Trifusion

Thoughts on correct flat bar hybrid handlebar height. Suggestion is 1-2 inches above the seat but I am curious what height others are using with flat bars since MTB are typically below the seat.

Just curious, I know in most cases its personal but I'm open to ideas or other thoughts because I typically adjust and forget and adapt to different heights as I don't find any positions particularly uncomfortable.

Greg

alhedges

Find what's most comfortable for you. Lower is more aerodynamic, and the faster your ride, the more this matters. (Conversely, the slower you ride, the less this matters).

Higher can have some advantages in city traffic because it's easier for most people to look around. But this kind of depends on the individual, too.

Put the handlebar wherever it seems most comfortable. (And your comfort level may change over time, too).

bragi

I use drop bars now, because I like to vary hand placement a little on longer rides, but I find that having the bar about the same height as the saddle is ideal. If the bar is very much lower, it's not as comfortable or easy to look around, and, at commuting speeds, air resistance isn't as important as these other two factors. If the bar is a lot higher than the seat, it's pretty darn comfortable, but, for me at least, your center of mass is too far back from the front wheel, which makes it slightly harder to control steering in rough patches, which makes me a little nervous, to be honest.

LesterOfPuppets

Outside of XC racers, seems like most MTBs are setup with bars above seat these days.

fietsbob

Leave it as it comes out of the box, unless it bothers you in some way..

SuperDave

That's a personal thing, dependent on your particular comfort zone and aerodynamic desires. Me, I have the seat about 3" above the bar in what's essentially a roadbike-on-the-flats position on my Coda. It's pretty racey for a flatbar hybrid but I can generate some serious torque that way.

treebound 

Borrow an adjustable stem and use that to play around with heights. Carry a wrench and adjust it during a ride to really dial it in. Once you've got a height figured out that for you and your riding location then you can find a fixed stem and bar combination to match the figured out position.

On my converted MTB commuter I went through several dozen stem/bar combinations until I zoned in on what it currently has. The grips wound up several inches above the seat. There's a photo of my Timberlin (not Timberline) somewhere on the site here.

Don in Austin

High handlebars are for people with back problems, not much saddle time, poor core strength. 3-4 years ago I had extensions on my steerers to raise the handlebars several inches over the seat. Even then I would have to stop riding every 20-30 minutes and walk around and stretch my back. Now I have a lot more saddle time in and do core work at the gym and have given away the extenders. The bars are 2-6 inches lower than the seats now -- varies from bike to bike. I periodically lower my bars a little more, and have never felt a purpose in raising them again on any of my bikes. Go low if you are comfortable with it for better aerodynamics downhill or fighting a headwind.

All my bikes are flatbars, most with bar ends except I have one bike with "butterfly" treking bars.

Don in Austin

AdamDZ

It's a personal thing, whatever feels comfortable for you. However, the higher the bar, the less efficient pedaling is and you have to pedal harder. Also, more upright position may not be good for your spine. I know, it's counterintutive but riding with a straight spine causes it to compress from shock and sending the shock up, through the discs (bones), which is really bad, rather than bend and flex like a spring and dissipate the shock using the muscles as suspension. And even the softest saddle and bike suspension can't compensate for that.

For most people the best position should be when the bars are around the same height as the saddle, assuming the frame is sized correctly.

If your back and neck hurt from riding, don't raise your handlebar above your seat level, it'll likely make it worse in long-term if you ride a lot: make sure the bike is fitted properly and work out a bit to strengthen your back muscles and increase flexibility. Of course, unless you have a documented health problem and your doctor gave you specific instructions.

And yeah, I also like adjustable stems. You can change the height during rides to suit your needs.

CommuterRun

Go with what feels comfortable for you on that particular bike. I have bikes with the seats higher, and bikes with the seats lower, than the handlebars. Depends on the type of bike, and not all flat 'bar hybrids are the same.

I also mark adjustments that seem optimum to me under specific conditions with an indelible marker or paint pen.

Condorita

No. No no NO!!!!!!!!!!! This is far too simple and painfully obvious. The OP requires a response for more esoteric than this. Please try again.

Igo

bs

AdamDZ

Dude. Really. If you have nothing to say, say nothing.

hughes208

i like to keep mine level with each other, i have drop bars now and is really comfortable for me

Piratebike

I have never raised or lowered the handlebar on any of my bikes. My first bike was a mountain bike. The size was mostly based on stand over. Then with the seat raise to give the correct seat height it is eve with the handlebar. Same with my hybrid and road bike.

spare_wheel

slam your stem!

https://slamthatstem.com/

devianb

My handle bar is even with my seat. Being hunched over is more comfortable than sitting upright for me.

dramiscram

I think that you have to personaly try different settings for at least 100-120 kms each to know what suits you best.

Steely Dan

bar to saddle relationship is extremely personal. no right or wrong answers, you gotta do what works for you.

i've found that i'm most comfortable on a bike if i have a fair bit of forward lean, thus my hybrid and road bike both have about 3" of saddle to bar drop.

my folder has the bars about dead even with the saddle and i can't ride it for much more than about 1 hour without back aches starting to creep in.

brandini

I found that making my legs comfortable was #1 and used the basic leg fully extended to heel on pedal to set the seat height, then fiddled with the front to tune it in a bit more. Once your legs are happy then you can start making your back happy.

tahoe_girl

I just had my bike adjusted a bit by raising the seat a slightly higher than my bars. I needed the extra extension for my legs to power through the pedalling. However, is there a secret to eliminate back aches? Like somone mentioned above, I find it hard to ride more than 2 hours or so without my back hurting. Any suggestions?

SuperDave

I'm guessing 2 hours is a pretty good hard limit for a flat-bar hybrid; unlike a drop-bar bike, you have only one hold, one seating position. *Anything* held for two hours straight without shifting is going to hurt. Heaven knows I don't go that long at a stretch on my hybrid; even when I was riding centuries on it, I'd stop every hour or 1-1/2 and walk for a short bit, just for the position change.

tahoe_girl

My commute home from work is about 16 miles or so, and I incorporate hills on my route. One thing I noticed the past two days is my back bothers me mainly when I'm doing climbs and not so much on the flats. I have bar ends so I am able to adjust my positioning here and there, but the climbs are a bit more uncomfortable on the back.

alhedges

I've biked 10+ hours with a flat bar with bar ends, so I wouldn't think that's your issue. I would keep your saddle where it is but try raising your bar (handlebars, I mean) by an inch or so and see how that works.

djyak

I have my bars on both my bikes about an inch or 1 1/2 below my seat, on my touring bike with trekking bars and my mtb with flat bars. Just feels so much bette to me, and I found, for me anyway, when I lowered the bars on my mtb one day while riding, the "twitch" I had in my back disappeared. Probably stretched it more I'm guessing. I like the feel of control too being a bit lower.