I think I've Figured out Swept-back Handlebars

[Jay]

Whether drop bars, flat, or swept-back, I believe I've figured out the two factors that must be present.  First is the bar has to work for the rider (size/style/position of the bar, given the particular bike, complementing the saddle position, etc.).  Second is you have to adapt to the bar based on your body/fit needs, and taking into account any trouble areas you have (e.g., pre-existing aches/pains or worse).

If you can't adapt to the bar, somewhat easily and repeatably, the bar can't work for the rider.  For example, I once bought a new mountain bike and the stock bars were like 800mm wide.  I couldn't adapt to them.  I don't think I ever could.  My road bars at the time were 380mm at the hoods.

What's more difficult is when you have a bar that could work, but it may take a long time to dial in the height, reach, tilt, grip selection, placement of controls, minor saddle position changes given how upright or tilted forward you are, etc.

I've had VO Granola bars on by Fargo for the last 8 months.  They're still not perfect, but getting there.  Last two rides I focused on how I contact the bars in terms of my hands/arms/shoulders.  It didn't spoil the ride, dwelling on this, but I would check in frequently and ensure everything felt good and would make corrections, say if my wrist angle was awkward and would later lead to post-ride pain if unchecked (as has happened many times before).  Both rides, zero pain.  And they were fun, off-road rides.  My hope is that I can go on a ride and barely have to check in on fit, but for now, maybe it's necessary (for me).

I think age is a factor.  When I started riding serious, in my late 20's, and probably through my 30's, I don't recall ever having any fit issues.  Or, perhaps, I had major fit issues but they didn't bother me...until mid 40's and up to now.

[Steve]

Jay, interesting perspective - and I think you're spot on.  I find, at age 73 - with a lifetime accumulation of niggling aches and pains, my comfort on a bike is the primary determinate of both my enjoyment of the ride and my performance.  The "Big 3" - bars, saddle, and pedals, and the interplay between them, is critical.  I'll echo your thought that dialing in fit takes time -- a degree of angle up or down here, a few more millimeters of stack or reach there. I'm embarrassed (mildly) by the number of stems and bars languishing in my parts bin. 

Some will suggest that I could have saved some cash by paying for a professional fitting - but I'm not entirely convinced that would have worked for me. Besides, the parameters of a comfortable fit are not a static thing - they change over time in step with the vagaries of aging. 

Steve in AVL

[George Schick]

@ Steve, ditto.  Having been involved in "serious" cycling for over 50 years, many wrong size frame, bars, stems, saddles, even pedals have come and gone.  Finally got it dialed in just about perfectly in the late 90's thanks largely to Grant and some of the articles published in his readers and then bought a Ram in '04. Things couldn't fit better now though I'd spend a lot of dineros over those decades trying to find the right sweet spot.  Can't say that I completely understand the big move toward this high-stem swept-back bar movement in the Grant-o-sphere in recent years, though, but it seems to be working for most folks.

[David Ross]

Dialing in swept bars is incredibly difficult and there are very few resources to help out relative to flat bars or drop bars. If you require an upright position, you can either raise the bars or bring the bars back closer to the body or a combo of both. I’ve yet to be able to figure out the exact calculus, but I have learned that it’s very different for bikes that are ridden casually for commuting etc versus a bike that will be ridden offroad on more technical features. Bar width is also more important when riding technical stuff because you need more room in the cockpit to move around and accommodate sharper turns. The only way I’m able to ride single track and similar is to have bars that are quite a bit higher than I’d want them to be otherwise, and to also have bars that are wider (c.700m plus). My bikes look somewhat ridiculous set up thus, but it works for me. 

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[Roberta]

Swept back bars are so worth it for me.  Took a long time to get bars (I like the Albatross a lot), stem length, bar height and angle perfected, but so worth the effort.  I was about to quit biking before I heard of Rivendell and swept back handlebars.  I had been riding flattish bars on a Specialized Rockhopper and had been crying from neck pain with every ride.  Now I'm smiling!

I had the Chocomoose on my 2016  51cm Appaloosa and loved it.  Perfection!  Then I swapped for Albatross, my other favorite.  That was a mistake.   I went back to Chocomoose on that bike.  Tears of joy, not pain.

Roberta

Roberta

On Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 10:19:09 PM UTC-5 Jay wrote:

[Eric Daume]

 Besides fit, I think swept back bars take a certain kind of frame to work well. But I’m not sure what it is. 

In my case, I tried them on my BMC Monster Cross, and I really didn’t like the handling with my hands back on the grips. It made the front end much too light and nervous. Not enough weight on it. 

I started putting some thought into stability vs uprightness vs front center here, but this is still a work in progress for me:

https://bikingtoplay.blogspot.com/2025/09/bike-stability-feeling-vs-rider-position.html?m=1

Eric

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[larson....@gmail.com]

Eric-I had the same experience with my BMC Monstercross, a bike I really like. After five years of drops, I tried a swept back bar and the handling was nervous. A basket and bag on the front helped, but ultimately this setup wasn’t for me and I went back to drop bars. On the other hand my Appaloosa was great with Billie bars, best with bullmoose bars for my riding. It would probably work well with drops, but I can’t foresee ever setting it up that way. My Fargo has been great with drops and a Jones H Bend bar - go figure.

Randy in WI

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