• This topic has 11 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 11 years ago by br.
Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
  • 580mm bars too narrow for a SS (rigid 29er)?
  • fr0sty
    Free Member

    Building up my 1st MTB, am a roadie by day. Will 580 be too narrow to get leverage? Is this a mental question? Excuse me…

    Ciao!

    mboy
    Free Member

    Bar width is all down to personal preference. Nothing at all to do with wheel size on the bike, how many gears it has etc.

    Build it up, ride it, if you find them too narrow, buy some wider bars!

    FWIW, I started riding with 560mm wide bars (with bar ends on) back in about 1995, and I’ve progressively got wider and wider over the years. Now have 760’s on my full sus bike, and they feel ace!

    jeffcapeshop
    Free Member

    i thought 580 would be plenty wide enough, coming from road bikes.. it’s not really though, felt pretty out of control – 660 i think mine are now which is fine.

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    chutney13
    Free Member

    Yes, way too narrow. For me anyway.745 on mine.

    umop3pisdn
    Free Member

    Slap some bar ends on, **** the haters

    mrmo
    Free Member

    do you ride near trees, stay narrow.

    The current fashion for changing stems and bars and getting ever wider is just b******s, it is an easy way to try and buy excuses. Stem too long, bars to narrow, need more leverage etc.

    A crap rider is a crap rider regardless of what they are riding.

    Skill matters far more than what you ride.

    geordiemick00
    Free Member

    depends on the geometry too. I put 760 bars on my Genesis Fortitude race and having a really low down headset arrangement the wider bars made it quite twitchy

    mboy
    Free Member

    A crap rider is a crap rider regardless of what they are riding.

    Correct

    Skill matters far more than what you ride.

    Correct

    The current fashion for changing stems and bars and getting ever wider is just b******s, it is an easy way to try and buy excuses. Stem too long, bars to narrow, need more leverage etc.

    Errrr… Only amongst those actually looking for excuses. Personally, I’m glad of the wide bar revolution. Was a doubter for quite a while, thinking I’d never want anything wider than 685’s on anything, but have very quickly got used to much wider bars and love them. Do think that the 800mm+ brigade though is pushing it a bit too far, and the SSC Yardstick at 915mm wide… WTF?!?! 😕

    takisawa2
    Full Member

    760mm felt daft on my SS 29er. Have 680mm now, with 50mm stem & its spot on. Wouldn’t go any narrower than 650mm IMO.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    The current fashion for changing stems and bars and getting ever wider is just b******s, it is an easy way to try and buy excuses. Stem too long, bars to narrow, need more leverage etc.

    PMSL
    Riding 745 & 760 now, more spread out, better on my shoulders, keeps my chest nice and open.

    I have ridden some demo’s with 685’s again and they just feel wrong.

    Not sure how changing something is buying excuses though, I upgraded a component to be more suitable for what I do. I find it better. No excuses really, just broad shoulders.

    As for Stems not had longer than 70mm in 7 years.

    If the first mountain bike you rode had 700-750mm bars on you would think it was normal and natural. However our history has started with narrow so thats what you think is normal. I once doubted that wider was better, happily I can admit I was wrong.

    mrmo
    Free Member

    If the first mountain bike you rode had 700-750mm bars on you would think it was normal and natural. However our history has started with narrow so thats what you think is normal. I once doubted that wider was better, happily I can admit I was wrong.

    It didn’t start narrow and get wider, started wide got narrower, then got wider again.

    Not saying don’t go a bit wider, just trying to make the point that there seems to be a current fashion to go ever wider and wider, and at some point there will be a fashion to go narrower again. There is always a happy medium. i have ridden bars at around 450 and it is too narrow, but there will also be a too wide. Don’t get caught up chasing fashion. At the end of the day it is not what you ride that matters, but that you ride.

    Consider that some bikes work better in certain configurations, the current fashion for longer top tubes means stems are shorter for the same reach.

    br
    Free Member

    Also depends on how tall/wide you are, I like how wider bars also open up my chest to help breathing etc.

Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)

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