8 deg vs 12 deg back sweep

[scott eckerman]

I am looking for a bottom line binary answer. I have bad wrists (two carpal surgeries per arm), a fast 60 year old. I am going to spend around $450.00 on Fasst flex handlebars (they offer 8deg or 12 deg). My assumption is that the more the sweep the easier it is on the sweep (obviously up to a point). Your binary thoughts (a yes or no)?

 

[thebarber]

Didn't know they did mtb bars.
Only seen them on Jeff slavens yewchewb

 

[paquo]

8 degree you are more forward engaged with your elbows out
12 and you arms are closer in
if my wrist and forearms have to take impacts i want my arms out so my shoulders absorb impact
but i stand for anything remotely technical and sitting may be different

 

[STATO]

No experience with those bars but you can buy cheap bars with 12 degree sweep. Id strongly recommend you try them as bars sweep (and rise) can make a noticeable difference to some people.

On flat smooth section i ride with my palm resting on the grip and hands angles as if i were on a highly swept bar. But riding a swept bar is very different, i dislike it very much. My go to bar is a Spank Vibrocore 4up 8back (vibrocore is great btw!), my ebike came with a 5up 9back and i was amazed but can tell the difference, and dont like it at all. So probably worth trying before dropping a lot on a special bar.

One other item that might help you is Revgrips, dont know if you have seen those. Maybe not the type of comfort you are looking for (the rotation might not be good the wrist?) but worth a look.

 

[Mikerb]

Carpal tunnel injury is typically caused by high frequency vibration. I cannot see that bar sweep would make any difference to further aggravation. Maybe wrist supports would help if the surgery caused subsequent weakness of the wrist.
The way to avoid stress on hands wrist and arms is not to grip the bars too tight and keep your elbows bent outward, ensure your fork has good small bump compliance ( LSC setting) and adjust the angle of your brake levers etc such that forces from the bar act in a straight line through your wrists to your forearms.

 

[slippery pete]

I'm a bit carpally myself. Did a lot of maths on this one. Don't ignore upsweep because rolling your bars converts upsweep into backsweep and vice versa. The overall sweepiness is the combination of the two.

I've got a spreadsheet somewhere.

My preferred bar of the moment is 9 back and 4 up which, after maths, gives a total sweepiness of 9.8. I definitely dislike renthals fatbar shape at 7 degrees back and 5 up (8.6). The most swept general use bar i found was the nukeproof at 9 back 6 up (10.8). 12 degrees sounds like a lot to me and I'd worry it would put me to far back on the bike. Longer stem needed maybe?