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Currently got 740mm bars on my spectral and my ongoing back problems have been getting slightly worse. i was told by a very helpful bloke in the shop at delamere that the bars could be the cause. anyone else found this? Just seen the havens on offer at crc for £23 and they are 711mm and pretty tempted.
move your grips inwards 10mm either side and try it
If you didn't shorten the stem to compensate for the increased reach then yes it could be the issue.
I had the same issue, they are all the craze but you are just moving yourself forward and putting pressure on something. I get away with a 50mm stem, 760mm bars, saddle set back to limit on a frame thats borderline too small (medium frame they recommend up to 5'10 and Im 5'11) as I like the control and chuckability. I had the same issue on my DH bike with 780-800mm bars. Do as above, set everything in 10mm at a time til you feel comfortable. Nothing wrong with cutting bars if you are going to keep them instead of buying new bars either.
It's been said already, what length stem you running
I've got Renthals on mine and the width of my bars alleviates my aching neck that I get when my shoulders are too tight across the top, it might just be a shorter stem and some time in the saddle to loosen you back up again and get comfy in another slightly different position.
Just seen the havens on offer at crc for £23 and they are 711mm and pretty tempted.
As mentioned, try moving grips and controls inward first to try it out. If it does turn out to cure your problem you can always just cut down your current bars (not remotely as fun as purchasing new stuff, I admit).
My sore back was helped by wider and longer... 😮
Please forgive my Finbar!
I found that lifting my stem by just 5mm helped me. I suffered with my back for a while and after trying different things to help it was the fact that I'd lowered my stem in the first place that was causing me issues. I went as low as I could without straining the muscles at the bottom of my back. Hope this helps.
Cheers for all the advice - i'll have a think. My stem is 70mm and feels ok reach wise so I dont really want to change that if possible.
I'm running a 50mm Rebthal Duo stem & 780mm Renthal Fatbars, wider bars suit me down to the ground as I'm 6' 2"" so have monkey arms, plus they feel uber stable DH, although I do bring my hands in for climbing on long fire roads. No back problems though, other than that associated with a pack and long days in the saddle.
It's not an exact science but small changes do make a difference.
My sore back was helped by wider and longer...
Me too
I have been running 640mm bars and a 90mm stem up until recently and actually needed a 10mm [i]longer[/i] stem with my new 700mm bars as the small increase in sweep decreased the saddle to grip distance to a greater extent than the extra width increased the reach. The new 700mm bars and 90mm stem gave me back pain, a 10mm longer stem sorted everything.
Changing the stem height and length can give you the same results with regards to slightly changing your back and hip angles as changing the bar width which might be a better option if you were happy with the current bars until someone put some doubt in your mind 😀
I think your stem is more likely to be the problem, rather than the width of your bars, although obviously they're closely linked.
What I mean to say is that IMO its the reach that will be the issue - not the width. Wider bars feels like longer reach, which is normally compensated by a shorter stem.
If you haven't tried the feel of a shorter stem, then you should try to borrow one before trying new bars. 40-50mm stem with wider bars feels fantastic. Wide bars and a long/70mm stem - not so much.
Just put wider bars on a new frame which after a few rides give me, not backache, but tennis elbow! I had this years ago but an epicondyle clasp got rid of it. The new bars and frame are the only current change in my routine so I am assuming they are the cause. I have shorter bars to try but there isn't much I can do about the new frame which is fine in every other way.