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20s and bar widths - an observation

Mr Tiles

I'm a beer snob
Nov 10, 2003
3,469
0
L-town ya'll
I put a little observation in my last "next level" post and I figure nobody saw it or nobody cares. either way, I was noticing in the last rash of web vids from various spots (vital, ride, props, etc) that it seems like riders are going back to smaller, narrower bars. What I can't tell is if they are just cutting down 8" bars or if they are going back to the 2004/5 norm of 7" rise, 24" width with the grips going down the bends. Anybody else notice this? I guess the reason why I even bring this up is that I've hit my knees a fair amount on barspins with my shadow big bars at full width (27.5" I think). If you cut them down any, you really cut into how much real estate on the bar you have for grips and a lever (if you are into that sort of thing:monkey:). I really like the 8" rise and the wide widths though, something I've really grown accustomed to. I figure since I hit me knees with the bar ends, I just need to get back some more. anyhoo, hate to ramble. discuss...
 

cmc

Turbo Monkey
Nov 17, 2006
2,052
6
austin
my impression was that the big bars riders are not into barspins. mostly a trails and smooth street style. also, if you're brakeless you can cut down regular 8" tall bars a lot and still be fine. certain 8" tall bars like berringers are narrower bend-to-bend as well.
 

grom-dom

Turbo Monkey
Jun 27, 2006
1,140
0
Chapel Thrill
yeah. a lot of people are keeping wide with pride steez laws abide, small bars died. eddie cleveland, chase dehart etc do barpsins with uncut big bars. its just getting ass over rear tire and stuff
 

Tetreault

Monkey
Nov 23, 2005
877
0
SoMeWhErE NoWhErE
i never liked wide bars! people just run with fads that the industry comes up with too often, 24" wide bars are perfect for everything and u never have to worry about hitting your knee's
 

Mr Tiles

I'm a beer snob
Nov 10, 2003
3,469
0
L-town ya'll
i never liked wide bars! people just run with fads that the industry comes up with too often, 24" wide bars are perfect for everything and u never have to worry about hitting your knee's
I agree with you to a certain degree. I do know that I like the feel of the wider bars and seem to be in way more control manualin' and hopping. I don't think I do enough barspins to justify cutting mine down. If I do, it'll be a nominal amount. something I might do this week...
 

BikeSATORI

Monkey
Apr 13, 2007
720
0
one world...
looks like separation of fad and function. Works for some, some found it does not work for them... now you see some people abandoning the concept, where others still embrace it.

I think the rise of the bars is a different story than the width.... look at the (IMO) dumb Fit DL drop stem... a product made to cover the lack of availability of another product, the wide glide bars with a med. rise.... so people feel they have to buy this stem just to settle down their high risers... then just the opposite that was mentioned above, some like the high rise, but not the air plane hangers.

MTB is still goin' strong on uppin' the ante with the wide bars though, with the Sunline 29.5 bar, and the Tonic AllTime bars too... I want to see more selection.


edit: Tetreault, I didn't see your post before I wrote... I would disagree. I wouldn't say it is a complete fad. I was obviously brought about due to a need by someone somewhere saying, "hey, I think I could muscle this badboy into a bigger whip if I had some more leverage!" So they tried it and liked it... and the spark starts a fire.
There are advantages, so don't just play it off.
 

ebrider510

Monkey
Dec 7, 2006
410
0
Bay Area, CA
just comes down to where and what you ride. i never really considered the fact that some people may run lower rise bars just so they can run them shorter.

for me it is two seperate issues. as far as rise goes i pretty much want as much as possible. just for the comfort factor. i run 7.9" bars plus like 4 spacers under the stem. i hate having to bend down hunch back style. as far as width goes, i don't like a full 28". 25-26" feels perfect for me. luckily i have the WTP Heliums which give me pretty much exactly what i want.
 

Mr Tiles

I'm a beer snob
Nov 10, 2003
3,469
0
L-town ya'll
agree with the above statement. If it weren't for 8" bars, I would NOT be riding/lovin' 20s these days. Because of my height, the big bars really makes it more comfortable for me to ride the little bikes.
 

seth505

Monkey
Jun 9, 2006
519
0
CA
when I had my bmx I had 7.5" 25"ish wide terrible1 bars and they were rad. Wide bars work for some but I still will never ride them and alot of people switched to them cuz they were the new cool deal. Then mtbs all started wanting 50" wide bars
 

Cru Jones

Turbo Monkey
Sep 2, 2006
3,025
2
Hell Track
one more point: how many years have slams been out? Always been 8" rise, super-wide right?
I was just reading about some handle bar history the other day on the S&M site. Says Slams came out in '88 (but, they had somebody making them for them at the time). I think the specs have stayed the same, but I'm not sure.
 

t1maglio

Monkey
Oct 29, 2001
855
0
southern wisconsin
Just wanted to add my .02.

I ran slams on my first Standard and slowly faded to lower bars with narrower center sections. I hate running my lever on the bend so I have searched around and found bars that have enough grip, brake lever area. I have run solids, T1's, fits, but what I currently have are the Odyssey Civilian bars. There are a nice medium rice, I chopped off an inch or so on each side and they fit great.

To switch gears slightly, I have always been of the mindset of running your bars so that when you put your hands straight out they will fit, no reaching wider or narrower. I understand that bigger bars are better for leverage, but they also can be a hinderance. Barspins and x-ups are a lot harder with wider bars, but still can be done. Narrower bars as squirelly (and by no means are coming back in my area), and IMO look real dumb.

I guess ride what ever you feel good about, but think about why you are doing something, not just for the style of it. My bike has conformed around the tricks I like to do and what I like to ride. Perhaps some of you are still feeling this out, but I wouldn't jump on a bandwagon just to fit in.
 

pnj

Turbo Monkey till the fat lady sings
Aug 14, 2002
4,696
40
seattle
Slams are a direct copy of GT Pro bars from the 80's. they just used thicker tubing. However, that was back in the day, S&M may have changed some of the angles since then.

but 25 years ago, nearly all bmx bars were 28/8. people didn't think about sizes so much.

Personally, because of my recent back surgery, I want 8 inch tall 25 wide bars. I don't want to have to cut them down as I run two levers. I can't seem to find anything on the market like that...:(
 

Leethal

Turbo Monkey
Oct 27, 2001
1,240
0
Avondale (Phoenix)
PNJ : S&M Berringer bars should work for you...

Stiles: Slams have always been that size but people have cut them down since day 1, most non racers usually ran around 26-27 inches...

Everything works on a cycle/pendulum--like the light bike craze the BMX world is going through right now; it will settle back in where it belongs but a couple people/companies will have to take it to far. Essentially BMX bikes where in the low-mid 20lb range in the early nineties before the "Stronger Than All" phase and I bet that is where BMX ends back up in about a year, but not until after some 20lb bikes start breaking all over the place.
 

BikeSATORI

Monkey
Apr 13, 2007
720
0
one world...
Everything works on a cycle/pendulum--like the light bike craze the BMX world is going through right now; it will settle back in where it belongs but a couple people/companies will have to take it to far. Essentially BMX bikes where in the low-mid 20lb range in the early nineties before the "Stronger Than All" phase and I bet that is where BMX ends back up in about a year, but not until after some 20lb bikes start breaking all over the place.

agreed.... might take a bit longer for the STA phase to come back around though, I'd think.... but you can already see the hate for light bikes building some places.
 

Mr Tiles

I'm a beer snob
Nov 10, 2003
3,469
0
L-town ya'll
I think engineering has made great strides in the last couple years for bmx components. steel tubing is being manipulated for strenght AND weight these days which is a big plus. aluminum parts are highly machined to get rid of excess weight. My bike is light but I feel fully confident to shred on it. The only reason why it's light though is because it's no frills. There are really no exotic materials on it aside from the ti spindle.
 

freeridekid

Monkey
Oct 18, 2003
789
0
U-District, WA
when I was like 14 I stopped riding bmx because it was killing my back bending over so much (I think I had like 7 inch bars and a fairly heavy bike). then I got used to mountain bikes and when I tried someone's lightly built fbm autopilot with big bars I was like dang, I could get used to this! so now I have a kink apex with 8" x 27" badger bars and my back feels only slightly worse than when I was riding mtb. I love the feel of bigger bars and I really don't like barspins much, so I have no need to cut the bars down.
 

Leethal

Turbo Monkey
Oct 27, 2001
1,240
0
Avondale (Phoenix)
I think engineering has made great strides in the last couple years for bmx components. steel tubing is being manipulated for strenght AND weight these days which is a big plus. aluminum parts are highly machined to get rid of excess weight. My bike is light but I feel fully confident to shred on it. The only reason why it's light though is because it's no frills. There are really no exotic materials on it aside from the ti spindle.
You got no brakes, no pegss, race hubs and ultralight tires..... thus your bike is a bit lighter than the norm... With your Animal tires brakes and Pegs your bike is probably 23-24 lbs... pretty much what bikes were back in the day... although they are stronger now...
 

t1maglio

Monkey
Oct 29, 2001
855
0
southern wisconsin
I'll assume by BITD you mean the 80's and early 90's. When I started racing was about 97ish and at that point a pretty basic, but well built bike sat at 25-26 lbs (for racing, not trails or street). I don't ever remember things being close to 20lbs and I don't really see that area being a real good place to be in the first place.

A bmx bike gets pushed and pulled in directions most XC bikes of like weight should never be subjected to. They are more compact, but I imagine the happy medium of light and solid will sit closer to the 25lb range. I've had bars snap, on non light weight bars, I've seen the older cranks snap, many times, and now with lighter and lighter ones being made it makes me nervous. If you just ride trails and are smooth, maybe a little lighter (and thats imagining your not doing rotating tricks which put tons of stress on your bike).

I switched from MTBing to BMX because I wanted something that could hold up to the abuse. Don't get me wrong, I've seen the trend get way to heavy (I had a friend whos bike weighed the same as another friends DH bike with Monster T and 3" Gazzi's) but to light isn't good either. Sub 20lb bikes are death, and I would go as far to say that bikes in the low 20's are the same.

Just be careful when taking weight off of your bike, your face will thank you.
 

Mr Tiles

I'm a beer snob
Nov 10, 2003
3,469
0
L-town ya'll
my bike is 21.5#s. I don't huck it, too old for that. I do mostly tech style tricks that really don't require a STA style set up. I don't grind, so I don't need pegs or hub guards. I don't really do a lot of square edge stalls, so I don't need wire bead tires. I guess I'm saying my riding style works well with my "lighter" bike...I could certainly add weight by throwing a brake back on and pegs but why do that when I don't need them?
 

t1maglio

Monkey
Oct 29, 2001
855
0
southern wisconsin
I could certainly add weight by throwing a brake back on and pegs but why do that when I don't need them?
Good question, why would you? Like I said, it depends on what you ride.

I shed my pegs years ago for saving some weight, now I grind and stall on my pedals, but I'm a slave to my brakes :-)
 

pnj

Turbo Monkey till the fat lady sings
Aug 14, 2002
4,696
40
seattle
I'm aware of Berringer bars but no one seems to carry them..:/

plus, I'm turning into a weight weenie* so whatever I get, bar wise, is going to be the newwer style with the 9 butts or whatever.



* still run four pegs/front brakes and a gyro....;)
 

Vlad

Chimp
Jun 16, 2007
94
0
Slams are a direct copy of GT Pro bars from the 80's. they just used thicker tubing. However, that was back in the day, S&M may have changed some of the angles since then.

but 25 years ago, nearly all bmx bars were 28/8. people didn't think about sizes so much.

Personally, because of my recent back surgery, I want 8 inch tall 25 wide bars. I don't want to have to cut them down as I run two levers. I can't seem to find anything on the market like that...:(
Dude, Slam bars, Metal's Sasquatch bars, S&M Berringers, FBM Ape Hangers, T-1 00Bs and countless other other bars on the market are 8" tall and over 25 inches wide. Take a hacksaw to the ends and you'll be set.
 

Vlad

Chimp
Jun 16, 2007
94
0
Although I will never run a Standard product again, I loved my STA back in the day. I'm on a Stricker now. Been brakeless for the last 5 + years, but I still run 48 spoke wheels and four pegs. And a heavy, pre-Odyssey G-sport hub in front. And a pair of .065" Animal bars from the first or second batch of bars they made. There is plenty of room to shed some weight on my bike, but why bother? I love this bike as is, and it's plenty light. I would guess that it's somewhere around 27 pounds, but I've never weighed it.
 

sayndesyn

Turbo Monkey
If you are taller'ish tall 8" bars feel good and make sense. If you have broad shoulders, wide bars feel good and make sense. If you are 5'6" and skinny as a rail and running slam's it may not make sense, but if you feel comfortable then good for you. The only thing that looks sillier than a 120lb scenester in tight pants and a new era hat running slam's is a 190lb mook with a 24" wide bar. Then again, who really gives a **** about looks. We aren't getting any shots in people magazine last time I checked.
 

Mr Tiles

I'm a beer snob
Nov 10, 2003
3,469
0
L-town ya'll
If you are taller'ish tall 8" bars feel good and make sense. If you have broad shoulders, wide bars feel good and make sense. If you are 5'6" and skinny as a rail and running slam's it may not make sense, but if you feel comfortable then good for you. The only thing that looks sillier than a 120lb scenester in tight pants and a new era hat running slam's is a 190lb mook with a 24" wide bar. Then again, who really gives a **** about looks. We aren't getting any shots in people magazine last time I checked.
best post in a long time - props to you and rep given!:clapping:

on a side note, we were talking about this very issue last night. I was pondering cutting a little off of my 27.5" width bars. Right now, I keep my hands in the direct center of my grips - leaving at least 1.5" on either side. They're really long demolition missles and they are the most comfortable grips I've ever run. aside from that, If I cut my bars down, I'll instinctively still keep my hands in the middle of the grips. Nobody I know runs there hands on the outer part of the grip, it just isn't right. Beerz was saying that if I do cut the bars down, I'll prolly notice a little loss in control that I was used to with the bars at full width. I've decided to just keep them the way they are and just adapt to barspins thru more practice. :lighten:
 

t1maglio

Monkey
Oct 29, 2001
855
0
southern wisconsin
I agree, I usually have a little extra bar sticking out from where my hand sits, but depending on my width I do vary where my hands sit. If my bars are narrow I will move my hands out, and vice versa if they are wide. If I personally had 1.5" on each side I would take off an 1" on each side and call it good, at least 3/4". That gives you that much more clearance. Do whatcha like.
 

ServeEm

Turbo Monkey
Feb 21, 2006
1,013
0
SacTown
I've noticed the rise in popularity in wide bars in the past. But just like anything else, it balanced back to the norm, an even amount of riders riding wide and the others narrow. Just like coasters, brakeless, etc... To call someone out on being trendy for riding wide bars, or a coaster is funny bunny crap. Maybe I just don't care as much on what other riders are doing. I ride 29" wide bars, my hand placement on em vary depending on what I'm doing. Tech grinds I'm inside, hops, riding bowls in mid and manuals I'm wide to the side.
 

Cru Jones

Turbo Monkey
Sep 2, 2006
3,025
2
Hell Track
I was pondering cutting a little off of my 27.5" width bars. Right now, I keep my hands in the direct center of my grips - leaving at least 1.5" on either side. They're really long demolition missles and they are the most comfortable grips I've ever run. aside from that, If I cut my bars down, I'll instinctively still keep my hands in the middle of the grips. Nobody I know runs there hands on the outer part of the grip, it just isn't right. Beerz was saying that if I do cut the bars down, I'll prolly notice a little loss in control that I was used to with the bars at full width. I've decided to just keep them the way they are and just adapt to barspins thru more practice. :lighten:
You could just slide your grips in a little and try it out for awhile. It wouldn't help with the barspins, but you'd be able to tell if you like how it feels.