Well, with all due respect to Manny, I'm just a little taller than 5'9", and push the tape almost all the way up to 6'5". I also have a different view on bar height and the impact of bar height on sitting and standing. I have been running a set of Aero bars for about three years, also have a couple of Pro Taper bars in the van just in case I bend the Aero bars. I really don't know what bend they are, as I used the data to select the bars instead of the name. My intent was to find the tallest bar that didn't rake back very far, as the flatter the bar, the more comfortable it is to stand. I also have handle bar towers for the Pro Taper bars off of a...uh...errr...this is so embarassing...Honda CR80. The towers had to be drilled and taped for one center bolt, and raise the bars an extra inch. I also added just over 2 inches to my seat foam to help with the transition from sitting to standing, and the extra height keeps my knees from bending beyond the 90 degree point.
Before I raised the bar and seat, I found myself sitting way too much as it was just uncomfortable to stand. Shorter guys (those say around 5' 9" and under
) have the luxury of not being bent too much at the waist. Taller guys (say 6'2" and over) bend way too much at the waist with the same setup as a shorter rider. So, by raising the height of the bars, standing becomes comfortable, and therefore easy to do. I also adjust my clutch really low on the bar (almost pointing to the ground) and rotate my bars upward (past zero towards the front fender) so that its uncomfortable to ride sitting down. Kind of tricks my brain into standing more.
The way I came to this realization is by watching my youngest son ride while tuning his suspension. As he passed in front of me, I noticed that he was standing almost staight up, as if to stand on the floor. I jumped on my bike and noted how much I was bending at the waist. I immediately set out to improve my comfort while standing by reducing the amount I bend at the waist.
A final note. Be careful to pay attention to how much the bars bend back, as the less flat the bars are, the more you will sit down.
Dang, I think about his stuff way too much....
Rick