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I've just reduced the width of what used to be 800mm bars down to 745mm, which I think is as far as I need to go now, but it's at last 25mm further than Raceface say I should. What's all that nonsense about? The diameter of the carbon doesn't change, and I could cut a lot more off before the widening of the bar will affect my brake brackets. Shortening it is going to make it stronger - moment of force and all that - so why do they tell me not to??
Comments such as you are going to die horribly welcomed...
If you wanted a 745mm bar you should have bought something different in the first place? As a 745mm bar, the weight perhaps isn't as competitive as it could be, and perhaps some of the subtle flex and shape characteristics will be wrong. As you say there's the bulge issue too, which for some people might affect their lockout levers / seatpost / GPS / Lights etc as well as just the brakes.
But I can't see any safety issues.
Came with the bike otherwise obviously I would have purchased a different size!
It may have reinforced clamping areas for shifters and brakes which run a certain width in. Well... They did.