Mtb Setup Help Needed

[andys]

I bought my Haibike EMTB at the beginning of this year and absolutely love it, I've never cycled so much in my life and even managed over 200 miles while in Europe for a fortnight's holiday. I'm starting to get a bit creaky though and my back can ache after a while so I'd like to be able to raise the bar height a little so I'm less hunched over but don't really know how. During one day in Holland I went out with a couple of Dutch people on one of their bikes instead of mine and was amazed by the complete absence of back twinges afterwards. Now I don't want to turn it into a sit-up-and-beg like that, but 4" higher would be perfect, and even 2" would be a big help.

This is how my bars are fixed now


Do I need something like this?



Like this?



Or should I get completely different high rise bars?

Appreciate any advice from any of the MTB experts on here

 

[Deaky]

Im guessing your not doing any jumps or technical riding so either of those will do the job. The first one would be safest but you have oversize bars, 31.8mm not 25.4mm

 

[andys]

Im guessing your not doing any jumps or technical riding so either of those will do the job. The first one would be safest but you have oversize bars, 31.8mm not 25.4mm

Ah thanks, I wasn't sure of that. No, no jumps or mental downhill trails, but I do ride up and down fairly steep and bumpy hill paths, albeit slowly and gingerly coming down due to caution brought on by remembering how many bits of metal were needed to fasten me back together after my last motorbike incident

 

[Deaky]

You could also move that spacer that’s on top of your stem and put it underneath.

 

[RedUn]

As above, shift all the spacers under the stem that'll make a big difference, make sure your setup on the bike ok too, is your seat height and position OK? Bars not too wide?

If change the stem after you've fettled all those bits

 

[andys]

You could also move that spacer that’s on top of your stem and put it underneath.

Thanks, I've ordered one of those and I'll have a look at that spacer

 

[andys]

As above, shift all the spacers under the stem that'll make a big difference, make sure your setup on the bike ok too, is your seat height and position OK? Bars not too wide?

If change the stem after you've fettled all those bits

Yes everything else is fine, I've fitted a dropper so I can get the seat height fine, but even with seat at its lowest my back is hunched too much

 

[RedUn]

Yes everything else is fine, I've fitted a dropper so I can get the seat height fine, but even with seat at its lowest my back is hunched too much

How wide are your bars as an example though? If they are getting on for 760,780mm like a lot are these days, for gentle ish riding you could cut them down a fair bit, that'll change your position too

 

[andys]

How wide are your bars as an example though? If they are getting on for 760,780mm like a lot are these days, for gentle ish riding you could cut them down a fair bit, that'll change your position too

I've just had a look and they are 740mm. I've never really thought about the width but I see what you mean. Next time I'm out on it I'll try holding the bars closer in by the gear levers and see if it feels more natural

 

[.50]

You've got plenty of adjustment there.

As has been already mentioned, move the spacers to the underside of the stem, and it looks your stem is a, 'flip flop' type, meaning you it will point down or up depending on which way you fit it.

I'm not a fan of those adjustable type stems to get extra bar rise.
They will destroy the bikes handling.

The Haibike is actually a very good MTB and it would be a shame to make it handle like a lesser bike.

If you still need more height after doing the above, then I would suggest going for a new handlebar with a rise in as the ones you currently have have none.

Riser bars generally go up in 10 increments up to about 40mm, and are not expensive.

 

[dubber36]

Yes everything else is fine, I've fitted a dropper so I can get the seat height fine, but even with seat at its lowest my back is hunched too much

Don't lower the seat to adjust the seat to bar height difference. That will give you knee problems.

 

[Richard Wood]

Looking at your current stem, it's angled downwards you could take off and turn other way up, this along with moving spacers will probably gain you the 2", shorten bar width as well and see, you could also get a shorter stem and bars with a rise, i've done similar as i've got a shoulder problem that aches if too much weight is on it

 

[Village]

As above; move spacer below the stem and flip the stem (it looks like it says “angle +/- 7” but hard to make out from the picture) to see where that gets you. Check your bar width too to see if that’s over stretching you; generally speaking that should be proportionate to height but a 740 sounds ok.

Then if that still doesn’t get you where you want to be you could look at a stem with a greater rise and/or riser bars. But as noted above, I would steer well clear of an adjustable stem as it’ll do nothing for the handling. The other extender thingy isn’t meant for your set up either, so discard.

I would also look at saddle position, both tilt and reach.

 

[tintim]

Is your bike the right size for you? Whats the frame size & model and what's your height?

Some things to consider (some good ones already mentioned)
- Stem angle + height + length
- Handle bar riser, width and backsweep angle
- Saddle position (too high, too far back?)

Could be your core muscles are not used to the increased amount of activity.

Comparing geometry between MTB and happy shopper, they are completely different bikes for different purposes.

Alternative options N+1

 

[Captain Mainwaring]

So many things to consider and all good suggestions above. IME back ache is more usually caused by being too upright but your issue may be different

Firstly make sure your saddle position is correct as that could have a major impact on your back. The saddle should be horizontal or slightly tilted forward. For height, when seated put your heel on one of the pedals - with the pedal at its lowest point your leg should just about be locked out. For saddle fore/aft positioning, with your foot in the normal riding position (ball of foot on the axle), and the crank horizontal, a vertical line from the front of your knee should go through the pedal axle.

The above may sort your back issue, but if it doesn’t then time to try some things with the bars. I would not suggest cutting the bars down as modern bike geometry is short stem and wide bars. Short stem and narrow bars will make the bike very twitchy

 

[andys]

Some great advice there thanks everybody

The back injury is not connected with being on the bike, but until it recovers (which may not happen totally at 56) then I get discomfort when I’m sat down (or more accurately, standing up straight afterwards) and the more acute the angle, the worse the discomfort. Driving is just as bad but that’s easier to fix with the amount of adjustability available.
The size of the bike is fine, and the height is easy to get right having a dropper. I’m not changing the bike so I’ll try the measures suggested to try and get myself a bit more upright. I don’t think it will take much, I can still do 20+ miles in a stint, it’s just a bit uncomfortable standing up straight afterwards and a slightly straighter back when riding should ease that.

 

[dubber36]

What difference does having a dropper post make? Surely it's set at the correct height for pedaling, then dropped out of the way for gnarly descents?

 

[andys]

What difference does having a dropper post make? Surely it's set at the correct height for pedaling, then dropped out of the way for gnarly descents?

Nope, no gnarly descents for me, being able to alter the height up and down slightly to change the angle of my back every so often helps quite a bit, without altering my ability to pedal comfortably

 

[dubber36]

It seems like you are on the wrong bike to me. You really shouldn't be constantly altering your saddle height. One in the correct position as advised above, that should remain fixed. For what sort of riding you do, you might me better on a drop bar gravel bike. That will give you several hand positions, so you'll get your variation in position that way.

 

[andys]

It seems like you are on the wrong bike to me. You really shouldn't be constantly altering your saddle height. One in the correct position as advised above, that should remain fixed. For what sort of riding you do, you might me better on a drop bar gravel bike. That will give you several hand positions, so you'll get your variation in position that way.

I’m not changing my bike, it’s perfect for me and the terrain I ride on, apart from a slightly too acute back angle which is what I’m trying to address and once I get the bar height right, I hopefully won’t have to fiddle with the seat height every so often (as I have to do with the seat angle of my car at the moment). No point in throwing the baby out with the bath water, and I can’t think of anything worse than a drop bar gravel bike