JD™ Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) Hi All, It's something that I've been thinking about a lot, and a question that seems to be asked fairly regularly, and it's about handlebar height. Generally when someone asks what sort of height they should have their bars at, they get an answer saying that it should be relative to BB height - as far as I'm concerned that's too vague. For that reason, I wanted to get an idea of what people are running so that we could get some sort of simple formula that included BB height and a constant range to get an idea of an ideal starting point for bar height. Basically, fill this out if you are interested: (reason for the from floor figures is to take stock/mod out of the equation) BB Height (from floor): Bar Height (from floor to grips): Bar Height - BB Height: I'll start- BB Height: 34cm Bar Height: 99.5cm Bar Height - BB Height: 65.5 Then put your final figure there into the poll at the top and we'll see what happens for an average... Disclaimer: I could only use my own result as a basis for the poll at this time, and I don't profess to have average or ideal bar height - this is as much a learning process for me as I hope it will be for beginners who ask the question in the future. The idea is that we'll have a figure whereby we can answer the question with "Most people run their bars at around Xcm higher than their BB". It wont be a one size fits all answer, but it'll be a starting point I hope! Edited January 18, 2011 by JD™ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Dunstan Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) Sounds interesting, I'll measure mine when I get home tonight. Edited January 18, 2011 by xDUNSTANx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimpanzyyyy Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 good idea but don't forget tgs riders loves stupidy low bar height (comp riders aswell) "24 street" riders loves stupidly high bar height riding style is something to consider aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD™ Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 good idea but don't forget tgs riders loves stupidy low bar height (comp riders aswell) "24 street" riders loves stupidly high bar height riding style is something to consider aswell That's the point of getting a very simple average range - it's just a starting point for beginners which will be somewhere between the TGS and Street heights which they can tweak from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forteh Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Ill measure mine more precisely later but I think my bars are about 40-41" high with a +30bb, thats with pretty long forks though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 I'm sitting at around a 41" bar height/35mm BB rise at the mo too, but will check it out a bit more later for you. Oh, and you might want to change your poll to "BB height" rather that "rise" just so everyone's on the same wavelength Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali C Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 from memory my bars are around 1040mm (41") and my bb is +20mm so that leaves the difference at 84cm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskooltrials Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 My 09 Echo team (mod) comes in at 67cm, i bet thats higher than most other mods? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD™ Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 I'm sitting at around a 41" bar height/35mm BB rise at the mo too, but will check it out a bit more later for you. Oh, and you might want to change your poll to "BB height" rather that "rise" just so everyone's on the same wavelength Cheers for that, it was originally rise on all of them, but then I decided to take mod/stock out of the equation for simplicity and forgot to change that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD™ Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Gonna need more answers for this to be any use... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamR28 Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Gonna need more answers for this to be any use... Well they won't be accurate anyway, TF tape measure and all that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD™ Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Well they won't be accurate anyway, TF tape measure and all that True! Is there a 'norm' that you guys build full builds to, or does it just go to by feel or customer spec? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 don't forget tgs riders loves stupidy low bar height (comp riders aswell) Because it's 'good' for backhopping. "24 street" riders loves stupidly high bar height Because it's 'good' for bunnyhopping and that sort of thing. Generally we set bikes up with a few spacers under the stem so the customer can choose. I think we usually set them up sort of where we'd have them though, and for the most part we all have relatively high front ends because it makes bikes feel a hell of a lot better on things like tech natural, or really anything where you're on 2 wheels. Having a mega low front end is all well and good if you just want to make your bike feel alright backhopping on the spot, but for rolling around and doing other stuff it's not that nice at all. We all mostly ride natural where that kind of setup just doesn't really work that well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD™ Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 (edited) Because it's 'good' for backhopping. Because it's 'good' for bunnyhopping and that sort of thing. Generally we set bikes up with a few spacers under the stem so the customer can choose. I think we usually set them up sort of where we'd have them though, and for the most part we all have relatively high front ends because it makes bikes feel a hell of a lot better on things like tech natural, or really anything where you're on 2 wheels. Having a mega low front end is all well and good if you just want to make your bike feel alright backhopping on the spot, but for rolling around and doing other stuff it's not that nice at all. We all mostly ride natural where that kind of setup just doesn't really work that well. I'd be interested in how high yours is, because with Ali's below being so much higher that mine I'd like to know if that's 'usual' for people riding a similar style to what I'm trying to achieve? (on the Inspired that is, not so much the Sky) from memory my bars are around 1040mm (41") and my bb is +20mm so that leaves the difference at 84cm That actually leaves yours more around 70cm, because with a +20mm BB your BB will be about 345mm off the floor - good to get an idea of just how much higher yours is than mine though! Edited January 19, 2011 by JD™ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Our bikes do feel relatively similar. I like mine feeling quite high and short, hence the 70 x 25 stem and about 138 spacers. I don't have a tape measure here but I'll whip mine out at work and give it a measure. Then I'll get my bike out and see what that's like. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.Wood Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Oh snap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginger allen echo Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 BB Height: 32.5 Bar Height: 95 Bar Height - BB Height: 62.5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapsa Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Sorry, but this is useless. There will be no formula as it all depends on how tall are you and how proportional your body is. Here is a simple illustration that shows what i mean. Same setup, but for one rider front end is too low = ass too high and seemingly awkward position, but other rider looks ok. As long as riders position on bike is not noticeably ridicculous, it is foolish to say his front end is too low. Individual body characteristics and personal preference is what matters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD™ Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Sorry, but this is useless. There will be no formula as it all depends on how tall are you and how proportional your body is. Here is a simple illustration that shows what i mean. Same setup, but for one rider front end is too low = ass too high and seemingly awkward position, but other rider looks ok. As long as riders position on bike is not noticeably ridicculous, it is foolish to say his front end is too low. Individual body characteristics and personal preference is what matters. Hence an average. Like average height. Enough people answer the poll = decent idea of an average. Feel free to answer the poll and then we'll actually start getting towards that average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forteh Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Having actually measured my bike..... Centre of handlebars at the outside end is 1015mm, BB is 370mm. Therefore the difference in cm is 64.5 For reference, Im 5'7", dont know if that makes any difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FamilyBiker Posted April 21, 2012 Report Share Posted April 21, 2012 (edited) sorry for doing this mega-bump but bar height is actually an interesting topic for me as my new frame and forks will have another setup. for now i got a +20 bb,1010 bars(675mm difference) edit:reach of 645mm doesnt the frames reach take massive influence about those measures,like a "theoretical" tt of 590 will give more stretched feeling as a 560 tt,taking bar height out of the calculation? the new frame has about 10mm more reach think theres room for further discussions,and the poll needs more factors to be accurate. e viva el post! Edited April 21, 2012 by FamilyBiker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cai Posted April 21, 2012 Report Share Posted April 21, 2012 (edited) Echo Control '09 BB Height (from floor): 37cm Bar Height (from floor to grips): 104cm Bar Height - BB Height: 67cm Edit: I'm 6'2 and this feels very good for trials, however on my 24" I have a difference of 72cm.. Edited April 21, 2012 by cai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezmtber Posted July 5, 2013 Report Share Posted July 5, 2013 Ozonys v3 24" Bar hight: 104cm Bb hight: 38cm Total rise :68 cm And I am 5'6"I feel a little high on the front now and again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted July 5, 2013 Report Share Posted July 5, 2013 Ozonys v3 24" Bar hight: 104cm Bb hight: 38cm Total rise :68 cm And I am 5'6" I feel a little high on the front now and again Do you realise this thread is over a year old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clerictgm Posted July 5, 2013 Report Share Posted July 5, 2013 (edited) Element 24 with element uncut forks, 45mm stackers, TT 70x35 stem, TT high rise bars Bar height: 103cm Bb height: 33cm Total rise : 70 cm And I am 5.97112861 feet Edited July 5, 2013 by clerictgm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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