Re: [RBW] Alt/Swept Bars - Hand Position in Relation to Axis

[Richard Rose]

I might be able to help. I got myself a Clem with a 135 FacePlater stem and Bosco bar. I loved it from first pedal stroke & eventually rode it on singletrack. I did not consider it to be my mountain bike as I had an Ibis Mojo 3, but it was capable enough that I wondered if a Gus/Susie could be my MTB. The Ibis was great but hand/wrist issues made riding a relatively strait bar painful. I tried a few different bars but it was not working out. I was just so comfortable on the Clem that I figured why fight it and got a Gus. I decided to set it up similarly to the Clem. I put a Bosco on it with a Nitto “V” stem which replicated my position on the Clem exactly. It worked - the Gus was just as comfy as the Clem but better suited to the trails I ride for a variety of reasons. But, I did not feel I could be very aggressive on trail with the Bosco. The Gus felt like it could be capable of anything I’d want to ride, just not with the Bosco. I changed to a Hope Cyclery /Leker Leks “Albacore” handlebar. It is 785 wide with a 50 degree backsweep. With not as much backsweep as the Bosco I needed a much shorter stem. I got a stubby 35mm Paul Boxcar. The combination put me about as upright as on the Clem but more aggressive. It instantly felt great - much more mountain “bikey”. The key to this I think is that I knew I wanted my hands in a similar position to the Clem as far as distance from the saddle (reach) and height @ the hands relative to the saddle. I sold the Ibis and have not looked back. Gus is my MTB & I am quite upright. No neck or hand issues & I did have a back surgery. My back feels better every time I ride either of my upright bikes. And yes, I can stand & climb. But I don’t. I prefer to stay seated & spin if at all possible. So yeah, maybe a bit of trial & error but upright can work great. Sent from my iPhone On Mar 19, 2025, at 12:57 PM, Jay <jason.bike...@gmail.com> wrote: I tried some swept-back bars last year and didn't like them.  I've decided to give them another chance.  The bike they're going on is used mainly off-road, with a lot of short, steep climbs and descents.  The surface is crushed limestone (not MTB trails). I'm wondering when I grip the bars where my hands should be in relation to the front hub, head tube / stem?   If I'm too upright I think it will be difficult to climb out of the saddle (I remember it felt hard to get the leverage, but that was a different handlebar than I'll be trying).  If the bars are too far forward, well I may as well use the drop bars I'll be swapping out.  I love drop bars, and would ride them on this bike in the winter when it's mainly a road bike, but on the trails (April to November) I want something so when I'm riding around my body (back, arms, head) are in a better position, in particular with the descents (when I'm riding the drop bars down a steep hill, I'm tilting forward of course and when I raise my head it puts stress on my cervical spine, which is a pre-existing issue). -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/6ca6c24f-89ce-4ad2-b0a9-63ad72fb52e7n%40googlegroups.com. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9ECE7471-88B1-4170-AD7B-C4637BB125CE%40gmail.com.