Bars - how wide is ...
 

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[Closed] Bars - how wide is too wide?

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I've just got some new, wider bars... going from 720 to 780. The first couple of rides have been, err, different. Yesterday I managed to understeer around a small rock and eat dirt. Also I seem to be struggling to get the front end up as easily as I used to.

So how wide is too wide? Do I need to shorten my stem to compensate?


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 7:17 pm
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I'd have a 50mm stem with 780mm bars. 750mm is wide enough for me.


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 7:23 pm
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All depends on your shoulder width IMO. If your a skinny wee runt, 780 is ridiculous.


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 7:26 pm
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How long is your stem? The good thing about wide bars is you can always cut them down a bit at a time, but before you take a saw to them it might be worth picking up a cheap short stem to see if that makes a difference. I have 780mm bars on the full suss, and 750mm ones on the hard tail. Both feel great.


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 7:30 pm
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I think it depends on how stretched out your arms are with the wider bars. I'm thinking mine are a bit too wide and are actually making jumping the bike more difficult.


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 7:46 pm
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All depends on how big your hands are. Any more than a handfu......

Oh, hold on. Wrong thread. Sorry.


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 7:56 pm
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Have gone from 600 to 685 for the same stem length. New bike will have 740's but with a 40mm shorter stem (20mm longer top tube). Not sure I'd want to go any wider than that.


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 8:09 pm
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I have 780 on the big bike and I can't fit through all the trees at Cannock 🙁
740 is a nice length I've found.


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 8:12 pm
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I think [url= http://tinyurl.com/m5kp3g7 ]915s might be a little too wide[/url]....


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 8:52 pm
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2 meters would be too wide. So would 7 feet, and 2600 cm.


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 9:00 pm
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I'm tempted to try the 810mm el guapo ones, but I don't think they'd fit between all the trees.


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 9:07 pm
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This is another "marketing" scam.. Me bars is fine Bro !


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 9:09 pm
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630mm with bar ends is right - so anything over 631mm... 😉


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 9:12 pm
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i find 700 mm bars perfect on both bikes.
One has a 75mm stem one a 90mm, the reason for this is one has a 600mm ETT the other 585.

I don't find one more twitchy or vague than the other, they just fit me, and I would not change it because a shorter stem or wider bars were in vogue.


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 10:22 pm
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was at 680 then 740 now 770 which is nice but can cause issues with trees on some trails.


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 10:42 pm
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It's all pretty messy tbh. I've been on 710 and 720 for ages, I prefer how it feels. Borrowed a 750, I don't really like the feel but I have to admit, it's often better. So I've just picked up a 780 to try.

Not because of leverage or anything, as some think- that's bobbins, you don't need this much leverage, I can control 170kg of motorbike travelling at the speed of light with narrower bars. It's all about posture for me, wide hands set me naturally into a forward-weighted pose that I don't always manage otherwise. (I can do it on narrower bars but the default position doesn't do it- hardware fix for a software issue but what the hell)

Think it's likely I'll cut the 780s, we'll see. The 750s haven't made me want to replace my assorted 720s. I was delighted to hear riders at an innerleithen enduro complaining that part of one of the stages was "too narrow for my bars" though 😆


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 10:52 pm
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Dam it, must read titles properly. Had potental if the r was to the left.


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 10:57 pm
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Dam it, must read titles properly. Had potental if the r was to the left.

Well you're in luck.....

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/bras-how-wide-is-too-wide


 
Posted : 08/05/2014 11:10 pm
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I've running 800's on my main bike. With a 50mm stem.

Can't get through some trees but the leverage and feel makes up for that!


 
Posted : 09/05/2014 6:35 am

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