Handlebar Rise: Does It Really Make a Difference?

[Ordinary Juan]

Hi trials community,

Two months ago, I bravely decided to get an Inspired Flow 24 from a Spanish shop that distributes trials bikes.

I've been practicing nearly every day for the past two months, working on my technique. I've made solid progress on the basics, and my balance on two wheels has improved a lot. One day, I'll post a video of my progress, in true "Cook and Sons" style, who have been a huge inspiration for me.

My question comes from watching a lot of videos and checking out riders' bike setups: the handlebar rise.

I’ve noticed that the "Inspired Pro Riser" or the "Arcade Handlebar" is very common on all Inspired models, and pretty much all the pros use them. If not, they seem to go for similar models from brands like Deity, SQlabs, etc.

I know I’m not quite at the level to be picky about bike fit and components just yet, but...

Does a riser bar actually improve control and bunnyhops? Would upgrading to a bar with that "riser" help me progress faster in terms of technique? What alternatives are there to Inspired bars with similar geometry?

For now, I’m riding the stock Inspired Flow handlebar, tilted slightly back, as I’ve found it more comfortable for controlling the rear wheel and pivoting on the front without straining my wrists.

Best regards, and thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[Alex Dark]

Higher rise bar will just raise the front end, should make it easier to bunnyhop but probably at the cost of backwheel control. 

[stirlingpowers]

I feel every centimeter in effective stack, a lot. Once you can back hop somewhat, have a go on a modern comp bike, those with the really flat long handlebar stem combos. It's astonishing what you can do on the backwheel on them. I once struggled going over ten small wooden posts set up in a circle. I switched to a friend's comp bike, immediately nailed it, and with ease. On the other hand, these bikes are painful to bunnyhop, at least if you don't want to land on the front wheel somewhere high up. It's a combination of reach & stack, of course, but stack is certainly doing its part in the different feel.

Edited October 29 by stirlingpowers

[basstrials]

The easiest way to get an answer to your question is to experiment with two different handlebars, one with a large rise and the other flatter for several days in a row. You will see that with the higher rise one it is easy to make bunnyhop and manual with a small amount of power and weight distribution instead of flatter one. On the other hand, for the backhops you need the front end close to your body to achieve proper balance on the rear wheel, so a handlebar with more lift is a compromise. Put in this "equation" and the length of the stem together and you have to do some experiments to get what you really need what to achieve. I have a "street all rounder"  Giant TT (old geometry) with an Inspired team handlebar and i make bunnyhop easier than with the same bike with a Pro two-inch riser with the same 90mm stem. So I guess it's going to be the same with Inspired bikes, but I'm by no means an expert, I'm just saying that if you do more street stuffs and use bunnyhop like going up technique,stick with this bike but if you need to spend more time on rear wheel to backhops etc. it would be more practical to get yourself a comp bike.

 

Edited September 14 by basstrials

[Szymon]

The question is how tall are you?
I'm 170cm tall and the factory Fourplay set was too tall for me.
With a high handlebar, the handlebar is easily torn up. Bunny hop is easier in the initial phase. For me, the lower the handlebars, the higher I jump. I have more room to pull the bike up.
Currently I don't have any stem pads and I have a Qlab handlebar which is lower than the Inspired one.

[La Bourde]

Exactly: when the bar is too high,it can become a drawback for high bunny hops. I guess this is because the amplitude of the chess downwards movement is reduced.

In addition, all moves to the front are more difficult, static being a nightmare then...

[Ordinary Juan]

First of all, thank you all for your help and comments!

Reading your posts, I see it's a bit contrary to what I've read online and even here on the forum. I had understood that a high rise handlebar helps with front wheel control.
With the original Flow handlebar, I’m gaining quite a bit of control over the front wheel, to the point where I can almost pivot 360º on the rear wheel.
Backhops are coming along, but they're proving to be harder than I expected. Although my static balance and hopping (jumping up stairs while using both wheels) have improved a lot, and I can now keep my balance for over 20 steps. A month ago, I couldn't even stay still on stairs without panicking.

Honestly, I’m finding it difficult to do bunny hops (when on my 26'' full suspension bike, I have way more control, but I’ve also been riding it for 10 years and it has suspension). I can jump, but no higher than 35 cm, while I see athletes clearing walls up to 1.20 meters. I still feel like I’ve got a long way to go.

Same goes for the manual—I can't seem to find the balance point. I feel like my weight is too far forward on the bike in general, and I’m not sure if a high rise bar would help with handling and balancing that geometry.
Could someone explain how a high rise bar might negatively impact rear wheel control? Does it help with manuals and backhops?
Overall, I feel quite in control of the bike, but mostly on the front wheel. Maybe it’s because I know I don’t have the rear wheel down yet, and I’ve focused more on the front.

@Szymon I’m 1.75m tall, so I don’t think that’s an issue for me.

 

[La Bourde]

You need to distinguish two aspects :

getting on the rear wheel and staying balance on the rear wheel.

Basically, both can't be solved by the same geometry. Either you go for one or for the other, but you can't have both simultaneously.

 

A high bar will make pulling the front wheel up much easier. Thus, you will have less problem to maintain the left/right balance during the first phase of a manual (I.e. getting to the balance point).

For a really high bunny up, this can become a drawback, cause you have a really short period for jumping/for the extension. In addition, you start from a higher position, more on the back, but for really high bunny up, one shall slightly transfer his/her mass to the front, which is more difficult when starting too far back. One has less vertical amplitude too.

 

On the rear wheel with a lower bar, your hips are closer to the balance point, they are more above the bottom bracket. That gives a much better control (moment of rotation is smaller, that makes it easier to control)

 

 

 

Edited September 29 by La Bourde