I have an issue with MTB bars. I get a lot of pressure on the outside of my palms. Makes for some very uncomfortable long rides.
It seems like the bars all sweep up a bit, and the angle does NOT work with my hand position. Even flat bars are hard for me. I’m guessing that its because I have very wide shoulders, so my arms dont angle out like most peoples, but I’m at a loss.
is there a riser bar out there that is flat, instead of sweeping up at an angle? I’ve rotated the bars back, but I really dont like the way they steer when I do.
Are there grips that one can buy that will take care of this?
I am broad shouldered and have had hand issues while mountain biking. Felt like I had too much weight on a small portionof each hand. Mountain bike bars do not offer as many hand positions to choose from as do road bars. Plus, there is a lot more braking and shifting (due to the un-smooth way I ride).
I got some Ergon grips and like them very much. They are broad (like a pistol stock) not round. Feels like my weight is much more broadly distributed across the whole palm.
Also, I found that raising my bars has helped. I realized that mountain biking is not about being low/aero but is about control, balance and power.
you might wish to look at the flo-wing bar at www.bikesonsnow.com. that is a sweet bar.
or, just set up the bike with a well thought out off-road drop bar set up and have done with it. the 1st 3 mtn bike world chmpnshp ( Fe ) titles were won on drops, and of course johnny T used to win DOWNHILL events on his.
these bikes will go anyplace, just as fast, as any similar ( rigid singlespeed 29 ) flat bar bike. yer wrists never get sore, and yer hands never hurt. MTBR has set-up guides for the conversion.
Yep, that’s certainly a problem throughout all MTB handlebar manufacturers. You’d think they’d be smarter than that. As has been mentioned a few times already, the right grips will mitigate this problem.
Also consider a technique change. For the most part, while you are pedalling your hold on the bars should be somewhat light with relatively little weight there. If you can’t achieve that when putting good pressure on the pedals then you might have too much of a ‘triathlon’ position (ie. effective seat tube angle too steep). You may need to slide your seat back.
Oddly enough, Xterra rules prohibit the use of drop bars even though MTB races generally allow them. I can only speculate as to why.
My suspicion is that they are not concerned about experienced riders such as yourself. Probably worried about Joe Tri hearing from his hard core MTB buddies that the bike portion of an Xterra is rediculously easy compared to a “real” MTB race, then slapping some slightly wider tires on his road bike thinking he will be riding entirely groomed dirt roads, then either hurting himself or breaking his bike.
I would say, taken as an average, that MTB races are a bit more technical than Xterra courses, but Xterra courses are still very much MTB events. There is a lot more to the MTB than whether the bars are flat or drop, though.
I could be totally off base here, but wouldn’t sliding your seat back increase the cockpit length, forcing the rider to lean forward more and place more weight on their hands? wouldn’t the solution be to either slide the seat forward or raise the handlebars instead, tilting the rider further back and more upright? I’m just trying to put this together in my head and sliding the seat back doesn’t add up right now.
That’s what you’d think intuitively but actually not…or I should say that when NOT pedalling then your statement is correct. And I have also assumed that the OP has already cut their steerer tube and a higher handlebar isn’t feasible.
If your seat is farther back, when you push hard on the pedals you can actually feasibly have your center of gravity over the forward pedal which can remove all the need to place bodyweight on the handlebars.