Bar width - how wide is too wide?

rowdyflat

rowdyflat

chez le médecin
Probably more related to shoulder width IMO.
Depends on the tracks and the speed you ride them ,ours are narrow hand made so 720 mm is good for me.
 
mike14

mike14

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I like 780mm, but I also like to move my hands around a lot (which is terrible habit, but one I can't break). 800mm is too wide, 760mm feels fine but I often end up with my hands wrapped right around the end of the grips.
Like most things in biking, I do wonder how much of it is a mental thing. Can i really fell 10mm of difference either side (unless I'm just clipping a tree) or do I just think that 780 is 'right' so it makes me feel relaxed and comfortable on the bike?
 
Knuckles

Knuckles

Lives under a bridge
Minlak said:
I am 186cms and feel most comfortable with 760mm bats - that’s my everything feels like it’s where is should be setting. Did a thing with the E-Bike and bought new bats that were 820mm wide - didn’t like them so took them down 10mm each end at a time and went for enough rides in between to know if I liked it - ended up at 760 like all my other bars :)
Click to expand...
??

376978
376976
376977
376979
 
gillyske

gillyske

Likes Dirt
I think there is some merit to reach and bar width being linked.

Vitus sommet 454 R + 50mm stem, 780 was good.
Meta 494 R + 30mm, 780 was almost twitchy, 800 was great.
Merida E160 460 + 40, 800 was bad, 780 was good.
 
downunderdallas

downunderdallas

Likes Bikes and Dirt
fjohn860 said:
My bars are cut to 770mm but with the Deity supracush bar ends being 5mm thick it works out at 780mm. I'm 182cm tall and this feels much better than the 800mm (810mm with the grips). Felt like I was too stretched out and feel like it was too hard to get the bike leaned over enough on some corners.

Another way to get a ball park figure for width I have seen is to lay a tape measure on the floor in front of you like handlebars. Kneel around a metre back from the tape measure and fall forward stopping yourself with your hands. Then check where your hands ended up landing.

I tried this out of curiosity a few times (had already previously cut the bars to 770mm anyway) and ended up 5-10mm from 770mm every time.

Not very sciency I know...
Click to expand...
A fellow 770! Seems to work best for me.
 
ozzybmx

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
I was saying I might cut my 800's to 780mm... caught myself today out of the saddle with my pinkies wrapped around the outside plug of my grips.

Might extend to 820mm instead :rolleyes:
 
The Duckmeister

The Duckmeister

Has a juicy midrange
gillyske said:
I think there is some merit to reach and bar width being linked.
Click to expand...
Definitely, it's all about triangulation. Your arm length & shoulder width aren't particulary adjustable. So with two of the three sides of the triangle being fixed in length by your arms, only the third side, the handlebar, is variable. The wider the bar, the closer it is to your torso, AKA shorter reach.
 
ozzybmx

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
The Duckmeister said:
Definitely, it's all about triangulation. Your arm length & shoulder width aren't particulary adjustable. So with two of the three sides of the triangle being fixed in length by your arms, only the third side, the handlebar, is variable. The wider the bar, the closer it is to your torso, AKA shorter reach.
Click to expand...
Its funny, I am a medium size in most thing but always tight around the shoulders, my shoulder width is pretty wide for a 5'9"-5"10" bloke. I feel comfortable at 800mm but was really happy for many years at 660mm.

All the squids now swear they need 800mm bars... my shoulders are twice the width of these lil chunts... they may be nearly the same height as me but I can line 2 of them up side by side to fill my jersey.
 
S

shiny

Go-go-gadget-wrist-thingy
downunderdallas said:
A fellow 770! Seems to work best for me.
Click to expand...
My bars are 760 but with the grips make it 775 I am tall 183cm but narrow shoulders works well for me. Ridden some mates bikes at 800mm and feels frigging massive but may get used to it over time although there is a few sections of local trail where you would be close to clipping things.
 
Dales Cannon

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
Get someone to measure your shoulder width point to point. Record that number as 'x'.
As above, measure from shoulder point to centre of palm, both sides. Record that as 'y'.
Sit on the saddle and measure from centre of chest to bar centre at stem, take off any set back on bars, this is 'w'.
Draw to scale on paper or CAD a centreline with these measurements.

From the ends of 'x' draw a straight line and go +/- 15 deg from that line at length 'y'.

Draw square from 'w' and see where this intersects the arcs 'y'.

Close your eyes. Dark isnt it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top