Gravel bars with rise and shallow drop

[FullCarbonAlchemist]

I’m looking to make my gravel bike more upright and because it employs an unusual steerer tube size (GT Grade V1 1.25” taper, versus more common 1” straight or 1.5” taper steerers) I haven’t been able to find forks that could let me run a longer steerer tube. This leaves the stem and bars as the only way to reduce the bending over that my bad back can’t handle. I barely ride it anymore and end up setting off a back crisis at least half the time, keeping me stuck in bed for weeks.

I already use a 70mm/10 degree Thomson riser stem and am ordering some inexpensive higher rise short stems to see how that works for me. The main thing I want to change is the bars: currently 46cm Salsa Cowbell Deluxe with mild flare and fairly normal drop.

What I’m hoping for is some rise, mild flare, and short drop to reduce the bending angle I ride at. But there are so many gravel bars on Ali…only a few with rise and so far none that I can find with short drop.

Any suggestions? Alloy and carbon are both fine.

[JohnnyRabbit]

Have you tried a narrower handlebar? This might help you a lot if you feel that your handlebar is too low. 46cm is pretty wide unless you need the width for a handlebar bag.

I recently went from 44cm to 40cm and it makes my bike so much more comfortable.

[FullCarbonAlchemist]

Have you tried a narrower handlebar? This might help you a lot if you feel that your handlebar is too low. 46cm is pretty wide unless you need the width for a handlebar bag.

I recently went from 44cm to 40cm and it makes my bike so much more comfortable.

I’m definitely considering it, though I’m unsure whether that will help or hurt because I have broad shoulders and a permanently double-dislocated right clavicle that complicates these things a lot.

I set up this bar/stem combo in 2018 and have known for a long time that it needed to be changed. Wanted to just sell the bike and start over with something more inherently upright without so much modification of the cockpit, but I have enough MTB projects and parts to sell that I didn’t want to add to the list this year.

The first thing I’m trying is going from 10 degree stem rise to something a lot more substantial (25 I think), and then I’ll probably try a slightly narrower bar. I just figured at least some shallower drop was warranted when I do, and that if there’s something out there with rise that I might like how that handles better than a high-rise short stem bringing the bar to a similar height.

[TidyDinosaur]

There are steerer extenders. Maybe that's an option? I have no idea how good they work of how safe they are...

For example ( Not suitable for forks with carbon steerer.): https://www.rosebikes.com/rose-steerer-tube-extender-721073

[JohnnyRabbit]

I’m definitely considering it, though I’m unsure whether that will help or hurt because I have broad shoulders and a permanently double-dislocated right clavicle that complicates these things a lot.

I set up this bar/stem combo in 2018 and have known for a long time that it needed to be changed. Wanted to just sell the bike and start over with something more inherently upright without so much modification of the cockpit, but I have enough MTB projects and parts to sell that I didn’t want to add to the list this year.

The first thing I’m trying is going from 10 degree stem rise to something a lot more substantial (25 I think), and then I’ll probably try a slightly narrower bar. I just figured at least some shallower drop was warranted when I do, and that if there’s something out there with rise that I might like how that handles better than a high-rise short stem bringing the bar to a similar height.

I also have broad shoulders but I took the measurement between my 2 acromions (bony tip of outer edge of shoulder) and i'm at 40cm. You handlebar should correspond to this measurement. If you already have an injury and your handlebar is too wide compared to your acronions width a narrower handlebar could aleviate some pain for sure. I actually went lower after changing my bars, the pain I was getting in the neck and the rhomboids was from a handlebar too wide and too high.

[Confused]

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803525071426.html

Is that similar to what you are after?