Why do mountain bike handlebars suck so much?
Really, I have tried, but I cannot seem to escape wrist pain with canonical flat bars. I've even tried Jones bars, and although they relieve some wrist pain, they seem to make up for it by introducing a bunch of other compromises. I've also tried a drop-bar mountain bike (with a frame purposefully designed for them), but it again trades one set of ergonomic problems for another.
I'm quite comfortable on my gravel bike, but there are a lot of trails here that are beyond my ability on a rigid bike, and short stem/long bars are used for a reason.
Has anyone who suffers from this problem come up with a solution?
Bar-ends seem like a possibility, but the only time I really started to make use of them was when I put them inside of where the brakes, shifters and grips go, so they look like little demented aero bars.
I live in Class 5A mountain bike territory, and I would like to be able to ride some challenging single-track but not have to choose between a clown-bike and orthopedic rehab.