Handlebar Bend?

Try this link

http://www.renthal.com/File/fit_my_bike.asp

Hi ya' Surly

This is going to get a little wordy... there's a combination of objectivity, personal opinion and quasi-science to this.

I suppose first of all, your physical condition will determine your most consistent, most repeatable, most comfortable stance... something you can maintain for the entire time you're "on the boil", yet permits a secondary, more relaxed, 'resting stance' as well.
You have basically 4 riding positions: Aggressive sitting and standing and resting sitting and standing. There are variations... but these are the big four.

When I go 'full agro standing', I can maintain it for about 5 to 10 minutes at best before the body says, "You dillweed you... you're too old for this shit, sit down or stand up, but knock the racer crouch off!"

My current bar is the Zeta SX ZE04-123... a Honda CRF bend that is similar to other brand bends like the PT Windham RM Mid. Seen in this older photo, without a steering damper installed.



Rise is 98mm - and on stock (low rise) Sherco risers in the forward position.

The height is such that I purposely can't stand dead, straight up and must have a tiny bit of bend in knees, hips and ankles. I can hold that pose all day... and it places me not too far away from the aforementioned more aggressive stance.

In an attempt to apply some sort of logical pre-selection aspect to choosing bars...

First I'd do a bit of stretching exercises to limber up and take the kinks out. Put your riding boots on, as they usually add to your inseam more than street shoes.
Loosen your bars and rotate them down so they're not in the way. Get a buddy to help you... and kinda fill them in on what you're trying to do.

Then get the bike on a stand and get on it. Trying to stay relaxed and "loose", stand on the pegs, shake your arms and hands a bit... then close your eyes.

Bend your knees and hips slightly... not too far, it has to be a position you think you can maintain for a good amount of time.
Reach out with your elbows bent out a bit and your hands in a neutral lateral position... no forced angle in or out.
Lower your hands slowly and stop when your body 'feels right'... there's a happy balance that most folks can feel when they get there.
Have your buddy take a rough measurement of where your hands are and then compare this to the bars you have.

This isn't an exact science... far from it.
Most people that have been riding for a long time will search out a bend that can provide a good compromise of comfort and control... and will find a 'bend range' they like and stick with.
This method may not be very useful for deep woods because you tend to crouch a little lower in tight woods... at least I do.

For sweep, I'd suggest it's better to error on the side of too little than to much. It's easy to end up with too much, but pretty hard to end up with not enough.
Why? Because although you can bend your wrists out too far, you can't really bend your wrists in too far... your elbows will automatically rotate outward, which is where they should be anyway, from a best control perspective.

The older and more damaged someone is (and this is purely and observation on my part, not a fact by any means) the more likely they will gravitate towards a bar with a 45 to 55mm sweep range, while younger, or riders with a better range of motion to hands and wrists can tolerate a more angled sweep.

There is no 'right sweep'... there's only what fits. Riders that do complain about arm pump, wrist pain or numbness should consider a bar with less sweep than what they currently have.

OK... can't think of anything else that's useful that you don't already know.

C

C,
You're not busting much bark with that mirror!
Norman

It's a polycarbonate Mirrcycle bicycle mirror with a few parts deleted for mo-sickle work... folds in or comes off in seconds. That photo was with the mirror mounted into the Zeta handguard bar end bolts.

The current mounting is like my old set-up on the LC4... drilled and tapped holes in the sides of the Acerbis handguards.

This (crappy) photo shows them folded inward.



So there... you geezer you.

Very cool looking, but those mirrors still wouldn't last a ride in SJ woods

That's why when the tree gaps get to be a little on the narrow side, you fold them in, or take them off and put them in your pocket.

Don't really need tools to remove them... but it's best to have an allen wrench when you put them back on.

C

I've always liked TAG bars but when I got my ProTec SUB mount for my GPR stabilizer, I had to switch to Pro Taper bars to keep my hands in the same place. With TAG when I went from a CR Hi to a low to accommodate the height of the SUB mount the sweep changed. In Pro Taper the sweep remained the same.

Thanks Creeper. I got some testing to do. Some exercise and stretching would help!

I've found that as I get older, spending a few minutes doing some stretches to loosen and warm up the muscles really makes a difference a few hours into the ride... that and regular hydration.

It really gets expensive though filling up the Camelbak with Geritol and gin.

Don't mean to beat a possible dead horse here, but for them what have an interest in the previously mentioned Mirrcycle bar end mirrors... here are a couple of recent (as in today) pics. Click-the-pic for a larger view.



I've tried all kinds of bicycle mirrors on dirty bikes, and these have held up better than any other brand... and when you stick 'em all the way out there on the barkbusters, you can see great.

OK... that's really it. (Hey Dean, you should name this smilie "Norman")
C

We need to take you riding in a South Jersey "Ignorant Tight Stick Farm". Those mirrors would end up on the ground, being used by lady chipmunks to check their lipstick! That said it looks like a nice way to do it. I would be flattered to have that smilie named after me by jingees!
Norman

Yup, come check out the greenbriar or stumpjumper

Ignorant tight is exactly how we describe what's down here. 35 inches across is wide open!

I do believe I'd have to take the mirrors off... and perhaps another inch of handlebar.

That's where the YZ 80 bars come in.......no cutting needed
Greenbriar "Doorway to Hell" To think I used to "practice" riding that.....stuff.
Oh Yeah, Stumpjumper's no picnic either