thinking of getting some wider bars (710 or possibly 740). What are peoples thoughts on how they have affected (improved?) bike handling and when do they become too wide?
thanks
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how wide are your bars?
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Posted 1 year ago #
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800mm and I sometimes clip trees... Helps that I have orangutan arms mind
Posted 1 year ago # -
hardtails are 750, fs are 785. they are great for burly muscle you bike around type riding. for singletrack speeder bike type stuff 710 would be plenty.
try it, you can always trim a bit off easy.
Posted 1 year ago # -
550mm.... but its a race bike so thats fine
Posted 1 year ago # -
710 Salsa flat bar...thought I'd cut them down but got use to how they feel and never did
Posted 1 year ago # -
Xc: 560- will be cutting 10 mm off each side in due course.
CX: 460 ouside to outside
Road: 440 outside to outside
Maybe its all the time on the road, but wider bars always make me feel like a lizard with its limbs inefficiently splayed out to the side.Posted 1 year ago # -
685 on all - good, even in trees
Posted 1 year ago # -
715mm on my most ridden bike. Made a difference in a good way. Feels very stable up and down. Occasionally clipped trees at first but know I know how wide they are.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Just built up a Ragley Blue Pig with Nuke Proof 760mm risers. They do feel wide and I've clattered the car wing mirror twice riding between it and the wheely bin where normally I have no problems. Only ridden on the road so far up and down a steep hill last night to bed the brakes in, but they feel quite nice. Acid test will be tomorrow when I see how they feel in the woods.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I have 650mm bars on my hardcore hardtail. I want wider bars but I don't know what is too wide, I was thinking 710 but that seems like quite a big increase. Would I be better off trying 680 first then going bigger again if I feel I need to? or just going for the 710's?
Thanks for any help.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I know exactly which trails we'll be riding tomorrow then gilo
24 to 26" (so that's 610 to 660) for me. I really don't get on with wider ones despite being tall and relatively wide.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I've got 760's on my dh bike and 710's on the xc bikes. The change when I put the 760's on the dh bike was amazing, so much more control, much easier when drifting/sliding, better control. I wouldn't go back.
Am planning to try some 735's on my full sus xc and the 710's on the jump bike.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Bert - go straight to 710, try it then if you want you can slide your grips in a bit at a time to find your prefferred width and only cut after you're sure.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I have 650mm bars on my hardcore hardtail. I want wider bars but I don't know what is too wide, I was thinking 710 but that seems like quite a big increase. Would I be better off trying 680 first then going bigger again if I feel I need to? or just going for the 710's?
Go for the 710's - it's free to cut them down if you find them too long, but it'll cost you money if you buy some 685's and decide they're too short.Posted 1 year ago # -
680mm but I'm wide.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Bert - go straight to 710, try it then if you want you can slide your grips in a bit at a time to find your prefferred width and only cut after you're sure.
I think thats what I will do, although I have just spotted some Nuke Proof 760's and I am rather tempted :?.
Posted 1 year ago # -
680 and that seems to be very wide to me. Might get some 4 foot wide ones next though.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Been using 685's but find myself holding ends of bars.
Bought some 760's to try but too wide for general trail/techy riding, maybe too much leverage?
Cut em down to 710 and will try them out tomorrow night.
If it helps i'm only 5' 8" and remember you can always cut em down...
Posted 1 year ago # -
Lol at 550 of road. How on earth is that fast.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Not sure but fwiw, while I didn't like the feel of bars that narrow (back in the day and more recently on
my commuter which rarely goes off road) I can't say that I actually seemed to be riding any slower.Posted 1 year ago # -
Posted 1 year ago #
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Hey, I'll sit here and slag risers, but I'd never rubbish folks choice of bar width, thats a womans right to choose, so to speak!
For full XC riders though,who have more weight on the front than the average trail centre type, efficient posture and aerodynamics comes into play more, so narrower IS faster.
Interestingly, there's a local trail that I usually ride on the cross bike. I dread running into superwide-o MTBers on it as they always fluff, stall and dab as their bars are too wide to take anymore than the one narrow line, while I've got loads of manoeuvrability through all the tricky sections.
Still, you should always use what you feel comfortable with...Posted 1 year ago # -
711 on my commuter - gt zum and my dialled alpine. 750 flats on my demo, still deciding if I want to trim them or not, but have hardly ridden it since November.
I think 711 is a very nice width for most things and have no desire to go narrower.
Posted 1 year ago # -
640, seem plenty for most of the time, I'd probably go to 680 tho
Posted 1 year ago # -
750 on the Pitch.
and 760 on the DMR
Posted 1 year ago # -
765 and loving it. More control, especially beneficial on nadgery downhills. But am 6'4" with monkey arms..
Posted 1 year ago # -
660 on the XC bike, 685 on the SS, 710 on the big & jump bikes.
Amazed at how much difference going to the 710s made. SOO much more leverage when cornering.
Posted 1 year ago # -
710 on the tandem - the riding position is not as comfy as it might be but I can slide my hands in a bit as its twisties and almost full length grips. the extra leverage is good tho at slow speed.
610 on the solo - I never feel a need for wider but I might try some 680s I have
660 mary bars on the commuter
I do have narrow shoulders tho. Broader shouldered people maybe need wider bars? The 710s feel very splayed out and put my wrists at a very unnatural angle
I think this is the latest fashion thing - super wide bars
Posted 1 year ago # -
680 and its plenty. I just moved up from 600mm bars I had before. I can't get through the narrow metal thingys on the country paths now- I have to stop and turn the bar 45 deg and lift the front wheel, whereas before i used to fly right through them
Posted 1 year ago # -
785mm wide not to sure if I'm going to knock them down to 750mm
Posted 1 year ago # -
I sort of agree with TJ on this (shock horror!). The 710s aren't as comfortable when sat down, but as soon as you're stood up (as you would be for singletrack or DH), they feel absolutely spot on.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Cut my 710's down to 690.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I recently changed from the 620mm bars on my Commie HT to some 685mm bars.
Posted 1 year ago # -
660mm risers, 600mm flat bar and I'm broader than Broadway.
Posted 1 year ago # -
635mm EA50s on the FS all rounder
660mm Monkeylites on the XC racer HT
Any wider would just be dangerous around here.Posted 1 year ago # -
660 on commuter
685 xc bike feel good enough am curios to see how wider bars will make it feel tho
710 dh bike was a big improvement going from 685 so maybe try 750??
Posted 1 year ago # -
27.5 inch on my mtb, not too wide for general xc and jumps, but they feel wide enough for fast dh type stuff. And about 27 inch on my BMX, which maybe feel a bit too wide
Posted 1 year ago # -
Love the wide bars at speed, but anyone else found them a bit awkward in slow tight stuff? One hand way out in front & the other about to whack myself in the nuts
Posted 1 year ago # -
760 on the DH bike, 690 on the hardtail. Contrary to what someone on here was saying, it doesn't stop you getting round switchbacks, but you do find yourself using less of the trail.
Posted 1 year ago # -
ooOOoo- what width are you using? I'm thinking of 740 but not sure whether this is excessive? Could go for 710's but as I curently have 685's I'm feeling 710's might not be a noticable increase?
Posted 1 year ago #
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