bar. It should let me bring my arms back towards me where I can move my shoulders. I want to use the bike on gravel roads.

[@monty2078]

I tried Jones bar. I tried everything, shorter stem, longer stem, different angles. Nothing worked with it. I tried for 6 months and then sold it. Worse bike investment I ever made

[@monty2078]

Hi Michael, I sold it.