handlebar rise or longer goose neck?

[PCeBiker]

My handlebars and stem arrived and I got them installed.

It looks kinda stupid with the stem reversed, but I don't care.
It works for me. I am sitting up perfectly straight.

I could have installed the stem normally and tipped the bars back further, but now the bars a pushing straight down in line with the forks.

It's working great. The bars feel solid and there is no creaking.

 

[PCeBiker]

Wtf
It's all wrong brah! Lol

Yeah, I know.
I don't care.

If I had it reversed I would be pushing down on the handlebars at an angle when I'm pounding down a trail.

The stem/handlebar connection would be under huge torque with my 8½ inch tall riser bars.
I would strip the stem/handlebar connection.



I might install a fairing too?
I don't like wind in my face.
That would be completely wrong too.

I sit up like a sail anyway, and a smooth rounded, aerodynamic front end would help me cut through the wind with less resistance.
And it would work as a sail with a tail wind.
Not much side profile to it, so it shouldn't be a problem in a crosswind.

 

[PCeBiker]

By all means it's your bike.

It's completely mine.
I voided my warranty the day I got it and I'm glad that I did.
I didn't buy an ebike with a one year warranty.

I bought a box of bike parts for $2,800 that so far, I'm quite satisfied with.
I didn't like the stupid Das-Kit programming crap so I replaced the controller and display, but the components are Brand Name and easily replaced through the manufacturers.

My Et.Cycle T1000 is one tough beast. It weighs a ton but I can bash it through anything.
And I can go at least 85 km on a charge without pedaling at all.

Pedaling is for suckers.

 

[PCeBiker]

Pedaling is part of the fun.

Not for me.
I hate it.

Sometimes I have to pedal to help it climb hills or get it home after I kill the battery but I don't like that at all.

I get my exercise getting on and off the bike and picking it up off the ground when it falls over.

 

[PCeBiker]

I rode Da Bull this morning 10 miler 5 miles out 5 miles on the return.

I rode 54 km today.
It took me 2½ hours.
I returned home with over 40% charge remaining.
I didn't pedal.

 

[AHicks]

I rode 45 km today.
It took me 2½ hours.
I returned home with over 40% charge remaining.
I didn't pedal.

Hooray for you. We're so proud...

 

[PCeBiker]

Hooray for you. We're so proud...

I may not have gotten any real exercise, but I did get my lazy ass out of the house and into some fresh air.
And it was fun.
I stood on the pedals no hands again today.

 

[6zfshdb]

I originally used BMX high rise bars for an upright riding position. While the height was good, the grip angle wasn't. I couldn't find high rise bars with the angle I wanted so I switched to a stem riser and Jones H bars.

I noticed no difference in handling between the high rise bars and stem riser but I would be leery of using either for extreme downhill or single track. Just my opinion though.

 

[PCeBiker]

I originally used BMX high rise bars for an upright riding position. While the height was good, the grip angle wasn't.

I noticed that when I was searching for handlebars. The BMX handlebars were straight across, and I didn't think that I'd like that. I did like how they had the second horizontal bar for reinforcement though.

I couldn't find high rise bars with the angle I wanted so I switched to a stem riser and Jones H bars.

I was nervous about using a stem riser, thinking that they might start creaking too, but my creaking issue may have been only because of the adjustable stem?

I noticed no difference in handling between the high rise bars and stem riser but I would be leery of using either for extreme downhill or single track. Just my opinion though.

I'd never try anything like that on my ebike.
It weighs 90 pounds with street tires. I've got 1.5 mm of tread depth.

I have been "off-road" though, I just have to go really slow and careful.
I've got very little grip in the dirt, and I have to get used to my tires sliding around under me.

It really floats around on some of the gravel roads I've been on.
That's an uncomfortable feeling.

 

[PCeBiker]

I was checking my contents and had to make another comment here #21 post.
Any body else done this or @PCeBiker is smoking his own supply. Lol .
Stick with the edibles man. Smoking delta will make you do that to your ebike.

I know that @6zfshdb likes to sit up straight like I do and has riser bars.
He may have done something similar, but I may be the only one that reversed my steering stem?

I will admit that it sure looks wrong, and kinda stupid looking.

 

[6zfshdb]

I tried reversing the stem on one of my conventional bikes to shorten the seat to steering tube measurement. It worked alright but it isn't necessary on my e-bikes.

 

[m@Robertson]

@PCeBiker you have an enormous setback on your saddle thats why the bike doesn't fit you and you need to go to such an extreme of reversing the stem. Also there are shorter riser stems out there. Controlwise and safetywise, you'll be far better off fixing the problem rather than doing this.

 

[PCeBiker]

@PCeBiker you have an enormous setback on your saddle.

Most of that is the suspension seat post but I can slide the seat forward almost an inch.
I'll see what that feels like.

 

[m@Robertson]

A Satori Animaris will give you the suspension without all that setback. And you'd want to move the saddle forward on its rails in the mount. I'll bet its pretty far back right now. Don't do that if you did

Here's a short riser stem so you keep the bars close and up without doing something crazy.

And here's what setback is. Some on the left, none on the right. The right post is a PNW Coast suspension dropper.

Setback stuff taken from here, where there's also a discussion on stems:

How To Build An Ebike From Scratch: Perfecting

We built an ebike. Are we done? Here are the things that typically go a little wrong with a build, and some ways to fix them.

talesontwowheels.com

 

[m@Robertson]

Most of that is the suspension seat post but I can slide the seat forward almost an inch.

I remember seeing that now in an older thread. Clearly its had a major negative consequence. The Suntour suspension post in its normal orientation is known to bottom itself out on itself - i.e. smash itself. Your change fixes that but causes something I'd argue is much worse.

 

[PCeBiker]

I remember seeing that now in an older thread. Clearly its had a major negative consequence.

Not that I've noticed.
Everything feels solid and seat feels great. I can easily last 3 hours in the saddle.

The Suntour suspension post in its normal orientation is known to bottom itself out on itself - i.e. smash itself.

I've got the opposite problem.
I've hardly got any movement in my suspension post.

I'm thinking about getting a softer spring,..

Your change fixes that but causes something I'd argue is much worse.

Keep in mind that I don't pedal unless I have to, and almost half the time I'm riding no hands.
So my personal geometry is to sit up straight in my big comfy seat.

When I reach for the handlebars, I just lift my hands straight up and grab the handlebars.
I used to have lean forward to get to the handlebars, so I kept having to adjust my mirrors back and forth.
Now my mirrors are always lined up whether my hands are on the handlebars or not.

I couldn't find any taller riser bars, otherwise I would have mounted them normally with a short stem.

These are the only riser bars that I could find that would work for me, but I don't know what they are or where to get them.

This is my wish list while I was searching for parts,..

The stem I chose reaches out and up enough to get my grips where I want them.


I guess that I should have bought a stem riser instead? Then I wouldn't be upsetting everyone.



I'm thinking of installing foot pegs because the pedals keep moving around.

This aughta work,..

I can zip tie it to the frame behind the bottom bracket.
If I ever have to pedal, I can just remove it.

 

[PCeBiker]

I bought a windshield.

It will help to hide the stem that people don't like to see.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtkjruC

I'll see what it's like in the wind.
It might create control issues but it's not too much money to gamble.

 

[PCeBiker]

My windshield arrived, and I got it installed.

It looks OK and it helps to cover up my weird looking stem and handlebars.

I went for a ride and it was hard to tell how much difference it made as far as wind noise or wind resistance goes.
I'll try it in a stronger headwind and see how it feels. So far I don't feel it throwing my steering around.

,..And you'd want to move the saddle forward on its rails in the mount. I'll bet its pretty far back right now. Don't do that if you did

I moved my seat as far forward as it would go on the rails (about ¾") but I didn't notice any difference in my posture or how it felt.
I had purposely moved the seat back to try to get more torque on the spring mechanism to get more movement out of suspension post.

I know what you mean about bottoming out the suspension on the Suntour seat post. As the suspension compresses, it rotates the seat back putting more torque/pressure on the spring, and it compresses easier and faster where it could bottom out.
(It works kinda the opposite of progressive suspension)

On the other hand when I adjust the tilt angle of the seat, the difference is Really noticeable.
I wish that I could adjust the tilt by half notches.

The Suntour suspension post in its normal orientation is known to bottom itself out on itself - i.e. smash itself. Your change fixes that but causes something I'd argue is much worse.

I tried flipping the suspension post around backwards to see what happens and what it felt like, and it didn't work.
The post was jammed in the upright position and it wouldn't move unless I kinda pulled my butt forward to get it to start rotating, so I loosened the spring until the seat started to fall forward on its own but that just felt really wrong, and the seat would clunk on the rebound because it was loosened up.
And it didn't feel right at all having the seat pivot forward towards the front.
It didn't feel natural.
I did however really notice the 3-4 inches that the seat was moved forward.
I didn't even try riding the bike like that. It just felt too wrong. I just bounced on the seat a few times.

The stem extenders work really well and don't look as goofy as high rise bars imo.

Your right.
My bike looks kinda stupid, but it's covered up pretty good with the windshield now.

I found that a dab of anti-seize on the bolt threads will allow you to get the bolts very tight without stripping the threads due to binding of the dissimilar metals of stem and bolts. It's critical to only get the anti-seize compound on the bolt threads so use it carefully.

My stem came with the bolts pregreased with some red grease, so I just left it and didn't bother replacing it with antiseize.



So, all in all I'm happy with the bike and the way it feels.
I didn't want to spend too much money messing around with my handlebars in case it didn't work or I didn't like it.
I don't have any way of test riding anything so I was just guessing about what to buy.

My handlebars have the same sweepback angle as my original and it feels fine, but I've never tried the Jones bars 40°-45° sweep back angle so I don't know if I'd like that or if it would work for me?
My thought is that if I'm standing on the pedals on an off-road trail it might not feel right and I'd be putting a lot of torque on the stem riser with the handlebars swept way back?

I'd hope that I'd hear something or feel some bending going on before I'd snap the handlebars right off?

I'm only in the dirt about about 2% of the time though, and my e-bike is basically a street cruiser with its design, street tread, and it weighs 90 pounds so I have to travel very gently.

I'm certainly not catching any air. Lol

 

[PCeBiker]

Ohh, FFSakes!!!

I just found this thread,..

What's NOT said about Suntour NCX seatpost

I've had the Suntour NCX seatpost on my Rover StepThrough for a few hundred miles now, and have been fidgeting with my riding position. Today I had an epiphany: The seat offset on the NCX seatpost is pretty extreme when compared to others - the seatclamp is at least 1.5" or more rearward vs the...

forums.electricbikereview.com

I flipped my whole damn seat post!!
No wonder it didn't work.

I will flip just the top part of my seat post. Duhhh...

 

[PCeBiker]

I got my seat post linkage turned around,..

I reinstalled it and sat on it and it felt OK.
I haven't riden the bike yet.
I'll see how much of a difference I notice.