Bars – Narrow(er) is the new wide…

Watched the tech talk from the Tasmania EWS race and was interested to hear that most racers run narrower bars than I’d have expected, and many are running narrower than they did last year. Clearly these guys decide by feel rather than fashion, but it does make me wonder about all the 800mm ish bars you see out on the trails. My last bike had 760s and my new one came with 800s that I cut down to 780 after one ride, but I did still clip a bar on a post at speed and am still recovering from the shoulder injury 6 months later – would narrower bars (or better skillz) have saved me?!

I’m pretty certain it’s as a result of riding fairly natural trails, often with minimal practice or blind, and at ridiculous speed. It doesn’t mean that wider bars don’t fit better or handle better, it’s just that narrower bars are less likely to get clipped causing a crash.

For similar reasons (not blind or FAST, just tight trees) I run 750mm bars locally and 810mm bars when riding more open trails. The big bars fit me way better but they’re just too risky around here.

Yeah, it’s a balance. Really wide bars- the 800+s- I don’t think have ever really caught on for trailbikes and #enduro but even my 780s can make stuff tricky occasionally. And for enduro you want the maximum corner-cutting ability

Another angle on this discussion: Personally, I find it also depends on the bike. I’m perfectly happy with 720 on all the 26″ and 650b bikes I’ve had but all the 29ers I’ve ridden with 720s I’ve been convinced the bars are narrower. Turns out, to my brain, 780s on a big 29er ‘feel like’ 720s on the smaller bikes. It’s probably just my brain.

The gap was 1m wide 😉 got through fine with my 780’s though my elbow didn’t…

I’m pretty certain it’s as a result of riding fairly natural trails, often with minimal practice or blind, and at ridiculous speed. It doesn’t mean that wider bars don’t fit better or handle better, it’s just that narrower bars are less likely to get clipped causing a crash.

Given the way some of these guys ride maybe it’s just settling in or maybe just trying to find something to say as they picked up on the narrow gap as “The Feature” of the trail.

Still go with bar width being a function of your shoulders etc.

I find bigger bars more comfortable than narrow bars as my shoulder don’t collapse in as much as my chest is more open. I guess i am going for both feel and fashion.
I have yet to clip them. I find focusing on getting one end of the bar as close to one side of the gap really helps.

Northwind – Member
And for enduro strava, you want the maximum corner-cutting ability

FTFY

I was also surprised by the video. Lots of 750s.

Pros do a lot of strength training. do you think the average weekend warrior compensates for a lack of core/ upper body strength by going slightly wider?

thomthumb – Member
do you think the average weekend warrior compensates for a lack of core/ upper body strength by going slightly wider?

I think the average weekend warrior (including me!) go wider because that’s what the internet tells you to do!

Pros do a lot of strength training. do you think the average weekend warrior compensates for a lack of core/ upper body strength by going slightly wider?

Doubt it, I usually feel more beaten up after riding with wider bars.

Personal preference and spending more time on the bike (especially against a clock) probably helps their decision.

Bars are like suspension travel was (and stem/reach probably will be). It’ll reach an extreme (remember 7″ travel ‘trail’ bikes?) before everyone realises that only works for a very small minority and goes back to something a little more normal (we’re back at 120-140mm trail bikes, just like 2004).

Interesting to hear people say they have different width bars on Diff bikes, I have 740mm bars on every bike I have XC – DH.

I was once told by someone that the correct width of bar is determined by doing a press up! Get in a normal press up position and then get someone to measure the distance Btw your little fingers = ideal bar width.

Seems to work fine for me 😉

All you need now is a definition of what a “normal” press-up position is

I think it’s always a bit of a compromise. I run 780s, there’s one place on my local trails I’ll usually scrape one or both ends of the bar*, so I reckon I woulnd’t want to go wider.
If I could be bothered, I might cut them down to 760 or so, I know that 720 feels a bit narrow (although I’d run something like that that if I had more tight gaps on my usual rides), but it’s splitting hairs really. It’s not surprising that people aren’t just going bigger and bigger, we’ve been obviously approaching a limit for a while, and some people are bound to want different widths than others.

*I’m actually surprised my riding mates with narrower bars haven’t gone searching for something with more width restrictions.

The correct width bar is the one you’re happiest with, IMO.

All you need now is a definition of what a “normal” press-up position is

If it’s “correct form” then shoulder width (with elbows tucked in).

Bars are a fairly consistent 800mm in MX – and there are plenty of people still running 800s in DH.

Tom_W1987 – Member
Bars are a fairly consistent 800mm in MX – and there are plenty of people still running 800s in DH.

Not many narrow sections in MX and DH – plenty in the trail and #Enduro riding that most of us do.

I was also surprised by the video. Lots of 750s.

well, of the folk they asked…How many competitors? how many in that interview? I’d bet you could get just as many to say 780 or wider, and give a totally different impression

760MM is the perfect width. Fact.

I’d bet you could get just as many to say 780 or wider, and give a totally different impression

Well none of the guys in starts with me got interviews… That might be due to the lasagne supply but that is another story.
Fashion is a lame excuse for anything, we ride what we want, if your a pro then having 5 sets of carbon bars to try is probably easy, for the rest of us we do what we do for a bit longer.
My arms and shoulders say somewhere between 780 and 800. I’d have got other through the slot come race day if I was anywhere near lining it up in the rain. Practice it’s wider than it feels, I would suggest you all come ride the round one and two stages, all open to the public.

In context in my only semi serious media interview of the weekend I was a serious pro from the UK and my mate was my manager, don’t believe everything people tell the press 😉

I think it’s always a bit of a compromise.

Exactly.

There have been quite a few bike checks recently where the pro’s have stated they have had to learn to ride with thinner bars than maybe they have been used to or like, because they are riding stuff blind, or very limited practice so don’t want to clip bars/fingers.

Me, I like my wide bars at 6’+ & i’m not bothered about riding trails that tight that I have to run skinny bars to fit down them.

My 640mm Easton EC90s will be back in fashion soon! 😀

Of the ones they asked three of the Brits are very accomplished riders

640mm with bar ends, so probably equivalent to 610mm without them!

And they’re my widest bars by 40mm…

Have ridden a few wider bars on longer travel bikes and not disliked it, but tried some 700mm bars on my 29er Spark and it felt horrible. Kept trimming them 10mm at a time till I arrived 20mm longer than my old bars at 640mm!