I currently have a 780mm wide handlebar on my Commencal Meta AM and am considering going wider – 810mm probably.

I hardly ever ride anywhere where close trees would limit bar size as most of my riding is on open moorland.

Does anyone have any experience of going super wide? Any good/bad changes to riding position?

Thanks for any advice!

I’m going to say “you just don’t know until you try” ! 😉

810 is definitely wide for anything but DH really, but if it works for you, crack on!

I went from 711mm to 740mm; wasn’t comfortable until I’d put on a 10mm shorter stem.

680->745->760->780 been all good so far, how are your shoulders, how do you feel on the 780’s?

I’m 6’2″ and have big wide shoulders, 780 too wide for me, even with a wee stubby stem. Cut down to 740, seems a better compromise with regards to woodland riding. Each to their own though.

FFS 810 is to wide to paddle my canoe. 😆

Been meaning to ask but CBA starting a new thread, is there a definitive size that’s best for all round trail/enduro/gnarcore riding on a 6-7″ trail bike? Or is it all completely personal and dependant on shoulder with/armspan etc?

I currently have 760mm wide bars fitted to both my spesh enduro and downhill bike and am considering if I should have slightly narrower bars on the trail bike. The most common option for new bars seems to be 740mm, as I’m not a broad shouldered beefcake or a slender racing whippet, which should I go for?

*I may ignore all internet advice and do whatever I please but thought I’d ask anyway.

darkslider – Member
Been meaning to ask but CBA starting a new thread, is there a definitive size that’s best for all round trail/enduro/gnarcore riding on a 6-7″ trail bike? Or is it all completely personal and dependant on shoulder with/armspan etc?

I currently have 760mm wide bars fitted to both my spesh enduro and downhill bike and am considering if I should have slightly narrower bars on the trail bike. The most common option for new bars seems to be 740mm, as I’m not a broad shouldered beefcake or a slender racing whippet, which should I go for?

*I may ignore all internet advice and do whatever I please but thought I’d ask anyway.

Get the widest you can, and gradually cut them down until they feel right,

Much cheaper and easier than starting narrow and getting wider.

is there a definitive size

No. Next easy question please.

Why go wider? As someone with the wingspan of an albatross I’m finding my 760 wide bars fine and dandy and occasionally stopping me getting through the occasional tree gap.
What do you think another 3cm is going to give you on those open moors?

The 780’s feel fine the majority of the time but when it comes to steep technical sections, I feel wider arms would would result in a stronger, more confidence inspiring position.

I guess my shoulders are average width for someone my height (6’6″).

Would the wider bars have a negative effect on less technical sections? Don’t want to ruin he whole ride comfort just for 15-20% of my ride!

What’s height got to do with it?
5’9 with 780’s I really appreciated the long lever while hauling back some loose moments today. I do have broad shoulders but not the broadest around.

It feels generally more comfortable on everything from all day XC (I started the year doing 160 odd KM of XC stage racing on them) to hauling it through the locals tracks here in Rotorua.

You can get an idea of what it might be like by just holding on to the very outside bit of your current grips!

What’s height got to do with it?

Often associated with having longer arms.

I was really wondering if 15mm per hand would feel all that different and realistically give you any more control for the cost. If you have lock on grips, slacken them off and move them out a bit for the feel.

Went for it and ordered a Funn Fatboy 810mm with a 7mm rise.
Arrived this morning so I guess I’ll find out how it rides in a couple of hours!

I just went up to 780mm, it is noticably wide. Like, tree punching wide. It’s only 10mm more per side but that does seem to push it to the point where some trails are just not made with you in mind 😆 Quite like it, need to do a lot more riding to decide if it’s a keeper but I wouldn’t say it’s too wide- it’s definitely wide enough to impact your riding in some not so good ways though.

Like how?

Like, things formerly at the side of the trail, are now definitely in the trail. Trees, rocks, signposts, walls, stuff like that. Race timing boxes 😳 Can’t ride into my garage anymore.

Might not be a problem for you often though. What I wasn’t really expecting, though should have, is that it’s not so much narrow gaps- it’s places where the natural line of the trail goes close to things. Racing at the weekend the groove of the trail pulled me into the tape a couple of times where I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have happened with more normal bars.

Northwind – Member
Like, things formerly at the side of the trail, are now definitely in the trail. Trees, rocks, signposts, walls, stuff like that. Race timing boxes Can’t ride into my garage anymore.

Might not be a problem for you often though. What I wasn’t really expecting, though should have, is that it’s not so much narrow gaps- it’s places where the natural line of the trail goes close to things. Racing at the weekend the groove of the trail pulled me into the tape a couple of times where I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have happened with more normal bars.

There’s a jump on one of my local trails, with a tree close to the right hand side of the takeoff, and the jump send you from left to right. Made me VERY nervous with the big bars.

Like, things formerly at the side of the trail, are now definitely in the trail.

I posted a video to that effect and everyone laughed…

I did some hand scraping last week on a very narrow track (big drop on the other side) but apart from that no real issues with them.

What’s height got to do with it?

Often associated with having longer arms.[/quote]
So refer to arm length then, bit like saying someone has big hands and winking