Handle bar position

[rhinostalker]

Hello,

I'm interested in the proper handle bar positioning, but all I find on the topic is to Position bars so they are in the optimum "middle position." What exactly is that??? Is this having the bars parallel to the forks or is this to have them in a vertical position to the fork angle.

thanks,

R

[monteberg]

hi R

likewise ive never been able to get real answer ,and have always deduced that the mystical

MIDDLE , NEATRAL ,NATURAL , or various other named position is vertical , what I have always done is stand bike on level ground ,kneel down and view bars sideways on and position the first bend out of the clamps vertical wether this is correct or not ? i dont know but it works for me .i have tried other folks bikes and they have used everything from rolled forward to the extreme to rolled back easy rider style

so same goes ,if someone out there can help with the science behind it and give a technical explanation if one exists , i would very interested

cheers

[dan williams]

Well there is no "real" answer other than personal preference but if you're new then you don't know what your personal preference is. So a few basic guidelines could be said.

The bars set perpendicular to the ground is the usual starting point. On old bikes and I mean 70s, 80's you could get away with the bars back as far as lined up with the forks but it wasn't a great position. Modern bikes with the stop and go techniques and the emphasis on being "centered" work much better with the bars slightly forward of perpendicular to the ground.

A common misconception is that the bars back further will help move your weight back on climbs. What actually happens is as your arms are positioned back you stand up straighter causing your butt to move up so you don't gain any net rearward weight bias but you do cramp the ability to move on the bike and fatigue your arms faster. Likewise too far forward stretches your arms out dropping your torso and causing your butt to stick out rearward. Neither position helps with the fundamental prinicipal of staying centered and being able to move on the bike to compensate for the terrain.

The fundamental difference in handling that bar position affects is the "speed" of the steering. Bars forward makes the steering more sensitive to input and putting the bars far forward of the vertical can make the bike's handling quite twitchy especially on the loop. Moving the bars back will slow the steering down and if too far back make the bike seem like it doesn't want to turn without great effort.

Bars forward helps with drop-offs. I know that sounds counter intuitive but it really does.

As a newby my suggestion is to start with the bars vertical and ride for a while incrementally inching them forward every few rides until the handling seems a bit on the twitchy side. That's probably the best place for you as you will get used to the handling after a while and after 6 months won't be able to ride with the bars back anymore. In any case you'll have found the narrow adjustment range that suits you.

Another note while we're on controls is the lever position. Enduro and MX guys will often set their levers pointing down like they do on their non-trials bikes. On a trials bike the levers are usually set to near parallel the ground. Yes it will be uncomfortable to start but in a month you won't even notice. You will notice you can get to the clutch and front brake on downhills much easier without the danger of rolling your wrists over the bars.

You can adjust to almost any bar/lever position in time but some are better then others and you'll be amazed how small a change can be felt on a trials bike so make small changes while looking for your best setup. Check out what the other local riders do if you can remembering the experts will usually have the most aggressive setups and the senior guys will have the most "comfortable".

If you really can't get the bars to a good place for you there are other bends but it can be expensive swapping bars to fine tune.

One other consideration, think of the whole bike as a steering system. Too much preload in the front suspension relative to the rear will tend to push the front end out increasing the rake and slowing down the steering. The opposite is true as too much preload on the rear will decrease rake and speed up the steering. Optimum is to have both suspensions working in unison. A good test is to bounce on the pegs and watch the suspension to make sure both have approximately the same compression (spring rate & preload) and they react at the same time (damping). This is very important to the handling of the bike as a mismatched suspension will not only bounce you around but will dynamically be changing the steering of the bike as you roll over obstacles especially for a novice.

Now having obsessed over this stuff for many years I'm a better mechanic than rider. Don't make the same mistake. Turn a few wrenches then go ride. Time on the bike will overcome almost any adjustment.

Edited December 13, 2010 by Dan Williams

[firedfromthecircus]

Thanks Dan for the comprehensive answer. Gives some food for thought.

[mikee]

Now having obsessed over this stuff for many years I'm a better mechanic than rider. Don't make the same mistake. Turn a few wrenches then go ride. Time on the bike will overcome almost any adjustment.

Thats a good write up Dan..

I know what you mean about a better mechanic than rider...

[adam1]

Great write up Dan, i have just bought a beta rev 3 and i am going to ride with my mate who has a sherco 290, he also rides a mx bike and the first thing he said about my bike was the clutch and brake levers were to far back, now i relise why and am going to leave them in that postion till i get some skills and confidence.

Cheers Adam

Adam

[axulsuv]

Great explanation Dan ...

The last event I rode with the ITSA guys , The Guru (Bob Ginder) from B&J racing rode my trusty fantic for a few minutes and the proceeded to show me where to move my bars and levers , And we also tweaked my clutch adjustment a tad ... Like you stated , I'm a old enduro guy and had my levers and bars set like I would on a enduro bike . He rolled the bars forward just a tad from where I had them and lifted my levers WAY up ... I rode around for a few minutes to get used to the change (that felt really strange at first )But found my control improving noticeably in a few minutes ... Again,Thanks Bob !!!

Glenn

Edited December 31, 2010 by axulsuv