Bar risers make for poor weight distribution - the front end gets too light. That impacts turning, uphills, downhills, log crossings, etc. It does make for easier wheelies! I don't know anything about mountain bikes, but I do know that the seat to pedal relationship has something to do with finding the right frame size. That's not an issue with the trials bike.Ovo wrote:
Why will a 2 inch rise cause an issue with turning? I am confused about this.
Proper Riding position: I truly wish I was 5'9" so I can see what you are talking about. I have always wanted to improve my riding by standing and have yet been able to find a way to do that on my berg. I know my conditioning and my knees have a lot to do with that. On the Sherco with my risers, I at least found some comfort or I should say I eliminated some discomfort. With Ken and myself both being 6'5" and up and over 50 in age, proper riding position is a goal, but being able to ride with out my back screaming at me after an hour is also a goal. Like moto said maybe we remove the risers later down the line when skill permits, but I still don't think an off the line Sherco or any trials bike is made for a guy our size. I would be curious to the geometry of the bike if it was design especially for a tall guy. Would it be much different or exactly the same. I tend to think it would be quite different. Just like frames in mountain biking, I could not ride a medium frame, the geometry just doesn't match so I have to order a large or extra large frame.
Just my random thoughts.
Ryan Young points out that tall guys have long legs, but also have long arms. I'm curious - measure the distance from your fingertips to the floor... I wonder how much our "handlebar to peg" distances vary. I'm 6'1", and my fingertips are about 29.5" from the floor when standing upright. If yours are similar, I don't want to hear any fuss!
I'd bet that it's worse for Ken in that the pegs are probably higher on his vintage bike. They figured out sometime in the mid-late 80's that lower pegs were better.
I come back to this though: If bar risers or tall bars mean the difference between riding and not riding, it's a no-brainer to me. Go for it! You were very clearly more comfortable Sunday than the last time we rode. There is definite value in that. All I'd suggest/ask is that you be open minded to the possibility of trying the bike without them when you get more comfortable. If it's no good, put 'em back on.
