Wrist pain. Does bar rotation make a difference? (Update + back sweep)

[irie]

I recall that Ergotec has some 12° back sweep bars.

I have SQlab 30X 12° sweep 45mm rise ("High") bars on my Rail. Same bars on my wife's Rail but cut shorter.

Tried 16° sweep but didn't like it.

 

[claudiobosticco]

I have SQlab 30X 12° sweep 45mm rise ("High") bars on my Rail. Same bars on my wife's Rail but cut shorter.

Tried 16° sweep but didn't like it.

I see, what I meant is just that it's more a matter of personal preference, rather than type of riding.

 

[irie]

I see, what I meant is just that it's more a matter of personal preference, rather than type of riding.

I found that for downhill the 12° sweep bars were better than 16° sweep.

 

[p3eps]

After having wrist pain, I bought the SQ Labs 12° sweep bars with the 45mm rise after several recommendations. £200 well spent! They make such a different (in my case anyway), but don’t look / feel vastly different.

I’ve been riding my old Stumpjumper a lot recently as my wheels from my Levo SL are back at Industry Nine… and I think I’m going to order the same bar for it too.

 

[jonmat]

I'm now more confused than I was when this thread started. Its all trial and error as far as I can tell. I'm tempted to give the SQlabs 12 Deg 45 rise bars a go. But at £90, I find it difficult to justify for a test. If anyone has some used ones they don't like, give me a shout.

 

[samjlevy]

Also keen to try the SQLabs 12, just out of wrist surgery for 2 breaks and a dislocation and need something to alleviate the pain, using a Mobius X8 wrist brace but keen to try these in a 45mm rise.

Also looking at the Spank Vibrocore, but the SQLabs may be a better option? Has anyone used either post surgery?

 

[p3eps]

I'm now more confused than I was when this thread started. Its all trial and error as far as I can tell. I'm tempted to give the SQlabs 12 Deg 45 rise bars a go. But at £90, I find it difficult to justify for a test. If anyone has some used ones they don't like, give me a shout.

It’s a shame… if you’re in certain European countries, you can get a ‘trial’ from SQ Labs. Not in the UK though I’m afraid.

I bought the carbon one, so dropping £200 on something I’d never heard of before was a bit of a risk… but it’s worth every penny!

Realistically, £200 is a fraction of what I’ve spent on the bike over the years. Money spent on bars, grips and saddle is probably better spent than money on drivetrains, wheels etc - as they’re the parts that matter when it comes to comfort. After all, if you’re comfortable, you’ll likely ride more / further than if you’re suffering from sore wrists/ bum

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

I'm now more confused than I was when this thread started. Its all trial and error as far as I can tell. I'm tempted to give the SQlabs 12 Deg 45 rise bars a go. But at £90, I find it difficult to justify for a test. If anyone has some used ones they don't like, give me a shout.

If you get some and don't like them I'll buy them off you
I'm in the same boat, it's a fair chunk of money for a test, then do you go for the 12° or 16°, or stump up for both!

Also looking at the Spank Vibrocore, but the SQLabs may be a better option? Has anyone used either post surgery?

I think it depends on what causes you the pain. wrist angle or vibration/dampening.
I watched a video that suggested the SQlabs while being more comfortable weren't the best at dampening. On the other hand I've seen many reports that the spank vibrocore work really really well at dampening.
I have the standard Spank spike 800 and even they dampen the ride far better than the stock Newmen carbon bars that came on the bike.

 

[samjlevy]

If you get some and don't like them I'll buy them off you
I'm in the same boat, it's a fair chunk of money for a test, then do you go for the 12° or 16°, or stump up for both!



I think it depends on what causes you the pain. wrist angle or vibration/dampening.
I watched a video that suggested the SQlabs while being more comfortable weren't the best at dampening. On the other hand I've seen many reports that the spank vibrocore work really really well at dampening.
I have the standard Spank spike 800 and even they dampen the ride far better than the stock Newmen carbon bars that came on the bike.

It was my first ride back to today since surgery but the pain was mainly from hits, wasn’t so bad going up, but coming down over the rocky stuff was extremely painful. I’ll try the Spank bars and see if they help, if not I’ll try the SQLabs I guess.

 

[samjlevy]

Spank bars don’t seem to be in stock anywhere unfortunately. Would changing to a Deity 50mm riser with a 31.8 bore, from my whyte 30mm riser with a 35mm bore, make a lot of difference.

Sorry to jack the thread!

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

What rise are you after? There is a 30mm rise listed on eBay at the moment.

I've no experience with the deity bars, I've read they are good bars but not sure if they dampen as well as the vibrocore.

 

[claudiobosticco]

If dampening is what you're after, there are also Rev Grips and FLEXX handlebars...never tried though.

 

[samjlevy]

What rise are you after? There is a 30mm rise listed on eBay at the moment.

I've no experience with the deity bars, I've read they are good bars but not sure if they dampen as well as the vibrocore.

I really want to try a 50mm rise. I can get Spank in 30mm and 75mm, but 75 I think will be too much.

 

[Humanbeersponge]

Some of the issue my be riding position and fore and aft position of the saddle and its height. Learnt a fair bit when I was riding my road bike and after getting back pain had a bike fit.

Watching some youtube video can give you some ideas. I recommend Phil Burt who I had a bike fit with, he was Team Sky and British Cycling chief physio.

 

[Grendel]

I had something very similar. I'm a physician and knew it was due to the angle my wrist and the the small, repetitive stresses. Here is what helped me:

• Switch to Carbon One Up Bar w/ 35mm rise. This bar specifically has more up/down flex while maintaining side-to-side rigidity for steering. This was on top of an 18mm riser stem so roughly 50 mm total.
• Ergon GP1 grips (or anything with a broader, flatter surface) to distribute the hand stresses over a broader area.
• 2.6 in. tires to give a little more air volume and supplement the suspension by taking out some of the chatter.
• Bonus Tip: Not me, but my buddy changed to an 8 degree bar sweep (from 4) and it made a huge difference for him.

Lots of good information already given and I'm not sure how much I added but hope it helps.

 

[HORSPWR]

I had something very similar. I'm a physician and knew it was due to the angle my wrist and the the small, repetitive stresses. Here is what helped me:

• Switch to Carbon One Up Bar w/ 35mm rise. This bar specifically has more up/down flex while maintaining side-to-side rigidity for steering. This was on top of an 18mm riser stem so roughly 50 mm total.
• Ergon GP1 grips (or anything with a broader, flatter surface) to distribute the hand stresses over a broader area.
• 2.6 in. tires to give a little more air volume and supplement the suspension by taking out some of the chatter.
• Bonus Tip: Not me, but my buddy changed to an 8 degree bar sweep (from 4) and it made a huge difference for him.

Lots of good information already given and I'm not sure how much I added but hope it helps.

Too many people ride with their elbows locked which puts their wrist on the wrong angle, most issues can be fixed by simply bending the elbows a fraction and the wrist lines up better with the bars. Of course, this makes you lean forward more and places a bit of extra load on the wrists.

 

[samjlevy]

Ended up going for a 50mm 31.8 Deity bar with some ODI Reflex grips. Will report back if they manage to help with the wrist pain. They won’t completely cure it as it was a bad injury, but anything to help take some pressure off whilst it’s healing.

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

A 50mm rise bar has definitely helped for me. Also look into saddle tilt as getting that correct for you will take pressure off your wrists.

I spent last evening researching rev grips. They look interesting and possibly worth the investment. Most of the reviews I saw said they are worth the cost and relieve pain, or is it just a placebo to justify the amount they cost

I did pick up some ESI extra chunky grips and have tried them on a short ride. To my surprise they actually feel really good and it seems my wrist didn't ache as much after the ride.

I did need to test them for longer to say for sure though.

I still think a bar with a larger back sweep is the way forward for me, just need to bite the bullet. Looking at an easy £200 for new bars and grips

 

[samjlevy]

I was looking in to the SQLabs bar but thought I’d try the Deity first, it has 9 degrees back sweep so a little more than normal. I would definitely recommend the Mobius X8, I physically would not be able to ride at the moment without it, it’s a life saver.

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

Just to keep this thread up to date, after much deliberation I decided to give the SQlabs a try.
And after even more deliberation I went with the 16 degree back sweep.
From my research it seems that if you are coming from a bar with 9-10° back sweep you may not find much difference with the 12° bar, so going straight to the 16° maybe better for you.
Of course this will also be personal preference with what your resting wrist angle is and I'd recommend finding this out first.

For me I must have done the wrist angle test 30 times, trying my hardest not to be biased, This isn't a 100% accurate test but it certainly shows if you have a resting wrist angle different to the standard 6-8°
Every time I did the test it came back around 16° so in my mind it was a good indication that I needed a larger back sweep.

I did have reservations about going for the 16°, mostly that they would feel really strange and negatively impact control on steep descents and climbs.

I fitted the bars yesterday and went for a ride today, around 4 hours, nothing to demanding but a mix of flats, climbs, descents.

Firstly the bars look great, matt black finish with subtle branding and packaged in a very nice box.
The back sweep is very noticeable and does look a bit strange next to a normal bar but not quite as bad as I was expecting. Once the grips, brakes and all other gubbins are fitted to the bar they look alright.

I went with the 45 rise version and what was noticeable (echoed by other reviews) straight away is they don't seem like 45mm rise at all, more like a 30-35mm rise. This is difficult to tell for sure but compered next to my 50mm rise spank bars the difference is huge.

After spending some time adjusting the rotation I got them to where I thought they would be most comfortable.
Rotation on these bars makes a very noticeable difference. too far back and they feel like drop bars and too far forward makes the up sweep too intense. for me there was a definite sweet spot.

I fitted the ESI grips as I felt they improved things slightly on the spank bars.

So initial riding thoughts, to reach out and hold the bars they felt comfortable straight away. I didn't feel reach to the bars was affected to badly, they did feel marginally closer, but as mentioned they did feel a lot lower. I could probably get used to this without getting a new stem, however if there is a short stem available that adds extra height I'd be interested to know about it.

General riding comfort was improved and I didn't notice any negative handling.

On tighter corners and turns I could feel a difference, difficult to explain, almost like understeer but not to the same extent. It could be the way the bar moves your hand further inward while turning and will require more time to adjust to.
At no point did I feel out of control on this ride but I certainly need more time on the bike on more aggressive trails to give a better opinion.

So the big question, have they actually helped with my wrist pain?
Well I'm sitting here writing this with little to no pain at all, doing the same ride on my old bars my wrist would definitely be aching.

So initial testing seems positive. I'm still in the honeymoon stage and need to put much more time on the bike to say for sure.

At the moment the only real negatives are bar height and the looks.
I'm hoping I will adjust to the slight handling change and they will soon feel natural.
I'll happily take these over days long wrist pain.
I'll report back again once I've done some more riding

 

[irie]

.
...
So the big question, have they actually helped with my wrist pain?
Well I'm sitting here writing this with little to no pain at all, doing the same ride on my old bars my wrist would definitely be aching.
...

Given a choice between unusual looks or suffering wrist pain, lack of wrist pain obviously comes first.

After a 4 hour ride that's definitely a result, function before fashion.

 

[samjlevy]

If you fancy selling your Spank bars and they are 31.8mm, I would gladly buy them! Can’t find them in stock anywhere.

 

[wenna]

I´ve seen many MTBers run the angle of the brake levers like what was the oldschool way in motocross.

When I started racing MX in the early 90s it was common to have the levers pointing quite steeply downwards like the angle of the arms when standing up. Can´t tell you how many times I´ve dislocated and broken my thumbs.

You actually want the angle so that when gripping the bar, and fingers on the levers, you want the bar to sit in your palm with the wrist angle almost like doing a pushup. Imaging doing a pushup on the bar when standing in attack position gripping the bar with your fingers on the levers. If your wrist is straight with the same angle as your arms then the forces from the bar goes straight to the hook of your thumb instead of into the meat of your palm.

I usually run my levers slightly under level.

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

If you fancy selling your Spank bars and they are 31.8mm, I would gladly buy them! Can’t find them in stock anywhere.

I'll keep you in mind Sam. Going to hold onto them for the time being until I have more time with the Sqlabs to be sure they are right for me. If I decided to stick with them I'll let you know

I´ve seen many MTBers run the angle of the brake levers like what was the oldschool way in motocross.

When I started racing MX in the early 90s it was common to have the levers pointing quite steeply downwards like the angle of the arms when standing up. Can´t tell you how many times I´ve dislocated and broken my thumbs.

You actually want the angle so that when gripping the bar, and fingers on the levers, you want the bar to sit in your palm with the wrist angle almost like doing a pushup. Imaging doing a pushup on the bar when standing in attack position gripping the bar with your fingers on the levers. If your wrist is straight with the same angle as your arms then the forces from the bar goes straight to the hook of your thumb instead of into the meat of your palm.

I usually run my levers slightly under level.

Thanks for the input wenna. I've seen leveling the levers mentioned a number of times and your explanation helps to make sense of the reason why.
I've spent hours messing with lever positions and for me I found anything too flat really aggravated my wirst.

However I've not tried raising them with the Sqlab bars yet so I'll certainly give that a try as I understand the benefit now.

In all honesty I think this wrist pain is something I'm going to have to put up with, it's not diagnosed but due to my work I suspect I've got the early stages of carpal tunnel syndrome

 

[RiderOnTheStorm]

In general, when riding your wrist should be aligned with your forearm, and brake levers should be positionned to follow your wrist/hand position. See photo 3 below.

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

Which is how I have them currently and where they feel most comfortable for me.

As I understand Wenna' post describes having them more like photo 1, so maybe I'll try in between

 

[wenna]

In general, when riding your wrist should be aligned with your forearm, and brake levers should be positionned to follow your wrist/hand position. See photo 3 below.
View attachment 128465

From my own experience I disagree. Levers like that could get me in trouble from a really hard hit.

 

[B1rdie]

In general, when riding your wrist should be aligned with your forearm, and brake levers should be positionned to follow your wrist/hand position. See photo 3 below.
View attachment 128465

Please upgrade this to modern geometry and cable routing