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Does the tilt of the handlebar has any effect ?

seismic

Turbo Monkey
Dec 22, 2003
3,254
0
South East Asia
I had a discussion with a friend of the effect of tilting the handlebar (riser) forward VS. backwards. I was told that if you tilt the handlebar forward it will increase the way you put pressure on your front tire and will increase front tire grip. If you tilt it backwards it is easier to pull up/backwards.

If this is true or not I dont know - but I am very interested if you think it has an effect ??

Thanks
 
Sep 17, 2006
226
0
I've noticed this as well, but I think you've got it backwards. I find it easier to pull up on the bars when they are forward, but the traction seems slightly better when they're back. Take a look at trials riders for example, their bars aren't usually very rearward. just my .02
 

DBR X6 RIDER

Turbo Monkey
I think he has it backwards as well but, yes, there is a difference in handling based on how your bars are tilted. Most bars have a level spot marked on the front-center of them so that you can align them to your liking...at least the good ones do.
 

allsk8sno

Turbo Monkey
Jun 6, 2002
1,153
33
Bellingham, WA
yup forward is great for pulling up and hoping, but i injured my wrist a couple years ago and have since had to rotate them slightly back more than normal
 

top_dog

Monkey
Jan 27, 2006
209
0
Australia
Put it way forwards. That way your weight is further forward, which improves front end traction no end. Try it and you'll notice a difference.
 

bballe336

Turbo Monkey
Mar 3, 2005
1,757
0
MA
I have my bars rolled back pretty far, it feels pretty good to me. I think that a lot of it depends on your riding style and what feel the best to you. Although surely the tilt of your bars could affect how far over the front you ride.
 

BmxConvert

Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
715
0
Longview, Washington
The size of your bike, your height, and your desired riding position are both a variable in how much effect the angle of your bars has.

I'm 6' and I know that on my large Session10 I ran the bars back a bit, it helped be feel a bit more centered on the bike. Granted I plowed on the back, so I didn't want to be over the front end so much.
I moved to a Medium M3, and I have the bars rotated pretty far forward, reason being it's a small cockpit for me at 6' and even smaller when it's sagged. I ride the m3 in a more aggressive position and like being over the front a bit, at the same time it makes the bike feel a tad larger in the cockpit.

-Kevin
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,194
4,419
this reminds me of a classic thread by our very own Acadian! :)
 

karpi

Monkey
Apr 17, 2006
904
0
Santiasco, Chile
top dog got it right, the more forward they are, the more you have to put your body forward and over the front wheel to acomadate your arms. Also this helps the riding position your arms take. Your elbows go outwards when absorbing, not in a backwards position which makes you loose, or gives you slightly less control.
 

seismic

Turbo Monkey
Dec 22, 2003
3,254
0
South East Asia
top dog got it right, the more forward they are, the more you have to put your body forward and over the front wheel to acomadate your arms. Also this helps the riding position your arms take. Your elbows go outwards when absorbing, not in a backwards position which makes you loose, or gives you slightly less control.
Do you think this forward position has an influence on how you can pull on the handlebars?
 

karpi

Monkey
Apr 17, 2006
904
0
Santiasco, Chile
most defenetly yes. I'm not shore as to how (gives you more leverage and easier pull or not) but if you are downhilling, I guess control is top priority, and being on top of the bike gives you more control (more like being on top of the front wheel). This in return facilitates the way you pull on your handle bars (in comes easier) than if you'd pull at an angle being more laid back. do you understand? or is my english getting really bad?
 

seismic

Turbo Monkey
Dec 22, 2003
3,254
0
South East Asia
most defenetly yes. I'm not shore as to how (gives you more leverage and easier pull or not) but if you are downhilling, I guess control is top priority, and being on top of the bike gives you more control (more like being on top of the front wheel). This in return facilitates the way you pull on your handle bars (in comes easier) than if you'd pull at an angle being more laid back. do you understand? or is my english getting really bad?
Thanks for the explanation !
 

freakrock

Monkey
Aug 19, 2005
431
0
Santiago de Chile
Karpi, i don't want to be rude, but i would lik to ask you: is your bike the right size for you? i know i don't see you more than once or twice a year, but at least from those encounters, i have the impression that your bike might be a little on the short side for you, and therefore you don't feel the bars worserwhen you tilt them forward (Please correct me if i'm wrong :) )
at least from my experience, it might feel good when you are centered over the bike, but it becomes very unconfortable when you face steep sections and have to lean back.
Lower bar height should give you the same handling advantages you are describing, and it certainly wouldn't interfere with your abillity to pull the bars to a point where you could feel it being an issue.

try some flat bars. they are awesome!
i'm rebuilding my bike, and bought a chromag fubar os in the flat version... i'm in love.
my bike is going to have an ultra low front end (18cm boxxer, chromag flat bar, zero stack headset, and the stem put under theupper crown) especially to get the advantages you've previously explained.

:)
 

Superdeft

Monkey
Dec 4, 2003
863
0
East Coast
We ride steep, loose trails where I live. I always thought it looked goofy to have bars rolled back (CCW when looking at drive side) until my experienced buddies suggested it.

It made a huge difference: The bike doesn't look fast (like droopy dog ears.) but I was really able to get my weight over the rear wheel, which was really important for not going OTB. During turns your outside hand doesn't stretch as far from your core: also easier to stay in the back seat. I lost some leverage for acceleration, but I don't need to sprint often on these trails.

On flatter courses, I say bar tips up for leverage, but when it gets steep rolling them back can make steeps easier.


OT: WTF is this credit stuff, I have negative 200+ "credits," what are credits, why do we need them?
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Personally, and this is just my opinion, If your needing to roll your bars to get the right feel/fit on your bike, then maybe you should set the bars proper, and get the right length of a stem. I mean thats what we do with fitting's . Thats what I did to get it right on my bike anyways. And By proper bar rotation, I do mean more than just what the book says, I mean go with what feels right for you, then adjust stem length accordingly
 

BmxConvert

Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
715
0
Longview, Washington
The effect of the bars rolled forward is going to be different for everyone. Something that should be taken into consideration is where do you want your wrists to be most. The position of your bars is going to effect your wrists.

-Kevin
 

karpi

Monkey
Apr 17, 2006
904
0
Santiasco, Chile
freakrock, I feel you man, jajaj, anyways, I ride as low as my budget goes/allows. Correct me if I'm wrong though, but we aren't talking about bar height, but bar tilt. In my personal experiencie, I like to have my bar set to be straight up. I will post and illustration so you know what I mean and can get my idea through. About stem length, it is detremental as well. Also, the position your seat lies on it's rails makes a huge difference, either set really back (which gives the impression your bike is long) or to the front which sends your forward. I guess the position of your seat has to do more with the way you pedal and how you use your space over the bike, but it also influences where you stand and ultimatly transfers to how you ride your bars, are you understanding?



here's the illustration, I don't know if you understand, but they way I ride is in 90º degrees, or just a bit more to the front. Now that I remember, I used to ride it slightly back and found it harder to lift the front wheel. But again, that's just me. In the end it's about how confortable you find it... or if you got used to running it the wrong way round:poster_oops::lighten:
 

freakrock

Monkey
Aug 19, 2005
431
0
Santiago de Chile
I understand what you mean, but i don't agree with it...
In the end, what matters the most is that your setup makes you feel confortable,and that you never stop experimenting with different configurations.
i hope i can bring my bike to santiago during the summer. if we meet, we could swap bikes for a few rides and then discuss about this matter. :)
 

karpi

Monkey
Apr 17, 2006
904
0
Santiasco, Chile
I understand what you mean, but i don't agree with it...
In the end, what matters the most is that your setup makes you feel confortable,and that you never stop experimenting with different configurations.
i hope i can bring my bike to santiago during the summer. if we meet, we could swap bikes for a few rides and then discuss about this matter. :)
shore thing, problem is, my bike got screwed up, we'll talk on msn
 

SlackBoy

Monkey
Apr 1, 2002
190
0
Wellington, New Zealand
I work with BMX'ers and they all insist bars should be flat, no upsweep, even if a bar has upsweep it should still be flat. Idiots.

I hate it when people roll their bars back so they are flat. (unless they actually have no upsweep that is)
Personally I run mine slightly more forward. Brings the elbows up which is in line with my prefered style of riding. More so when riding a DH HT as well. Also not a big fan of todays super wide bars either. It makes me laugh to see weee skinny 14-16 year olds kids running 800mm bars cos they wanna be like sam