[Closed] correct handlebar height?

I have relatively (slightly) long arms - span greater than height - and my bars sit about an inch below my saddle.

That said, my bike is rigid, I ride in a totally non-gnar 90s style and my stem is long. Therefore my bar height may be utterly irrelevant to anyone who rides either in a more modern style or on a more modern bike!

My bars are where it suits me to stop my shoulders hurting. in other words, where its most comfortable

Funny you should post this cause I've just built up a medium solaris and am getting some hand and shoulder ache after a couple of hours riding. Someone told me that I should lower the bars but that was still the same. So I'm interested in the replies.

Contact richmtbguru he is da shizzle!

Bars are 25mm. above saddle height. This is because i have a longer body but shorter arms for my height (5' 4") There is no standard rule for height of bars..... it is what suits your body proportions.

Whatever feels best?
Try a few postions, see what works?

i read somewhere that if you have set your bike up correctly, that the front wheel axle should be hidden by your bars. my bike is very comfortable and the axle is hidden, might be a coincidence but it works for me

I was told the bar axle thing by someone at Evans however when I had a proper bike fit I was told that is rubbish.

i read somewhere that if you have set your bike up correctly, that the front wheel axle should be hidden by your bars. my bike is very comfortable and the axle is hidden, might be a coincidence but it works for me

This is nonsense.

It really depends on your own build and proportions I guess, in my own humble experience there is such a thing as having the saddle too high...but others here seem to have no problem.

No such thing as correct. I put it as low as I sensibly can, then I ride around a bit and put it up if it seems like a good idea. Science.

Start off with a good few spacers then remove one at a time once you've ridden several times. Are you using a riser bar?

Women tend to have shorter bodies but will obviously depend on the length of the tt too.

Sag needs to be factored too ladies.... if the bar is level with saddle in the un-sagged state then once the fork is compressed it drops the saddle lower - also as the bar goes wider the chest drops and again brings your body lower and forward (almost as if the stem has become longer).... its a balance and don't forget the famous father Ted episode of NEAR v FAR - this being relevant for the positioning of your bars! try a few things and see which feels best....

its all down to the individual body shape and preference - two people could be the same height and have the same bike, but if one had a 34 inside leg and the other had 30" inside leg then the formers seat height would be almost 4" higher than the other and there just isn't that much play in the handlebar height, even using risers and spacers, yet both riders might feel their bike fits them perfectly - or not

I started a thread on a similar topic a while back and a few things I picked up from that were:

1. The bars obscuring the hub "rule" is used as a guide on road bikes, which have steep head angles, long stems and short A-C distances compared to MTBs, so isn't really relevant here.

2. Bar height relative to saddle height is also a bit of a hangover from the road and is less relevant on MTBs. It's (obviously) only a factor when you are sitting down (e.g. seated climbs) and you spend a lot less time sitting down on an MTB than on a road bike. It's better to set the bars so that they are a comfortable height when you are descending (standing up) and set the maximum saddle height for efficient climbing. Where they end up relative to each other doesn't really matter.

3. Working out the ideal bar height for descending takes a bit of trial and error and seems to depend on the bike. For some reason, which I've yet to figure out, I have the bars lower in absolute terms (i.e. height off the ground) on my 29er HT than I do on my 26" full suss, but I'm still experimenting with both.

My bars are 4 inches below the saddle height
And it's not comfortable - so I need a bigger frame ... 😕

Aching shoulders and arms implies holding up some of your weight through your hands and bars and that doesn't seem right to me as my hands are almost always light on the bars. Is this an indication a core strength or a technique issue?

Bar height, distance and sweep is a suck it and see problem as it depends on frame and body geometry. Just play around.

This is nonsense.

No, it's not. I use a similar method. If I put the bike at the end of the drive and look at it from my bedroom window, by squinting my eyes I should just be able to make out the front wheel logo through the space between my right shifter and the bars.

There are no set rules really.

The approach I take is...

High enough to be comfortable but low enough not not make the handling a real pig on the steep climbs. Trial and error.

Bear in mind changing the height of the bars changes the reach too which is a more likely influence to comfort and weight distribution between hands and bum