So … what is the perfect bar width?

kimbers – Member
777mm

Coz that’s the width of my on one knukleballs

^^^ This! 😆

Kimbers and oink +1

Tried 800 and it was too wide. Might work on an MX bike as the reach is a lot shorter, but on a push bike it felt horrible.

777 is too wide for a lot of woodsy singletrack too but seems to work well for actually riding. I’d go narrower if local trails had narrower bits, it’s not such a big deal, I still happily ride 680-700 on my other bikes.

I’ve ended up with 780mm on the mountain bikes and 740mm on the hybrid. Every other time I’ve gone up a size, it’s been like this:

Try 720. Think it’s too wide. Cut 10mm off each end. 4 weeks later regret it. Replace with new 720 bars. a year later replace with 740. Think it’s too wide…

But this is the first time I’ve avoided that, which I think means it’s perfect for me. Still some downsides, it genuinely doesn’t fit between some gaps and some wider gaps feel a bit iffy, but other’n that I love it.

(the hybrid got 740s purely because it felt weird going back and forth from it to mtbs)

My bars are 760 but I think that’s too wide for me. I’ve bashed into a few things recently which caused me to skin my knuckles and fall off. Think I might chop them down a bit too.

I’ve actually a spare bar in the garage that I was thinking about chopping as small as it would go just for the laugh, that could make for an interesting ride!

I went from the standard 685mm bars up to a 740 and now a 780 on my FS, Getting through the door of the shed is the tricky bit! Have tried 800 but feels a bit large to me. All personal taste anyway but reckon 740-780 is pretty much bang on. I find I can breathe better as well!

6’4″ here, started 12 years ago with something araound 660 I guess (spec hardrock), then switched to 720, 760 and finally 800 (Easton Havoc35) on my enduro bike (Transition Covert V3) with 50mm stem (Easton Havoc35). Will never go back to narrower bars on my enduro bike, I feel like home with those. On the XC bike I use a 100mm stem with an Easton carbon 720 bar and feels right for the kind of ride I do with that one, mainly looong hours on wide access roads and some trails with no big technical features. Hope it helps.

My method was simple.
I held my hands in a position that felt comfortable, then had some bars made with that width and sweep.Ten minutes of measurement (and 4 weeks delivery) gave me some perfectly fitting bars.

900mm and 27 degs sweep worked for me.

Wider than your shoulders, but not too much wider as that restricts your room for manoeuvre and makes more work for your arms on descents.

Stuck with 720 that came with the bike – feels great but I catch a lot more bracken, brambles and trees. One day this will cause a nasty off if I am not careful!!

I’m 6’with fairly wide shoulders & have been Mt Biking for 30 years now. I am still riding a K2 Razorback I’ve had for 14 years. The bars on it are 640mm wide and it feels absolutely wonderful.
I’ve just sold a much newer Cannondale on which I tried bars at 720 and 760. It always felt like a pig and I only kept it as long as I did because it reminded me how wonderful the K2 is!
It could just be a matter of what you get used to and what feels right to you? (rather than following the latest ridiculous trend and smashing your knuckles on trees unnecessarily?)

It could just be a matter of what you get used to and what feels right to you? (rather than following the latest ridiculous trend and smashing your knuckles on trees unnecessarily?)

What if what feels good is wide? do narrow bars focus the mind to try and be condecending more?
FWIW height is a crap measure as this thread proves, even removing the outliers of the never change camp it’s all over the place.
Thankfully some people tried something different or we would all be on the old 680mm wide bars.
Personally 780 but prepared to try 800 as doing the arms level with shoulders then dangle from the elbows pops me about there or just off the ends of my current bars. In the last 3 years at that width I’ve probably had 5-10 just too wide incedents which is acceptible. I had enough on narrow bars by misjudging as even if my hands were narrower my shoulders weren’t.

If what feels good is wide, use wide bars and enjoy!
To me, they feel awful and with my limited peripheral vision they’ve contributed to my having smashed my knuckles on trees more than once.
I’m perhaps a bit more cynical than I should be about the bicycle industry and the need for constant change in order for them to sell the latest and greatest without it necessarily being an improvement to our cycling experience.
Sorry if that came over as condescending mikewsmith.

I’m perhaps a bit more cynical than I should be about the bicycle industry and the need for constant change in order for them to sell the latest and greatest without it necessarily being an improvement to our cycling experience.

My point is your confusing My with Our, just because you don’t see a difference or benifit doesn’t mean other people don’t. It goes back to the road brakes and UCI aero rules thread where people keep going on that Road Bikes do exactly what is needed so why change them – in a world where they are basically not allowed to change them and see what the differences are.

To me, they feel awful and with my limited peripheral vision they’ve contributed to my having smashed my knuckles on trees more than once.

I’d say the problem here isn’t the bars or your vision but not looking far enough ahead, as reinforced by a winter of night riding down here in the southern hemisphere I’m not looking to the side for obsticles, I’ve already positioned myself before I get to them and made my decisions based on whats coming up.

Nope, I’m not confused at all. I’ve only offered my opinion based on personal experience.
I don’t for a moment believe I speak for anyone else.
Like I said, “If what feels good is wide, use wide bars and enjoy!”

fair enough, it’s just the great usage of “Our cycling experience” from people makes it sound like it’s speaking for all.

Chopped mine down last night from 760 to 740, seems more comfortable now 🙂

I, like many others have thought I had it right only to go a bit longer and prefer the new length.

Just changed to 800 from 750 but lost 20mm on the stem. I can remember thinking 700 was ridiculous when I was rocking 640’s. 😕

I think ‘industry standard’ these days is 740 for trail riding and 780 for DH, but that’s only what they want you to use.

I also so the Syndicate vid and it made sense, but of course that’s for the likes of Mr. Minn riding WC DH tracks, results for middle-aged fat lad in Wales my vary.

My Mate has a good solution, get into the push-up position, your hands will naturally move to the width which gives you the best position for maximum efficiency – measure that.