[RMboy]

HA

We have been trying to get the front end as low as possible with flat bars, and Drop stems

AND NOW...... Lets all rack them back up again like in the 90's

 

[IH8Rice]

Minaar, Peat and plenty of others have been running tall setups for a while. especially on steep courses.
its nothing new

who runs flat bars anyway

 

[bikerpunk98199]

HA

We have been trying to get the front end as low as possible with flat bars, and Drop stems

AND NOW...... Lets all rack them back up again like in the 90's

That happens when your huge. Tall bars are sweet, makes it feel like a moto.

 

[p-spec]

Minaar, Peat and plenty of others have been running tall setups for a while. especially on steep courses.
its nothing new

who runs flat bars anyway

only suckers who follow fads.

same goes for slammed fork legs.

 

[drastic.]

CF rear triangle. stoked.

 

[DhDork]

Greg is also 6'4" and riding the nastiest, steepest courses in the world. I'm 5'9", running the same amount of spacers, but instead a lower stem. Probably equates out to be about the same.

 

[Wa-Aw]

Works pretty well for small people actually!

 

[karpi]

Im 6'0 and ride one 10 mm spacer below the top crown plus a 1.5 rise handlebar and love it. Tryied the lower is better, but I found it doesnt work with all bikes or conditions

 

[DhDork]

Im 6'0 and ride one 10 mm spacer below the top crown plus a 1.5 rise handlebar and love it. Tryied the lower is better, but I found it doesnt work with all bikes or conditions

Thats kinda why I like my setup. Have plenty of room to move it up or down. Flatter, more pedally tracks, move it down. Steep, super chunky, and fast tracks, move it up.

 

[saruti]

Just curious
What maximum length that you can pull the fork down off the lower crown?
220 mm? more?

thanks

 

[karpi]

depends on the fork... I think 40's have the most give out of them all. It also depends on your headtube length, shorter meaning more space to move around.

 

[RMboy]

Well I'm 6.6 and run mine quite low, but never got super low because.

1) hurts my back been bent over like a pony
2) could not be bothered to buy a new stem.

However i have ridden a few tall set up bikes and it feels strange. maybe because Im used to a quite low one now

 

[MmmBones]

Well I'm 6.6 and run mine quite low, but never got super low because.

1) hurts my back been bent over like a pony
2) could not be bothered to buy a new stem.

However i have ridden a few tall set up bikes and it feels strange. maybe because Im used to a quite low one now

You would probably benefit from raising your handlebars. Being a giant myself, I can tell you firsthand how much of a difference this makes. After you do it and begin to acclimate you will probably think back and laugh at your previous set-up.

 

[RMboy]

You would probably benefit from raising your handlebars. Being a giant myself, I can tell you firsthand how much of a difference this makes. After you do it and begin to acclimate you will probably think back and laugh at your previous set-up.

maybe i take a look. Cheers my dears

 

[no skid marks]

The rider is a blob of mass with momentum dragging a lighter chunk of mass(bike) along underneath them or pushing it in front. No point have the contact area(bars) too low below the centre of mass(you), and decreasing the arms leverage angle by having them down lower.

 

[MarkDH]

The rider is a blob of mass with momentum dragging a lighter chunk of mass(bike) along underneath them or pushing it in front. No point have the contact area(bars) too low below the centre of mass(you), and decreasing the arms leverage angle by having them down lower.

Sounds like science, I'd do this.

 

[Deano]

im just wondering why they didnt go higher..

that course is insanely steep, all over.. nonstop 24/7 steep..

 

[NoUseForAName]

Just curious
What maximum length that you can pull the fork down off the lower crown?
220 mm? more?

thanks

Boxxer needs 184 +/- 2mm from the top of the lower crown to the top of the leg. So not much room for adjustment at all, which is probably why you see all the spacers and trick direct mount spacers.

 

[norbar]

only suckers who follow fads.

same goes for slammed fork legs.

Or suckers who ride slower, steeper courses but whatever feeds your high horse.

Personally it heavily depends on the track and HEADTUBE HEIGHT!!!. Modern bikes headtubes are + reducer headsets = much lower front end even without flat bars. Also on flatter, slower courses I loved my 0 upsweep, flat bar.
Not to mention higher bikes make your bike feel less cramped/longer = better for bigger guys. I went with a 1 inch bar and a spacer now because I want a longer feeling cockpit and I ride faster/steeper courses. If I had to race on one of our local venues that is not as fast or steep Id rock the flatbar again.

 

[no skid marks]

Or suckers who ride slower, steeper courses but whatever feeds your high horse.

He's um, agreeing low bars are generally a fad. EDIT:- ahh he said flat bars. Flat bars aren't fad, they're often a soloution. The bends do get rid of stiffness, and add a weak point to bars. Vibration damping from bends can be good.
The pros never ran em(yeah steeper courses blah).
My thoughts were lower would change direction quicker, may well have, but as I said, if your knuckles are dragging you don't have much power.

 

[Beast]

Duncan's setup (and the reasons behind it) - http://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/Pro-Rider-Setup-Duncan-Riffles-DH-Bar-Height,2250/Slideshow,18262/sspomer,2

 

[BigHitComp04]

Duncan's setup (and the reasons behind it) - http://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/Pro-Rider-Setup-Duncan-Riffles-DH-Bar-Height,2250/Slideshow,18262/sspomer,2

Hooray! A useful post. Nice find.

 

[Mr Jones]

For most of what I ride, I use a flat bar with a lower stack height. When I venture to steeper and rockier, I usually put on my 1" risers and bring up the stack an inch.

 

[stoney]

6'4" here and I run max height on my bikes. If you look at body positioning between a larger rider with tall bars and a shorter rider with low bars, you will see that they look the same. It's all about getting you bike to actually fit you.

 

[p-spec]

norbar used to for sure rep the flat bar,wich is designed for a trials bike

+2 for not knowin ever wat im doing or talkin about

 

[p-spec]

stack on the dh rig,notice how both my bars are hella rolld forward,HATE BACKSWEEP

 

[Kanye West]

I've gone back and forth on the high/low bar setup. I'm right around 6', fairly long arms/long legs, and ride a bike with a super long wheelbase (48") and slack HA.

The low bars are nicer at putting weight into the front tire to make it knife in, no doubt about it.

The higher bars jump nicer and loft off of drops with less effort. Definitely let the front end push a little more in corners with all else being equal and have a bit more of a "vague" feel to the front end. The biggest difference I notice is back fatigue at the end of the day. Way way less with the higher bars.

Since I don't race and I don't give a damn about shaving off milliseconds, I've stuck with the higher bars lately just out of comfort.

 

[SkullCrack]

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/pro-bike-fabien-barels-mondraker-summum-pro-team-29423

You may have noticed that Fabien uses a lot of headset spacers in order to achieve the correct stack height on his bike. He likes his Mondraker to feel consistent, and making all the tweaks can alter crucial things such as handlebar height. Leaving plenty of steerer tube to play with means Fabien and Paul can easily alter the position of the spacers to counter any adjustments being made to the bike, leaving the bars at just the right level for Fabien to do exactly what he does best – pin it!

http://www.silverfish-uk.com/content/news_about_mondraker-bikes.php?articleshow=1326

 

[Ithnu]

I went from a Supreme DH with a Chris King to a Demo 8 with a zero stack. It lowered my bars about an inch. Overall the bike felt better but that may be the demo vs the supreme. I may have to bring my bars back up that inch and see how it feels.

 

[norbar]

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/pro-bike-fabien-barels-mondraker-summum-pro-team-29423

http://www.silverfish-uk.com/content/news_about_mondraker-bikes.php?articleshow=1326

with a60 deg ha the bars would be much lower so using that much spacers probably gives him normal bar height.