Anyone else jumping on the Dakotah bandwagon

[Husky430]

After watching the first few downhills for the year, just wondering if anyone else out there is intrigued by his 75mm rise bars. Ok so it does look like Dakotah Norton is riding a Raleigh Chopper from the 70's but hey, he's pretty well up there in the standings with the best of them at the moment.
Being a bit tall (bit over 6' or around 182cm), I've gone from the stock bars on my Focus to 35mm rise bars and now have recently gone to 50mm.
Each rise in bar height has made the bike more comfortable and encourages you to stand up more and like Dakotah I can't say that it's hindered my riding at all. Just wondering who else out there is on the Rise and by how much and their thinking on it all.

 

[Astro66]

I'm sure it's much more comfortable. But I think it would negatively impact the weight on the front wheel, and aerodynamics. And make your centre of gravity higher.

Oh BTW. I come from a motorcycle racing background, so hugging the frame is not uncomfortable for me.

 

[slartibartfast]

I am all for it....Running 50mm bars on my Rail.

With a dirt bike background, I am used to moving all over the bike as I ride, riding in the attack position, standing up and head over the fender. I want my ebike to handle similar, since when I am going fast, I am standing with my head in front of the bars. It isn't as important to me how the ebike handles when I am sitting.

I've seen the argument several times that taller bars result in less front end traction, but I don't have that issue. I wonder if perhaps those with a road bike background want front end traction while sitting, while those with a dirt bike background want front end traction while standing?

 

[JP-NZ]

Ive got 50mm on my DH Rig, I don't do tonnes of DH on my Rail so a more neutral all day riding position is better for me for the longer rides I do on the Ebike.

 

[Husky430]

I'm sure it's much more comfortable. But I think it would negatively impact the weight on the front wheel, and aerodynamics. And make your centre of gravity higher.

Oh BTW. I come from a motorcycle racing background, so hugging the frame is not uncomfortable for me.

Yeah can see that about the front wheel but would only really be a drama when climbing, as I'm into heading down the hill as much as possible, it seems to be better. As for tucking in for wind resistance sounds more of a road/tarmac thing to me

 

[Astro66]

. As for tucking in for wind resistance sounds more of a road/tarmac thing to me

No. Aero makes a significant difference in downhill. They banned aerodynamic suits in downhill. They were giving a 1 -2 second advantage, and the sport didn't want to go down the lycra path.

 

[GDAS]

I guess the "raised reversed" stem that Seth (Berm Peak) tested a while ago is similar - i.e. higher bars make you faster
The concept doesn't seem to have gathered much momentum though!

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

I've been running 50mm rise bars on my ebike since day one and I'm looking at 60 to 80mm rise bars for the downhill bike. The high rise bars sure feel good when pointed downhill. That's the main reason I ride anyway.

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

I guess the "raised reversed" stem that Seth (Berm Peak) tested a while ago is similar - i.e. higher bars make you faster
The concept doesn't seem to have gathered much momentum though!

I think alot of this also has to do with the offset of the stem. Similar to what Rulezman preaches;

 

[Onetime]

I’ve been on high rise bars and spacers for years. Also have a moto background. It just feels way more comfortable to be centered and more upright on the bike. Especially on the DH. You have more room to move around, you can get further back on DH or move forward on the climbs, I don’t have any issues losing front end traction and I can still get low and tuck on fast DH sections. I think most people who talk about losing traction in front are assuming that based on what they’ve read or heard from others and they haven’t ever tried it themselves. If you know how to use body English and have proper suspension setup, you won’t have any problems with front end traction.