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 friends comp bike, immediately got it nailed 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.

See my other thread, I'm trying to find the real numbers of modern street bikes, as they are unfortunately nowhere to be found online.
Fitting one of these https://www.ergotec.de/en/products/vorbauten/sub/ahead-vorbau/produkt/high-charisma-31-8.html right now, this should bring my bike to Inspired Team levels of stack, but it's all blind guessing without a bike to measure.

[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 Saturday at 04:21 AM 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...