Riser or Bar's

[Icemanxxxv]

My problem stems from arthritis of my Basal Joints. Theare the first joint in my thumbs. Leaning forward puts a lot of pressure on my thumbs and causes a bit of pain. Right now Ive got pretty much what I assume is standard Mountain Bike bars, about 1.5 inches of rise and 2.5 inches of reward sweep, and that dog ain't huntin!
After adjusting my seat as far forward as possible to get me closer to the bars, and rotating the bars to a more upright position I took the bike for a ride. It's better, but still not working for me.
I've looked at stem risers and bars, but my concern is not getting enough rise from 3 inch rise bars and too much with 5 inch rise. Should I play it safe and just go to the 5 inch rise or go for the three inch and if that doesn't work out add a stem riser? OBTW the bike has a threadless stem.
Thanks

[xerxes]

Ergon, do a range of grips, some with integrated bar-ends: http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/product/gp4. Might be worth a try.

If that doesn't help, try On-One, they do some different shaped bars, that offer some alternative hand positions: http://www.on-one.co.uk/c/q/bars_and_grips

In general though, the less weight on your hands, the more weight on your backside, so you find that you get a sore butt instead of sore wrists/hands on longer rides. :S

[Joe_W]

Take a look at those
http://www.nvocomponents.com/tm-2.htm
my wife has them on her touring bike. They can be adjusted over quite some range.

[DaveM]

(08-21-2012, 09:47 AM)Icemanxxxv Wrote:  Should I play it safe and just go to the 5 inch rise or go for the three inch and if that doesn't work out add a stem riser? OBTW the bike has a threadless stem.

I'd go with bars over a riser for weight and strength issues if possible.

I also think you should look into bars that sweep back a bit more than standard mtn riser bars. You may find that these give you a more natural hand position and get the weight off your hands without having to have the bars so high up. Just make sure to look for ones that have the right tubing diameter to fit mtn bike style brakes/shifters.

[Tim M]

I tend to be hyper extended across the top on hybrids so when I was thinking about buying a 2005 Specialized Sirrus I was also thinking about iterative remedies. I bought the bike.

First, I replaced the stock stem with a shorter, 90mm. That helped a little bit.

Second, I replaced the stock grips with Ergon GP-1. A little bit more help but didn't solve the problem.

Third, I installed a Delta riser and removed two of the stock spacers. That helped a lot, but not enough.

Fourth, I considered starting over and installing trekking bars but that seemed invasive, too much trouble, and costly.

Fifth and finally, I replaced the Ergons with trimmed and sliced BMX grips and I installed bar extensions turned inwards (toward me) that gave more hand positions and provided the more upright position I wanted in an urban environment, with option to extend for speed and efficiency. I wear cycling gloves on this bike and always check tightness of things before riding.

My wife said I made the bike ugly.

But these are some front end variables one can play with on this type of bike.
[attachment=3431][attachment=3432]

[Bill]

Congrats nice modification!
As far as the bike being ugly, well it is to make you more comfortable while so ya can ride comfortably.

[GeorgeET]

Got to say that is a really weird way to use the bar horns . Its all cramped up and too close to you. Unless you have very short arms. Is the bike the right size for you?. If you got to do all that I think a different bar would serve you better. More raise and pullback. IMO.

[DaveM]

(08-22-2012, 02:02 PM)GeorgeET Wrote:  I think a different bar would serve you better.

I think he's basically mimicking the positioning of a standard upright city bar like these:
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/components/handlebars/vo-belleville-config.html

One advantage of using the more upright bar style is that it will put your brakes and shifters under your hands when you're in the upright position where you probably spend most of your time.

[GeorgeET]

Maybe, its all kind of weird lots of parts when a handlebar swap would serve. Not my choice but if you need it than that's the way to go. Cruiser handlebar or Touring.

http://www.bikepartsusa.com/bikeparts/item/01-109944/search/Wald--Touring%2C-%238095%2C-Chrome%2C-Handlebar&category=search

http://www.bikepartsusa.com/bikeparts/item/01-79887/search/Wald--Cruiser%2C-%23898%2C-Chrome%2C-Handlebar&category=search

http://www.bikepartsusa.com/bikeparts/category.cgi?&category=search&template=search&templatehead=&templatebody=&templatefoot=&match=pattern&limitcategory=&type=store&searchtype=and&results=&query=handlebar&imageField=search&start=72

These work for me :

[Tim M]

(08-22-2012, 02:02 PM)GeorgeET Wrote:  Got to say that is a really weird way to use the bar horns . Its all cramped up and too close to you. Unless you have very short arms. Is the bike the right size for you?. If you got to do all that I think a different bar would serve you better. More raise and pullback. IMO.

One of the things I liked about this 2005 Sirrus, a hybrid, is that it was sized perfectly for me vertically. I plead guilty to being long of leg, short of arm and torso and I have learned that for me, the main thing is vertical extension. I installed the bar extensions the way I did (toward me) to get an inline hand position and relief, like on the drop bars that I am used to. I like that option. I don't feel especially cramped in this bike's cockpit and can always extend to the straight bar. I might remove the Delta extension and see how that works for me and the bike...