There's a trail near me that I struggle on quite a lot. Its a narrow, windy singletrack through woods, and in several places the tree gap is under 1" wider than my bars, in a couple of places it's narrower than my bars. I struggle with these sections, I'm more of a lairy hit and hope rider rather than a precision rider (I also suck at skinnies). Any advice or tips on how to get through them? I've tried focussing on one hand and getting that round but it never seems to work very well..

I'm interested, too – especially after coming off last weekend on a fairly narrow track. Luckily in my case, the gauze bush and nettles broke my fall…

Rachel

Trim your bars?
Chop down some trees?

Shimmy.

Tell yourself it's a game and take pride in seeing how fast you can get through the narrower-than-your-bars gaps without dabbing.

Don't let your pinkies dangle over the ends of the bars though.

There was similar narrow gap at the Bristol Bike Fest a few years ago. By the end of the day the tree was almost sliced in two from handlebar strikes. I find I have the odd tree strike, the trick is not to dab (and hence lose points)

I used to have a regular trail like this, and the knack seemed to be to pull a wheelie as you go through the gap, and turn the bars half X up style to the bars fit through. This looks really, really cool. Until you get it wrong. then it looks very very silly.

It's what Bontragers and flat bars were made for!

I always strike the right-hand tree, never the left one( usually with my Knuckle.) Not broken anything though, but have come home with a few bloody gloves.

I guess the answer is don't look at the tree

I am not brave enough to not look at the tree

Cut you bars down – how wide are they to begin with as if you're riding tight twisty tree lined single track there is no need for big ass 700mm plus bars, IMHO of course 😆

To the OP, how wide are your bars BTW?

bars are pretty wide, 680mm, but it suits the rest of my riding (and this is just 1 trail or in fact, about a 1/2 mile section of singletrack (out of a trail about 3 times that length) I suffer with) so I'd rather not trim them down. I know that's an option, but I figured there might be a way to get through

I have tried not looking at the bars, but I'm not a very accurate rider so that doesn't solve anything. I (sadly) can't just use the force to place my bars within 2 objects with (literally) inch perfect precision

Don't try to ride cleanly through the gap.

Instead approach at a bit of an angle, so you dealing with one tree slightly before the other.

Aim your wheel at the base of the far tree, ready to turn sharply around the nearer one.

As soon as the bar is past the first tree lean toward it so that the bar tucks in behind it and turn sharply so you clear the second tree.

Works for me, but I'm not sure how well I've explained it…

Alaric.

yeah that does make sense – thanks. Will give it a go next time I'm on the trail

I do what the bloke above said – get one end through, then the other, with a bit of an angled attack and a wobble.

I ride with pretty wide bars, so I've had to learn to deal with it…

there's a pair of trees on our last trail down to the pub that i invariably bang one end or 'tother on. i know i can make it, because i do sometimes. we built a level trail to keep riders away from families and walkers at our local spot, and some C U Next Tuesday decided to take out one tree that formed a bit of a pinch point, where you had to wiggle through, by design, which pi55ed me off a bit. dunno who this guy is, but he's decided that he can build jumps and stuff on a trail he didn't build. i guess to a large degree it's open season – we're on public land after all, but i just wish that if he wants a trail which is all straight lines and jumps he'd go build one. that adds to the mix, which is good, rather than detracting from how and why we built the way we did.

those new massive wide bars must be useless in tight woods!
i cut my bars down for x-ups on jumps so i find being broad shouldered they take the brunt through tight trails…but its a hoot when you find the flow between the tree`s

some C U Next Tuesday decided to take out one tree that formed a bit of a pinch point, where you had to wiggle through, by design, which pi55ed me off a bit.

Has anyone put their hand up to doing the tree chopping yet? Not of the regulars then.

I'm going to try and get out for the wednesday ride tomorrow – been a bit sidetracked doing stuff in the new house recently!