Selecting a Beginner Barebow Riser

[@corneliusmcb]

❤ great intro. I hope you do a Beginner Limbs intro as well. Thank you and keep going!

[@rfdsrd]

I've built a second bow using a Topoint Unison riser (1150 grams, $200) and WNS Delta C2 carbon/foam limbs (70"/30lbs, $170). The Unison riser is both lightweight and an outstanding value in a competition riser, although it's weight adjustment range is +/- 5% at best, which is typical of 99% of all ILF risers (unlike the Gillo GT, GX, GY risers that allow a +/- 15% range of weight adjusting). Add in a Shibuya DX plunger and Spig ZT rest and you'd have a competitive kit for under $500. IMHO, I think it's key to have a lightweight riser for a beginner (or older adult!) because whether used for Barebow or Olympic Recurve, weight will be added to the riser, and all of that needs to be managed by the bow arm. I also bought a Gillo GYL complete kit ($400, riser, limbs, flip rest, string). The GY riser is 24" and 1100 grams light, the glass/wood limbs are 66"/24lbs (which produce a 65" bow due to the slightly shorter 24" riser). The weight adjusting range is an astounding 40% ... -25% and +15%. This riser has a warranted max 32lb continuous holding rate, unlike the GX riser that has a 42lb continuous holding weight. An excellent youth target archer starter kit.

[@iAmCarlton]

Glad you’re making this series. Actually pumped to see your build and experience on an affordable riser.

[@aPieceOfFish]

Just put in my order for my very first riser recently! Happy to hear my choice meets your selection best practices. :D

[@swanneod]

Great video. Really good info and advice all around!

[@PBS-nm1uu]

great presentation, thanks for the info.

[@rfdsrd]

Great channel and good info, Elton - thank you! Getting back into fun traditional archery after a 30 year "hiatus" and I've settled on a Gillo GX 25 for my journey into all things Barebow. It's a relief to finally ditch the sights and all the added recurve target contraptions. I like the GX's wide +/- 15% limb weight adjustment and overall barebow leanings at a significant $$$ savings. Also like its light overall weight that I can change with add-on weights. However, it doesn't have top & bottom stabilizer/weight bushings, but I see no need for those. I coupled it with a Shibuya DX plunger and Spiagrelli ZT rest, and swapped the plastic handle for a Gillo G3 Advanced wood grip. As for the limbs I'm starting off with a cheap WNS set of carbon over bamboo - I'm very partial to the that wood for its inherent smoothness. 32@28, and with a fair +/-15% weight adjustment it'll allow me to get into fitness by starting at 30lbs and the ability to up to 36lbs at my 28.5" draw. Long length limbs, so it's a 70" bow. I build my own endless 652 strings. As to the arrows, I've got 500 Easton carbons from ages ago that I feather fletched for indoors and have a gaggle of Spin Wings from the target game dayze. I also have some Cross-X Ambition 700 carbons on order for the lighter weight range. What's really new this time around is the 3FU grip and it's been a fun changeover practicing with my trad longbows. Much other stuff, but these are most of the basics. Life's still good at age 78. 😎

[@rfdsrd]

The GX riser has performed exceptionally well and I've treated myself to a set of Gillo GTL-88 limbs, 70"/30lbs. Also now using a Beiter plunger and Zniper fall-away rest. The Cross-X Ambition 700 shafts proved to be best, cut to 28" and 1-3/4" standard Spin Wings fletched - their supplied small throat nocks all needed to be replaced with .098" large throat nocks. 18 strand BCY 652 fiber strings and .019" Halo serving for the "transmission". I use brass 1-1/2" and 2" diameter rods to create the riser weights with off-center mount ala Yost. Yost tab completes the kit. Life is still good so far. 👍

[@pequodexpress]

For beginner bows for me and my son, I went with the Junxing F155 (20#, 26#, and 30#). If we get interested in competing, only then we will get an ILF riser.

[@danieljudi]

It will be good to say sth about the riser length vs draw length. It is quite important for guys that have more than 30" draw to know that for them 25" riser might be problematic in connection to the tuning and injuries

[@riccoratzo]

Thank you!

[@legione1capone]

Seriously good video

[@1959TheBear]

Thank you, I am a old guy with issues in knees, ankles and just about everywhere. I only broke my clavicles 3 times and some shoulder muscles in both. Racing BMX, Mt Bikes and downhill sk8 board and snowboards. I am looking forward to this sport. Less injury and cost isn't as bad as racing. I will start with a Sage elite 2, at 20 lbs and the family can use it. My back ground I know I will be getting a CNC riser very soon. What do you think of the Galaxy riser? I think it is called a Sear , and I am 6' tall so looking at 19 inch.and then Bronze limbs.??

[@barebowbasics]

While the Galaxy Sear does look like a fun riser, it’s geared more towards hunting due to its compact size. For any serious competition, adults should be starting with a 25” riser as their first competitive bow, and building up from there.

[@Steve-m9q]

Wish you would name brand and model of the risers, and do the same with limbs. As an old senior, I'm still wanting to get into Barebow..

[@barebowbasics]

I certainly could have, but as time marches on, those specific models will have been discontinued, if they haven’t already been. The underlying point of most of these conversations is to look for key features and not get hung up on the specific model names or brands. (By presenting this way, viewers watching the video years from now will still find the content meaningful) Find the features you would like in a price point that suits your budget and just go from there. 😎

[@arzucksan2972]

Great video, but no mention of risers that allow for setup as Olympic recurve too?

[@barebowbasics]

This channel focuses specifically on the topics of Competitive Barebow archery under World Archery rules. While there is certainly overlap into other divisions and practices, it would take far too long to include detailed discussion related to them, especially when those other divisions are covered in great detail and quantity elsewhere. With that said, there are certainly many risers that could be used if crossing over to recurve; the key would be to stay away from barebow specific risers as the increased mass in their lower half will not lend itself well to balance in a recurve setup. You’ll notice that for the beginners watching, I already make this recommendation in the video, just for other primary reasons.

[@hutchieboy242]

Hello Mr.Wong, Is there any material that you would recommend for reading?

[@ujjawal..720]

Bro next of best worth equipment in compund bow target archery 😮😢

[@randytrudeau952]

Is there a difference between bare bow risers/limbs and Olympic risers and limbs or are the same and you just use more accessories when shooting Olympic style archery?

[@barebowbasics]

They’re generally the same components, just used in different divisions with different approaches. 😎 There are some risers that are designed with barebow in mind though, with larger lower proportions to increase mass; those would typically not be used for Recurve (what you are calling Olympic) division competition.

[@Jan-is4jy]

Hey, thanks for the video. I am really considering getting the gillo G1 as my second riser, but have heard that limb fit can be an issue. I will be using WNS Delta C3 Limbs for now. Do you have any experience using the G1 with cheap limbs? Thanks a lot in advance.

[@barebowbasics]

@@Jan-is4jy while it’s possible as every manufacturer has their own slight variation on the IILF sizing, most are all compatible with each other. The most common issue I’ve seen with some users claiming limb fitment issues is due to the user over tightening the lateral limb adjustment set screws; this compresses the dovetail and effectively narrows the slot down making insertion or removal of the limb seem incredibly difficult. Backing the set screw off so that it’s just barely touching the side of the dovetail assembly almost always alleviates the issue. I personally never had any issues with limb fit on my G1 risers, so while I won’t say it’s impossible to run into an issue, I do think it’s highly unlikely.

[@rfdsrd]

Help please, Elton! A petite 5ft female compound archer with a 25" draw length wants to get into bare bow - 25" or 23" riser and 66" limbs???

[@barebowbasics]

This is a tough situation as there are a couple factors involved in the decision; first, you mention petite, but how would you categorize her general strength level? (Weak, moderate, or strong?); some refer to themselves as petite because of their height, but physical strength is really the main determining factor in archery, not height. Second, what type of game does she aspire to play? (Indoor only? Target at 50m? 3D?); there is some influence on the decision based on how far she will eventually shoot. Caveat: It should be understood that there are some really amazing low mass 25” risers on the market today that even moderate strength beginners can manage just fine, and the field of beginners that truly HAVE to start with a 23” riser in barebow is actually pretty small. If at all possible, put one of these low mass 25” risers devoid of any added weights into the beginners hand for a few minutes and see if they can hold it out stretched with their bow side arm, even if only for ten or so seconds repeated two or three times; this will tell you quickly if it is something they can handle. (Many are surprised to see that they can, so going the normal route of a 25” riser takes over at that point) In those cases where I’m working with someone that is really, truly small in stature and weak on strength the advice would be to get a 23” riser with medium limbs. This gives a reasonable combination that should produce most of the benefits of a 66” bow with a lower overall mass weight, but allows for easy replacement of the riser to a 25” size down the road as bow side strength increases, which would make the bow into a 68” bow with those same limbs. (Albeit at a slightly lower max draw weight; fine for indoor games, but doesn’t work as well for Target or 3D) The downside to this approach is that there are less choices available in the 23” size, which often limits your options on either budget, or features.

[@DIXIECRAWLER13]

Would you recommend the samick ideal for my first barebow riser

[@barebowbasics]

In that price range, you may be better off with something like the Sebastian Flute NEO 25” riser; it is CNC machined as opposed to die-cast like the ideal. When you are first starting out these details may not seem important, but as soon as you start improving and increasing draw weight or gain the ability to sense the shot reaction ‘feel’ the differences begin to become apparent.

[@DIXIECRAWLER13]

@barebowbasics appreciate it I'm not new to archery but have no clue about bare bow

[@btbaker02]

so the motive FX comes in two sizes, how do you choose between the 23" or the 25"

[@btbaker02]

It's for my 13 year old daughter who is as tall as my 5'3 wife already.

[@barebowbasics]

Riser size is usually based on personal preference, provided physical stature allows ; if she’s that tall already, she likely has the build and arm length for draw length (24+”) to hold a lighter mass 25” bow. That would normally be the direction I would recommend. (She may have to skip using any forward balancing weights for a little while, while she builds up greater strength in her shoulders. (Have her focus on deltoid muscle exercises)

[@MrCoolink]

This SF Riser is in Black ou Matt grey colour??

[@barebowbasics]

It is a matte gray color.

[@bobsanders6620]

25 inch or 27 inch riser

[@barebowbasics]

I specifically don’t address this in the video because its very much a personal preference; both sizes can and often are made to work just fine for just about every beginner out there.

[@UtiliTerran]

​@@barebowbasicsI would really like to hear more from you on this topic. A novice can't have a preference because they have no experience, but it's a decision that they MUST make when buying a riser.

[@MrBostjanVidmar]

​@@barebowbasicswhat about 23" riser? 5'9 height and 27,5"-28" draw lenght.

[@barebowbasics]

Generally, most beginners do fine with a 25” riser. The widespread availability also means more options for purchase, both new from a retailer and used from others that are looking to sell their unused bows. Only those beginners with very small stature need to even consider using a 23” riser. This means someone with a shorter draw length (less than 24” draw length, IMO) or very little strength in the shoulders for supporting bow mass.

[@barebowbasics]

See my reply above; with a draw length in that range there should be no reason the beginner can’t handle a 25” riser.

[@MONKLJ]

First they need to know, do I want a target riser, or a hunting riser ?

[@peterxyz3541]

Bare bow are for those with more courage than me.😂 I’m still got lots of work to do with my Olympic recurve