Why risers?

"Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What is the point of risers? I've got them on my new bike, but it seems that it puts me in a more
upright position, making my control less agressive. Why do I see the easton monkeylite (riser) on
most racer's bikes?

As others (notably, Keith Bontrager) have pointed out, risers are an answer to a question that
nobody was asking. The same effect (higher handlebars) can be had with a taller stem. Risers are
neither stronger, lighter nor better suited for any type of riding. They just look trendy. They used
to be found on "old skool" bikes only. Then in the 90's, nobody used risers. Then in the "new
millenium", they made a comeback. It's pure fashion. You'd be better off with a set of different
stems that you could swap-out to give you more handlebar positions.

Most flat bars have a very shallow bend. The deeper bends of riser bars are more comfortable. That's
about the only benefit I can attribute to risers.

-Barry

"Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What is the point of risers? I've got them on my new bike, but it seems that it puts me in a more
upright position, making my control less agressive. Why do I see the easton monkeylite (riser) on
most racer's bikes?

Steve

Personal preference, I suppose. They're a little better for technical stuff as you get less weight
on the front which prevents washouts and going over the bars. They're also a little more comfortable
for seated riding I find because of the wrist angle. Personally, I still like straight bars with
bar-ends as I like out of the saddle climbing with bar-ends.

Cheers,

Scott..

Steve said:

What is the point of risers? I've got them on my new bike, but it seems that it puts me in a more
upright position, making my control less agressive. Why do I see the easton monkeylite (riser) on
most racer's bikes?

Steve

dood dosen't everyone ride DH now? They started it and everyone else just kinda went along... It's
all about DH and Freeride now.... NOT. Flat bars and barends for 15 years now, why would I change?

B. Sanders said:

As others (notably, Keith Bontrager) have pointed out, risers are an answer to a question that
nobody was asking. The same effect (higher handlebars) can be had with a taller stem. Risers are
neither stronger, lighter nor better suited for any type of riding. They just look trendy.

They can also be used to adjust fit problems for people who have ill fitting bikes. It's not always
about high performance.

My dad (60 years old) was complaining of lower back pain when he rode his mountain bike. I installed
a shorter stem and some risers which shortened the reach by about 5-6 inches and he's a lot happier
and more comfortable. It was a lot cheaper than getting him a whole new bike.

--Bill Davidson
--
Please remove ".nospam" from my address for email replies.

I'm a 17 year veteran of usenet -- you'd think I'd be over it by now

B. Sanders said...

Quoted message said:

Then in the "new millenium", they made a comeback. It's pure fashion.

That is no doubt part of it, but maybe it is easier to bend tubing to get the desired position than
to redesign stems.

Quoted message said:

Most flat bars have a very shallow bend. The deeper bends of riser bars are more comfortable.
That's about the only benefit I can attribute to risers.

If you want the rise and the sweep that risers offer, then to get it with a flat bar you would need
new bars and a new stem. Risers kill two birds with one stone.

Fred Marx said:

Steve said:

What is the point of risers? I've got them on my new bike, but it seems that it puts me in a more
upright position, making my control less agressive. Why do I see the easton monkeylite (riser) on
most racer's bikes?

Quoted message said:

dood dosen't everyone ride DH now? They started it and everyone else just kinda went along... It's
all about DH and Freeride now.... NOT. Flat bars and barends for 15 years now, why would I change?

I'm with you, but don't underestimate the lemming mentality when it comes to bike fashion. If
the guys in the group ride start showing up with Product X, pretty soon only the retrogrouches
(like me...) will NOT have Product X on their bike (applies pretty much equally to roadies and
MTBers, BTW).

It's easy enough to do just about anything with a flat bar you can do with a riser - unless you
want your bars WAY up (like, above the saddle). There are flat bars that are as wide, and that have
as much sweep as most risers - and the combination of those flat bars and a stem with more rise
will weigh less and be indistinguishable in terms of handling. But if that's not what "the boys"
are riding...

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles habcycles.comhabcycles.comOpen ↗ Home of the $695 ti frame

Mark Hickey said:

But if that's not what "the boys" are riding...

Or is it what was included with my bike. My last two mountain bikes came spec'd with Easton riser
bars. They work fine, so I didn't bother swapping them for something different.

I believe that this has a lot more to do with things than what "the boys" are riding.

Barry

B a r r y B u r k e J r . said:

Mark Hickey said:

But if that's not what "the boys" are riding...

Or is it what was included with my bike. My last two mountain bikes came spec'd with Easton riser
bars. They work fine, so I didn't bother swapping them for something different.

I believe that this has a lot more to do with things than what "the boys" are riding.

That's why they were spec'd though... so you can't escape it.

Bwah hah hah hhhaaaaahhhhhhh....

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles habcycles.comhabcycles.comOpen ↗ Home of the $695 ti frame

Steve' may have said:

What is the point of risers? I've got them on my new bike, but it seems that it puts me in a more
upright position, making my control less agressive. Why do I see the easton monkeylite (riser) on
most racer's bikes?

Two possible answers, neither of which is guaranteed to be the reason for any given rider:

The rider thinks they look neat.

The bike came with a threadless fork, and bars with risers were cheaper than a stem that would
produce the same grip position, or perhaps a stem that high just couldn't be had.

(I've heard the latter rationale more than once now.)

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Yes, I have a killfile. If I
don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy.

Super Slinky may have said:

B. Sanders said...

Quoted message said:

Then in the "new millenium", they made a comeback. It's pure fashion.

That is no doubt part of it, but maybe it is easier to bend tubing to get the desired position than
to redesign stems.

Quoted message said:

Most flat bars have a very shallow bend. The deeper bends of riser bars are more comfortable.
That's about the only benefit I can attribute to risers.

If you want the rise and the sweep that risers offer, then to get it with a flat bar you would need
new bars and a new stem. Risers kill two birds with one stone.

Of course, with a threaded steerer, this issue is less likely to be present...but I've seen bikes
with riser bars on a threaded steerer in the stores, so it's likely to be a fashion issue as much as
anything else.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Yes, I have a killfile. If I
don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy.

Dude, if you want to look good in your baggies, you gotta have risers. No duh.

Quoted message said:

Personal preference, I suppose. They're a little better for technical

stuff

Quoted message said:

as you get less weight on the front which prevents washouts and going over the bars. They're also
a little more comfortable for seated riding I find because of the wrist angle. Personally, I still
like straight bars with bar-ends as I like out of the saddle climbing with bar-ends.

Cheers,

Scott..

There's another piece of hard-won knowledge that seems to have gotten lost... The reason bar-ends
came into being in the first place is to give a more ergonomic hand position when climbing. Now that
the pros have dumped theirs, the avg joe seems to be doing the same...

Too bad.

Good thing I'm not tempted to follow suit!

Mike

Quoted message said:

The bike came with a threadless fork, and bars with risers were cheaper than a stem that would
produce the same grip position, or perhaps a stem that high just couldn't be had.

(I've heard the latter rationale more than once now.)

Except that the riser bars are harder to switch out, and are usually paired with a stem that's
flipped over to put the rider in a lower position (before the riser bars were added). I can't tell
you how many guys I've seen with their stems flipped "roadie style" and riser bars. If they'd only
turn the stem over, they'd be right where they are with their riser bars!

Since bike fit isn't as critical on a mtn bike, people don't tend to spend the time on fitting that
roadies do. If they did, then those riser bars would probably be long gone.

Mike

RE/

Quoted message said:

What is the point of risers? I've got them on my new bike, but it seems that it puts me in a more
upright position, making my control less agressive.

The height factor seems moot to me. Raise the stem, lower the stem....and all that.

One thing that nobody seems to mention about risers is that if they rise enough, you can get a
significant change in saddle-bar distance just by tilting them fore and aft.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

Mike S. said:

Quoted message said:

The bike came with a threadless fork, and bars with risers were cheaper than a stem that would
produce the same grip position, or perhaps a stem that high just couldn't be had.

(I've heard the latter rationale more than once now.)

Except that the riser bars are harder to switch out, and are usually paired with a stem that's
flipped over to put the rider in a lower position (before the riser bars were added). I can't tell
you how many guys I've seen with their stems flipped "roadie style" and riser bars. If they'd only
turn the stem over, they'd be right where they are with their riser bars!

Since bike fit isn't as critical on a mtn bike, people don't tend to spend the time on fitting
that roadies do. If they did, then those riser bars would probably be long gone.

Mike

It also goes along with the "farmer John" tractor postition that I constanly se on mtn bikes these
days.... I could take the time to descibe it but once you look for it and see it it becomes obviouse
what I mean.... and it looks so comfy and aero.... NOT

"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The height factor seems moot to me. Raise the stem, lower the

stem....and all

Quoted message said:

that.

One thing that nobody seems to mention about risers is that if they rise

enough,

Quoted message said:

you can get a significant change in saddle-bar distance just by tilting

them

Quoted message said:

fore and aft.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

I agree about the height thing. Not much different than using a different stem with flat bars and it
makes bar-ends a little tricky to use. About the tilt thing though, it's sometimes problematic
because the angle of the bar changes if you tilt too much and it becomes uncomfortable on your
wrists. But for sure there is some adjustment there.

Cheers,

Scott..

Fred Fred Fred, two *NOT* references in one thread.

Styleguy would say something witty yet insulting to you.

-kurd

"Fred Marx" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mike S. said:

Quoted message said:

The bike came with a threadless fork, and bars with risers were cheaper than a stem that would
produce the same grip position, or perhaps a stem that high just couldn't be had.

(I've heard the latter rationale more than once now.)

Except that the riser bars are harder to switch out, and are usually

paired

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

with a stem that's flipped over to put the rider in a lower position

(before

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the riser bars were added). I can't tell you how many guys I've seen

with

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

their stems flipped "roadie style" and riser bars. If they'd only turn

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

stem over, they'd be right where they are with their riser bars!

Since bike fit isn't as critical on a mtn bike, people don't tend to

spend

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the time on fitting that roadies do. If they did, then those riser bars would probably be
long gone.

Mike

It also goes along with the "farmer John" tractor postition that I constanly se on mtn bikes these
days.... I could take the time to descibe it but once you look for it and see it it becomes
obviouse what I mean.... and it looks so comfy and aero.... NOT

While letting your top-posting slide?

Bill "just for effect" S.

"Kurd" <[email hidden],net> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Fred Fred Fred, two *NOT* references in one thread.

Styleguy would say something witty yet insulting to you.

-kurd

"Fred Marx" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mike S. said:

>The bike came with a threadless fork, and bars with risers were cheaper than a stem that would
>produce the same grip position, or perhaps a stem that high just couldn't be had.
>
>(I've heard the latter rationale more than once now.)

Except that the riser bars are harder to switch out, and are usually

paired

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

with a stem that's flipped over to put the rider in a lower position

(before

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the riser bars were added). I can't tell you how many guys I've seen

with

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

their stems flipped "roadie style" and riser bars. If they'd only

turn

Quoted message said:

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

stem over, they'd be right where they are with their riser bars!

Since bike fit isn't as critical on a mtn bike, people don't tend to

spend

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the time on fitting that roadies do. If they did, then those riser

bars

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

would probably be long gone.

Mike

It also goes along with the "farmer John" tractor postition that I constanly se on mtn bikes
these days.... I could take the time to descibe it but once you look for it and see it it
becomes obviouse what I mean.... and it looks so comfy and aero.... NOT

I believe that Styleguy already covered the riser bar v. bar ends before. Either are good,
just don't do both. Quoting from memory: "You can either be John Wayne or Huggy Bear, you
cannot be both."

"Sorni" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

While letting your top-posting slide?

Bill "just for effect" S.

"Kurd" <[email hidden],net> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Fred Fred Fred, two *NOT* references in one thread.

Styleguy would say something witty yet insulting to you.

-kurd

"Fred Marx" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mike S. wrote:

>>The bike came with a threadless fork, and bars with risers were cheaper than a stem that
>>would produce the same grip position, or perhaps a stem that high just couldn't be had.
>>
>>(I've heard the latter rationale more than once now.)
>
>
>
> Except that the riser bars are harder to switch out, and are usually

paired

Quoted message said:

> with a stem that's flipped over to put the rider in a lower position

(before

Quoted message said:

> the riser bars were added). I can't tell you how many guys I've

seen

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

with

Quoted message said:

> their stems flipped "roadie style" and riser bars. If they'd only

turn

Quoted message said:

the

Quoted message said:

> stem over, they'd be right where they are with their riser bars!
>
> Since bike fit isn't as critical on a mtn bike, people don't tend to

spend

Quoted message said:

> the time on fitting that roadies do. If they did, then those riser

bars

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> would probably be long gone.
>
> Mike
>
>
It also goes along with the "farmer John" tractor postition that I constanly se on mtn bikes
these days.... I could take the time to descibe it but once you look for it and see it it
becomes obviouse

what

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I mean.... and it looks so comfy and aero.... NOT