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Handlebar width: Are people still going wide?

ChrisRobin

ChrisRobin

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
3,376
198
Vancouver
I currently have 800mm on both bikes. Feels alright, although I'm just wondering what everyone else is doing. I'm probably going to cut down the bar on my trail bike to test things out only because now with crazy long reaches and super short stems, the wider the bar the more over steering you get. I know I notice it when I have to be precise with my steering. I find in situations where I get nervous, the more oversteer I get the more chance I have of over correcting and crashing. Everything I'm reading points to the 'pros' riding anywhere from 750mm to 785mm.
 
bullcrew

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
Dec 8, 2004
9,054
2,766
I'm dude playing dude pretending to b another dude
800 on DH bike, 820 on other 2..dh bike is getting 820 as well as soon as I get off my lazy ass and remember to order em....I checked my natural bench press and where I grab comfortably and it's right at 800+...only issue is width and sweep at that, it's not rolled back far enough. A slightly bigger sweep would be nice

I can't ride skinnies or even balance on a sidewalk so not worried about oversteer...lol
I stevie wonder that t shit all over the place..
 
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daisycutter

daisycutter

Turbo Monkey
Apr 8, 2006
1,679
165
New York City
I am 6ft tall and ride 780 to 800mm handlebars with one-inch rise. My 780 bars are OEM but the bars I buy are 800. I used to have all 31.8 bars but have slowly moved to the 35mm bars which seem to be what is preferred these days. The trend I am seeing is pros with higher-rise bars. Trends come and go; I recommend you find what works for you and stick with it.
 
schwaaa31

schwaaa31

Turbo Monkey
Jul 30, 2002
1,472
1,068
Clinton Massachusetts
I just swapped out my 800 bars to 760’s on my dh bike this weekend. Only did it because I wanted a higher rise and had the bars in my bin. Rode all day Sunday and was digging them pretty well. Will probably grab some higher rise bars that are 780, or that I can cut to 780. At 6’2” with a long wingspan, that seems to be my sweet spot.
 
ChrisRobin

ChrisRobin

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
3,376
198
Vancouver
daisycutter said:
I am 6ft tall and ride 780 to 800mm handlebars with one-inch rise. My 780 bars are OEM but the bars I buy are 800. I used to have all 31.8 bars but have slowly moved to the 35mm bars which seem to be what is preferred these days. The trend I am seeing is pros with higher-rise bars. Trends come and go; I recommend you find what works for you and stick with it.
Click to expand...
800mm 'works' but I'm up for trying something different. See if I can get as good as kidwoo.
 
canadmos

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
21,105
20,297
Canaderp
I'm about 5'8 and am comfortable riding anything from 760-770mm.

Anything longer just feel awkward and I have bad juju from when I had 780 bars years ago and separated my shoulder (after a vine grabbed the end of the bars and sent me sailing).
 
Fool

Fool

The Thing cannot be described
Sep 10, 2001
2,830
1,568
Brooklyn
Do whatever Dak does.

780 here on both trail and DH bikes. 6 ft and shrinking, with crooked, limited-mobility, old-person shoulders
 
sundaydoug

sundaydoug

Monkey
Jun 8, 2009
637
314
I've been on 760/31.8 Renthals for a while. Once in a while I ride demo bikes with 780-800/35 and I always enjoy going back to the 760s
 
OGRipper

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,677
1,166
NORCAL is the hizzle
6' 1" with a fairly wide shoulders and a substantial ape index. Was riding 800 for a couple years but now down to 780. XL Santa Cruz frames.

Interesting point about oversteer when you need to be precise. Do you mean at slower speeds and with more bar turn? Haven't really thought about (and don't usually have any oversteer issues going slow) it but conceptually I guess a wider bar could pull your outside hand further forward with more bar turn, which (theortetically anyway) could pull at least some weight further forward, moving weight off the rear and onto the front. But I suppose the opposite could also be true depending on how your upper body reacts.
 
A

Andeh

Customer Title
Mar 3, 2020
1,089
1,051
5'8" and 760, regardless of rise. Could probably get used to 750 if I rode a lot in tight trees. 770, 780 all feel too wide. The biggest reason I like narrower is it lets me lean bike over more underneath me.
 
Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
19,311
9,946
AK
780 on 3 bikes, 810 on the 4th. 5'11". Love the control it gives down rough stuff.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
86,511
25,042
media blackout
i have 800 bars on my DH bike, and 780s on everything else. 6'1". only carbon bar is on an XC bike (but its a carbon DH handlebar). bars on the bikes i ride the most (DH and pistola) are spank vibrocore. i like them, even if it is just placebo effect.

edit to add: when i got the new bars for my DH bike, i went to a 30mm rise from something that was i think like 10 or 15. made a noticeable difference.
 
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FlipSide

FlipSide

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2001
1,403
846
800 on the enduro bike; 780 on the trail bike and hardtail
All three with a 40mm stem.
I am 5'7" with rather wide shoulders. 800 and 780 feels good to me, so I keep it like that. I am sure 760 would work fine on the trailbike.
 
jackalope

jackalope

Mental acuity - 1%
Jan 9, 2004
7,651
6,012
in a single wide, cooking meth...
5'10", broadish shoulders and a little apey - 780s on my AM bike and 800s on my DH sled. 760s and narrower feel too twitchy, but would consider it if I rode trails with a lot of tree field goals.

31.8FoLyfe
 
SylentK

SylentK

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
2,419
931
coloRADo
Just measured to be sure.

780 on all things bars. Not salad bars. HA

I'm 6'3"

I ride in some tight spots. Otherwise, I'd just keep them at stock 800. But even then....nah
 
SylentK

SylentK

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
2,419
931
coloRADo
I think Blake on The Dirt Shed Show did a bit of handlebar experimentation. Like he took it down to super narrow. Obviously just to prove a point. Not sure where he ended up as the size for him.

I know the size for me. After many, many years of riding.
 
L

LAP

Chimp
Mar 5, 2016
49
33
Been running 740 on every bikes I've had for about a decade, with out of fashion 50mm stems (on medium sized frame). I like my hands to stick out of the grips a little bit so maybe its equivalent to 750? I tried running 760 a few years ago and it felt too wide so I just went back to what I know feels right.

I am 5'7" as well but with "very not large" shoulders.
 
Full Trucker

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
10,711
7,951
Exit, CO
Currently 800 that came OEM on the squishy bike, and 780 on the hardtail I don't ride very often. Both are ~20mm rise, 50mm stem on the squisher and 70mm stem on the hardtail. I'm 6'2" and getting shorter. After recently losing a fight with a narrow gap between a tree and a rock wall I'm considering cutting down the 800s to 780 for a little bit more clearance, which I used to ride on everything so it'd probably be fine.
 
Nick

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
24,287
15,156
where the trails are
Nick said:
mine are 780. does that count as wide these days?
Click to expand...
WELL, since we're all wisely considering ergonomics and stem length in this, I'm an average 5'11 build running a 45mm stem. I think the 780mm bar has a 20mm rise. Fairly slammed on the bike , reach 19.1 in.
 
Gary

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,962
5,868
UK
Ape index has no relevance to bar width. it's just yet another BS pointless trend banded about by bike nerds. It came from climbing. and is possibly a little bit more useful there.
Shoulder/chest/back width is miles moar important for mtb determining suitable bar width. along with WHERE you ride.

I'm comfortable on any bar between 770 and 800mm and overhang my palms off the edge of all my grips (as in my pinkie isn't even supported by the grip)
I've got very wide shoulders and back.
Not that it should matter to anyone but me.
 
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