[Closed] Is the difference twixt O/S bars and normal size noticeable and more betterer?

Mine are all O/S now but can't say i can feel any noticeable difference. I prefer the look of O/S but it can be more fiddly to mount things on the bars due to the changing width of the bars from end to end.

I think its better, certainly stiffer, but then someone will be along in a minute to say I didn't test identical stems and bars so how can I have an oppinion etc etc etc.

I wouldn't upgrade like for like, but I wouldn't buy 'standard' bars and stems now if I were building a bike.

I prefer a standard that is standard - and can tell no difference between standard and OS bars. Motorcycles with far wider bars and much heavier steering inputs don't need OS bars.

I just put some 25.4 bars on an old bike and, if I [i]really[/i] try, there is noticable flex (they are cheap crap I got for a hack bike though). It's not something I've noticed when actually riding. Like spoon said, I wouldn't buy 25.4 anymore for a new build, but I wouldn't bin perfectly good bars and stem just because they weren't 'standard' anymore either.

It is nice that 31.8 seems to be becoming a 'proper' standard though. It took me a while to find a cheap 25.4 stem in the length and rise I wanted, apparently because most of the major manufacturers are phasing them out in favour of 31.8.

TJ, I dont ride a motorcyle. 😛

However I am 6ft 15st and like to wang the bike about a bit.

I prefer a standard that is standard - and can tell no difference between standard and OS bars. Motorcycles with far wider bars and much heavier steering inputs don't need OS bars.

But the tube could have double the wall thickness on a motorbike since weight isn't as critical.

I personally haven't noticed a difference, but I've been buying only oversized stuff for the past couple of years as there seems to be more choice available.

Motorcycles with far wider bars and much heavier steering inputs don't need OS bars.

Motorcycles have a big brace accross the bars if its needed off-road. Or clip ons to save weight on road, anything else isn't what you'd think of as being performance without comprimise so making the bars out of almsot solid aluminium/steel isn't a deal breaker.

I've swapped from Easton carbon Monkeylight DH 711mm to Sunline V1 740mm oversize. They definitely feel stiffer but its the extra width that has made the most difference. Much more direct. 6'2" and 15 1/2st. Wouldn't go back. Feels like the difference between normal forks and Fox 36's!

I think most of just end up going OS as more stems/bars are available. I moved from standard to OS whilst on a holiday and fussing about my stem length, only stems available were in OS.

But that being said a 31.8 dia handlebar of the same wall thickness as a 21.4 is approx twice as stiff. Fag packet calc below (I might have effed this up as I have not fully checked it)

This is for a 200mm long bar (estimate from centre of stem to end of larger section, unit load applied here)
Results are deflections.
D 25.4 D=31.8 % increase
0.012202 0.006181 97.42
0.008257 0.004170 98.02
0.006287 0.003165 98.63
0.005106 0.002563 99.24
0.004320 0.002161 99.86
0.003341 0.001661 101.13

[img] [/img]

I have a 60mm OS stem you can borrow to try.

Right I have checked my calcs and its all correct (based on my initial assumptions). I dunno what the thickness of the OS bit on bars is but I reckon they thin them down to save weight so probably OS bars are not twice as stiff as standard ones because they might not have the same wall thickness.

If you look at the graph above for example you get similar deformation from a 0.5mm wall thickness OS bar as a 1mm wall thickness standard bar so I would imagine that OS bars take advantage of this and are somewhere in between.

what thisisnotaspoon said. definitely stiffer.

You can barely tell and people who say otherwise are talking shite and have too much money (if they upgraded specifically). Bolt through forks are a definite increase but anyone who claims a significant difference in stiffness with bars is well and truly talking out of their arse...

but why would stiffness matter ? I've never noticed my bars bending at all (apart fom once when I twisted one in a crash) so less bending than that would be imperceptible. For all we know, some slight bending might be a good thing...

I think they are generally stiffer but that is not nessecarily a good thing, i find os aluminium bars uncomfortable because they feed back more vibrations.

Stiffness- I once changed from a racy Raceface stem to a Thomson, difference in steeridge was noticably more betterer. I know what some folk are saying about harshness, with some bars I get tinglyhands, with some (like my current Carbon ones) I dont.

It's like most upgrades, you dont notice them being 'better' when riding them, its more allong the lines of 'diferent, but in a good way'. Normal bars now feel horrible and unresponsive in comparison in the same way as my MX Pro's from 2003 feel crap compared to my menja's despite being very similar forks aimed at similar riders.

A quality answer!

difference in steeridge was noticably more betterer

I wonder if this can be meaningfully quantified ?
I would think steering depended on (in order of importance)
a) terrain
b) tyres
c) forks
d) headset (though AAA if overtight)
y) colour scheme
z) bars

I think more important than the bar size is the amount of gullibility and amount of disposable income. I'm guessing o/s bars are De rigueur on Leith Hill...

dunno bout stiffer, very difficult to test like for like. I've noticed a lot less creakage from OS bars tho, so thats a plus 🙂

What magnitude of force are steering inputs? A few newtons? Not enough to cause any bending in the bars for sure.

I've noticed a lot less creakage from OS bars tho

I would be very worried if I had [b]any[/b] creaking from my bars 🙁 Would it not signify a loose clamp ?

What magnitude of force are steering inputs? A few newtons? Not enough to cause any bending in the bars for sure.

yes, I think the upper body support forces (particularly in braking) would be far bigger

I see your points, but QR to 15/20mm is a big difference to steeridge, thats nearly like a proper fact.

but QR to 15/20mm is a big difference to steeridge, thats nearly like a proper fact.

that came under "forks" on my list...

but "big difference" ? Don't you just automatically allow for whatever flex there is in the steering within seconds of setting off on a different bike ?

It feels quite noticeable on road bikes and for that reason I definitely like it for road riding but IMO offroad, it's much less so because of tyres/suspension, etc which all flex plenty. I've got OS on my mtbs simply because most of the currect stuff is OS rather than for any benefit.

I reckon a lot of/most of the stiffness gained is in the stem though - OS stems tend to be bigger to match the bar clamp.

it's not about that TJ.

to be fair you probably wouldn't notice any difference, the way you ride. except you've not even tried them have you?

😉 usual disclaimer etc

it's not about that TJ.

to be fair you probably wouldn't notice any difference, the way you ride. except you've not even tried them have you?

😉 usual disclaimer etc

Interestingly I have jsut been back and looked at 4 sets of os bars I have, all different:
1) EASTON EA40 os starts to taper at first bend of rise and is down to inch by end of rise, ruler says os length before taper starts is 50 mm from edge of stem clamp, nand goes down to inch over the next 100mm or so. (vs my assumption of 200mm) so that will be less stiff..
2) easton monkeybar carbon jobbie, os portion starts to taper at beginning of rise and finishes about 120mm from end.
3) Truvativ, of pinches down just near grip area os region 250mm
4) FSA xc as truvativ..

My calcs above are linear so you can factor up with load easily. For 1mm thick inch bar at 10 kg bending load (rounded to 100 newtons) deformation would be 0.6mm . At 100 kg it would be 6mm (although this might make it fail, dunno as I havent done the stress analysis).
For the 1mm thick os bar its half that at 0.3 and 3mm respectivly.

You decide what the loads are but I can see them being easily 10kg, or more if you add steering to landing and braking.

Also a riser bar will be stiffer than a straight bar if you bend it down - opposing the rise, but I can't be arsed to go into that detailed analysis...

Al - yes I have used them, no I didn't notice any difference.

Tell me - how much force do you use in steering inputs? Enough to flex a bar significantly? I doubt it.

Look at toys figures - 0.6 mm flex - significant? can you even feel that? Toys - you really think steering inputs are 10 kgs? More like 100 g would be my guess.

I have tried flexing stems and bars by putting my full weight on them while the stem was fixed in a vice - very rough empirical testing but there was no flex I could measure with my full weight on them in a stem and a few mm in a bar.

Bear in mind based on my assumptions and depending on the bar it could be more than that. I was just trying to get a feel for how much difference it makes having a larger diamter - its not a rigourous analysis of bar design, its a fag packet estimate for pub conversation.

But 0.6mm is probably a minimum.

At the end of the day -yes in theroy its stiffer, but we are all at the suffarance of the market place, I can imagine inch bars being a thing of the past unless they are made of yet to be discovered superstiffnlightium.

TJ, you're a bit of a wimp though 😆

like I said TJ it's not about that. the fact that you even think that's what it is about reveals your limited understanding of the subject.

WTF is it about then al? People claim better steering from an OS bar.

Toys - you really think steering inputs are 10 kgs? More like 100 g would be my guess.

You misread me, braking and landing and steering added together could easily be quite large.

Also if you want to look at steering alone, itmight be better to consider your restoring force when you are knocked off line, which must happen a few times a second if you are blasting down a really rough rocky descent.

It's not just steering inputs - for me (on the road) the big difference is when out of the saddle and pulling on the bars where I'll bet the inputs are pretty significant - 500-1000N I reckon...

Yes the braking forces are far greater than steering forces but does flex matter under braking? People claim they want carbon bars as they " remove trail buzz" ie they flex.

I really think this one is all emperors new clothes.

Yeah but you're a miserable sod 😉

My carbon bars definitley took away whatever caused tingly hands on long rides. Maybe its sweep or whatever, but they are very much more comfy.

I can't feel a difference in flex or anything like that. I just went oversize because I got a good deal on an OS bar/stem combo. I think it looks a bit crap compared to standard 25.4mm but that seems to be getting rarer so thought I'd future proof!

Trying to think of something similar. Seatposts spring to mind. Increasing size has deffo made them stiffer IMO.
So why not OS bars? I do notice a bit of flex on std bars, mostly from hoofing it up climbs. Not having OS bars on either bike yet (despite having an OS stem on one of them!), but i see no reason to assume that moving to OS won't increase stiffness.

My carbon bars definitley took away whatever caused tingly hands on long rides.

so one person says stiffer bars transmit less vibration, another thinks more...

Seatposts spring to mind. Increasing size has deffo made them stiffer IMO.

and your point is ?

the fact that you even think that's what it is about reveals your limited understanding of the subject.

ah, classic hinting at arcane knowledge only revealed to the few ?

apart from one assertion of "more betterer", we have nothing yet to establish if increased stiffness matters...