ARE BAR RISERS & HI BEND BARS EVIL?: Enduro vlog #97
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Another enduro vlog from http://www.crosstrainingenduro.com Are bar risers or high bend bars on a dirt bike evil? Some tall riders say it's the only way they can fit on enduro bikes that are designed for midgets, while others say bar risers will ruin your bike's handling, give you cancer and shrink your genitals. And of course high bend bars tend to fall into this category too. Playlist for our enduro vlogs: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlur54ugvzNJlUO0y6D10jVOGMLI4Raci Cross Training Enduro Skills Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cross.training.enduro.skills/ Cross Training Enduro Skills Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJAvmhgP0h1AEKY8vTEJPJg This bar riser topic has long interested me, as I'm six foot four or 194cm. For years I was a lazy enduro rider and mainly sat on the bike, but the past two years I've been standing most of the time. I used to get a back ache so fitted bar risers to all my dirt bikes, but when we did our coaching with Chris Birch last year, he recommended we take the bar risers off. I said surely tall freaks of nature like me still need bar risers or high bend bars? But Chris Birch said top riders like David Knight never use them. In fact when Birchy met him, the first thing David said was 'Get those fucking bar risers off your bike mate'. Why? Birchy said bar risers are a common mistake by inexperienced riders because they aren't standing on the bike properly. You should be in this position because it lowers your centre of gravity, lets your legs absorb bumps, and your arms are also bent to absorb impacts and control the bike better. Birchy also said it's important to keep your legs bent and body weight low for wheelies as well... and that was his constant theme. Stay in that crouched position, keep your centre of gravity low at all times. Birchy also said low bars also help to keep your weight low and to the rear of the bike for more advanced techniques, especially when getting over obstacles. Bar risers or high bend bars can also work against you in hill climbs where you need to keep your body weight low, and go forward for the steepest parts of a climb. After a bit of googling around, I found comments from other riders too who said that as you raise the bars, the handling of your bike does change for the worse, saying the steering usually becomes twitchy, you are less able to get your body weight over the front of the bike for tight corners, and raising the bars usually pushes them closer to you which isn't good for taller riders. So what was my experience? Birchy suggested I not use bar risers or high bend bars for a while and see what effect it had. At first this was very uncomfortable... as mentioned I'm very tall so I was using the Rox pivoting two inch risers. But within a few rides I had adapted and did notice the bike was a bit less twitchy at speed. I couldn't notice any other immediate effects, but knowing how important a low centre of gravity is I am sure there were benefits from being lower on the bike. The problem? My quad muscles were working a lot harder to maintain that lower body positioning. I started some jogging which helped to some extent, but eventually figured that the two days of creaky arthritic knees and sore muscles wasn't worth it. If I was in my forties or younger I would definitely avoid the bar risers or high bend bars, but I figure there is nothing wrong with letting comfort become a bigger issue in your mid fifties. So I've slapped the Rox pivoting bar risers back on and the legs feel much better during and after the rides. Yes the steering has become a bit twitchy at speed, but I don't ride fast usually so that's a relatively minor issue. If you are a tall rider, I suggest work on your body positioning first. If your quad muscles ache, then just exercise more. Remember too, you can Fastway footpegs to drop your pegs down and to the rear which helps give you more room on the bike. If you still don't feel comfortable, then get some bar risers or high bend bars and experiment with them. I have immense respect for all those top riders, but remember they are also exceptionally fit, and need every benefit to maximise their technique. Then there are us gumbies who still like a bit of comfort and aren't out to win any championships. Anyone got further comments? I'll add them in here. MUSIC CREDITS Title: Soulero - Native iTunes Download Link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/native-single/id700468572 Listen on Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/track/3LqgKh25lCutIxWVbkihCc Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDKFx6N5npk
Comments
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I have a Scott's stabilizer mounted under the bars so I had to get the bar risers to fit it. But I picked up some Carmicheal bend bars, which have like zero rise in them lol. I kinda fixed the problem
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I'm 6' 5" and the 2" risers totally changed my riding for the better. Valentino Rossi uses all four fingers for brakes and clutch when the rest of the field uses two, point being that it works for him and he has been very successful.
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I'm with you Barry! I'm building my 690 with 2" high bars, 1" lower Bear trap pegs and will add risers if needed. I'm not doing thousands of miles folded like a pretzel or bent over the bars. I put risers on my dirt and street bikes.
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GREAT video and great analysis. I will be 68 years old this month. I live in the Rocky Mountains of southwest Colorado and ride some rough terrain (sometimes above timberline), but not as bad as some of the stuff in your videos. I ride a Husaberg FE390 (70 degree slant engine) and even that tall bike is a bit of a cramp for me, at 6'3" tall - mainly because of the bar height in relation to the peg height. With back surgery, knee injections of cortisone (both knees) and a stiff neck from a bicycle crash a few years ago, I NEED tall bars (and perhaps lower pegs). All that said, your analysis of bar risers is HUGELY helpful to me. I have ridden a friend's KTM 250 Freeride and also a trials bike (which nearly killed my stiff neck!) And I have ridden other bikes (Kawasaki KLR250, Yamaha 250, etc), all to short. I LOVE Husaberg, but even with that bike I need taller bars and the ROX risers seem to be the perfect answer. THANK YOU for reviewing this item. I think that might be the answer for this old geezers knees, quadriceps, neck, and intolerably slow riding style that helps protect these old bones. Keep on keepin' on with the great vids. - Husageezer, Jack, in Colorado (BTW, in WWII Combat, my army father LOVED the courage of the Aussie soldiers he fought with! Great men!)
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All hail the Rox Riser!
I'm a 6'3" 50+yo found either in the woods of Canada or bouncing off baby heads in the deserts of Arizona. I spend virtually all of my time standing. Bar risers allow me to not just raise the bar but make my cockpit longer as well. At the end of 10 hours in the desert the ill-fitted twentysomethings are destroyed and I'm still going strong.
The bike is supposed to fit you - not the other way around.
Thanks and keep the excellent vids coming! -
I try to keep my bike as close to stock as possible. 2016 Beta 300 race. after longer rides my neck does hurt a bit from looking up a lot. decided to try an inch riser. Rode around the neighborhood and took it off right away. Felt really disconnected from the bike. I do ride super aggressive so I think I'll stick to no risers til it's absolutely needed.
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Excellent points Barry! At Trail Tours here in the Ganaraska Forest in Ontario Canada we have 1/2 inch bar risers outfitted on at least half our fleet and I have found myself using them now for the last couple of years (I'm 5'9) and with high renthal bars to boot! I guess I'm getting lazy from dragging all those beginners around lol. I have noticed a slight change in my performance when taking faster groups as of late and chalked it up to getting older (but I'm only 33!) so you've inspired me to get rid of the risers and see what happens.
Look forward to meeting you in July,
Allan Lakas -
Great video Gumby! I'm 6'3 and to hell with not using bar risers! Just riding in "proper" attack position is hard enough with them for a lazy guy like myself. I haven't noticed the bike being more twitchy at speed, but then again I never really rode it without them so I wouldn't notice anyway. Like you said, I'm not trying to win any races or even compete, I'm just out for an awesome fun ride to relax and get my throttle therapy.
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Could you do a video on committing or direct me to one already done? I'm having a difficult time pushing myself on flat corners because I'm scared of the front end washing out on me... Also, could you give what you did to reduce back pain besides from bar risers? Thank you!!!
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I am 6'4 and just happened across this video after ordering some 1.2" bar risers (30mm). I rode for the longest time without higher bend bars or risers, then I went to a Renthal RC high bend bar. What a difference after a long ride. My back didn't hurt near as much after the bar change and I will be interested to see if the risers make a difference. I did notice like you after my higher bend bars that the bike is more twitchy in the fast rutted trails. I wonder if something like a steering stabilizer would help with this? I haven't ridden a bike with one before and I am reluctant to spend 450 dollars on something that may not help out?
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Great Video! I'm 6'3 and have been considering risers for some time. Turns out I just need to get my fat ass to the gym!
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Hiya Mate. Did you spend enough time on the XTrainer to feel what ergo changes needed to be made? I've got one as my single tracker and it still feels a bit cramped. I'm 43yo and 6'1", with Gorilla like arms. I've moved the bar clamps forward one position, installed 10mm risers (from the EE kit), threw some Flex Bars on there and the Fast Co Moto Pegs (my feet aren't used to the 2-stroke vibration). Things have gotten better for sure, but curious what you discovered. I like the idea of the MotoBillet pegs and dropping them. That may balance things out a bit.
And a genuine thanks for all the time and effort you put into these vids. I'm an ex-cross country quad racer of 25 years and switched to 2 wheels to "slow down" almost 2 years ago. Racing 60+mph in the woods was getting too dangerous. A few classes with Wattsy, a few with Russell Bobbitt and (especially) your vids have me up to speed with the Gumby's that have been riding 2 wheels for decades. Cheers for helping me look good! -
first off. great videos! wish I could ride with a group like you. I'm 6'5" and have the same problem feeling the bike was designed with a certain hight in mind, not mine. As a child i road BMX style bicycles. their handlebars are positioned higher because of the off road riding style. hence I also need risers on my mountain bike. I don't understand the low bars reasonings pro or not. it's amazing what people can get comfortable with. thanks for the videos.
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hey man !! i'm exactly the same height,also over 50, and have on my 2015 KX450 (which i converted to enduro ) EXACTLY those 2" Rox black risers - ONLY I DIDN'T INSTALL THEM THE REGULAR WAY !!! if you want ,i can send you a photo of what i did to my bar position with those risers, just tell me! it's awsome and it works great,no matter what the greatest pros say, you gotta try it! and about the issue with the phsical condition - do squats! even without weights! just do hundreds,any angle and style,the more the better! it'll change your whole rides,and you'll love it!
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Hi, I'm a novice 6'3" rider, Im an avid mountain biker and dabble in trails riding but my latest interest is cross training. After a recent escape off my dirtbike, it's handle bars got bent when it pin-balled into the trees I narrowly escaped. I now have the opportunity to "invest" in a new bar. When riding with my old bar It was most comfortable to ride seated, when i stand I "feel" the controls are awkward to operate. I was thinking of a getting a bar riser or just some bars with the biggest rise I can find.
Do I have incorrect control positioning or is the stock setup to low for me? These are the questions I've been asking myself even before I bent my current bar, id be interested to hear your opinion on a good setup. -
A scotts damper (under bar mount) +15mm rises work for me at 6'1" (socks).
I rode for a long time with the stock rise and much prefer the setup I have now. -
Some interesting points there! I might have to give it a go.
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Raising the bar is that so you do not have raise the pint as far?
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took first ride tooday on 2" rox risers. can honestly say at 6'5" 230# I can now throw my seat away!!!! standing is so much more comfy!! been weighting on my backordered stegz pegz for 3 months. can't weight to pair with risers. thanks for kool tips!!!!!!!!
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The factory specs of a bike aren't scientific. A short guy and tall guy can't relate, adding 2 inches of rise when your 8 inches taller than someone else is totally personal preference. Saying oem bars and adjustments aren't negotiable is asinine.
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