[Closed] What width bars are you running and under what type of riding ?

780mm Brand X carbon bars on my
Aether 7. Tried 800mm and they felt too wide (and I’d probably clip them on trees) but 760mm feels a little narrow - although if I rode them fregularly I’m sure I’d get used to them.

I think bar width is a personal thing and whatever feels comfortable for you. There’s probably something in it around natural shoulder width / arm length etc though. Rather than cut down your current bars (assuming they’re expensive ones) maybe pick up some cheapie 760mm bars or cheapie 780 bars and cut them down.

Planet X have some 780mm (absolutely minging) bars for a tenner at the moment if you have a 31.8mm stem clamp size. They’ll clash horribly with your pink frame but would do a job to try 🙈

Mine are 35mm bars so won't fit clamp, but i do have a 31.8mm stem i could use.

I've currently set my lockons to 760 as an experiment, looks a little daft i guess, but i'm ok with that 🙂

760mm flat 12deg sweep Mt. Zoom carbons on my 29er XC bike for general XC type riding and racing, but with a 70mm stem for almost on-trend from 5 years ago action 😀

I generally run about 750 mm on trail bikes, 720 on XC bikes. I tried 800 mm once, just felt like I was driving a lorry plus lots of clipping trees. In the olden days, I used to run 700 mm bars and a 70 mm stem on XC bikes, when most people were running something like 600 mm bars and 100 mm stems. People would always question "downhill" bars on an XC bike, now it's the opposite - my 60 mm stems and 750 mm bars are apparently too narrow and I'm told I should go shorter and wider.

730 - xc
760 - trail

5'8" . Long arms (ape +2)

I've got 800mm Fatbars. I've also got quite long grips and I've ended up with my brakes shuffled in quite far. I could probably chop 20mm from each end. I might cut them to 780 first.

6'2" ex DH rider who hates pedalling but likes it rough.

I've hit plenty of trees in my time but I don't think I've ever clipped one because my bars are too wide.

I'm 6ft with quite broad shoulders and was running 800mm bars up until I broke my shoulder last Oct.
Afterwards I found that with the 800mm bars I was struggling to hold my upper body up in big compressions so went down to 780 which was a bit better but I'm now at 760 and it feels spot on for everything.
I rode a trail with some tight flat switchbacks at the weekend for the first time in a while and I always used to struggle with them but they felt so much better this time and I'm putting that down to the narrower bars as it seemed a lot easier to get the inside arm straighter.

Depends on the bike...

To muscle the 29+ around, I run Surly Sunrise bars which are 810mm wide + a bit due to grips.

Had a few tree hits to start with, but no issues once I got used to them. In fact I love the width, feels spot on.

On my 150mm hardtail (XL new Trailstar, so long and slackish) I've got 780mm bars + DMR Deathgrips which add about 15mm overall.

I'm 6ft, with longish arms.

New rail is ****in massive, like incredibly long, 800mm bars on any bike I've had before feel a tad wide, but not on this.

Rather than cut down your current bars (assuming they’re expensive ones) maybe pick up some cheapie 760mm bars or cheapie 780 bars and cut them down.

Even better is just to slide your controls in/out until you find your preferred place. Then chop.

750mm bars with DeathGrips = 760mm wide setup, zero rise handlebar on 120mm HT used for cross country doorstep trail riding.

760mm on my hardtail and 780mm on my full suss for my mainly trail center type riding. I wouldnt want over 780mm as I could struggle at some tight bits.

Had 730s. Cracked the end of one side (long story, don't ask)the night before 24/12 and had to cut them down so now about 690 (same amount cut off the other side)
The interesting thing was that it felt odd when I got on it but in about half a lap I was used to it and it felt no different 🤷‍♂️

77designz cut down to 760mm for general trail riding.

750 on XC/trail bikes
800 on enduro/uplift bikes

Until very recently I've been using 765mm on my trail bike, but I've put 800mm Stooge Motos on my new (to me) Stooge Mk4 to try it - first trip into the woods tomorrow night so we'll see how it goes!

780mm on the 120mm hardtail which is generally used for local & trail centre rides.
800mm on the 140mm full sus which is generally used in the Peak, Lakes etc.

Both feel good and have no desire to change. FWIW I'm a shade under 6' and probably best described as lanky!

800mm on both bikes, Renthal push on grips on both, I change hand position a lot when just riding along, either over the end of the grips, or hands sat over the brake levers, I often (climb non-technical) like this, holding the master cylinders. In fact the only time my hands are actually fully holding the grips is during a downhill run or technical trail, then I’m on the full 800mm, with levers a long way in so my finger sits just in the hook of the lever.

780mm Chromag Cutlass Carbon bars with 25mm rise on both bikes, though the ones on the Spur are newer and a slightly different shape, think there's more sweep on them. I did have them at 800mm but it was too much, so went to 780 which I knew works for me at 6ft 1". Ergon GE1 grips probably take them a little wider but they feel great.

760+ deathgrips. Most riding around tweed valley, so pretty tight and steep. I tried wider (780) when I got my new bike, but felt much happier when I cut them down. I'd be tempted even to take another 10mm off. PNW range bars / 40mm stem / 29er enduroish / 171cm tall.

medium size guy - 680 - 710 wide bars. Anything wider is ridiculously uncomfortable and never once have I thought I needed more leverage - even on the tandem ( the bike with the widest bars) where you actually steer a lot using the leverage on the bars. very much an XC mincer

720 on XC; 400/420 on road bikes.

I'm 5'11" with +4 ape index and broad shoulders.

I use 800mm OneUp bars on my XC singlespeed and 780mm OneUp bars on my XC/downcountry full sus.

Used to race on 600mm flat bars but much prefer the wider bars with more rise!

Just shy of 6 feet tall, riding a large TR Scout mk1 and use 785 Race Face bars for all types of riding (XC, Trail, days out at Rogate etc). Currently collecting parts to build a 29er HT and already have the same bars ready to fit.

My bar width has gone up incrementally, maybe driven by fashion / availability a little but these are the first bars I am not hanging off the ends of. My bars hit trees, not my knuckles.

800mm on a sized L Spesh Enduro I'm 5'10" I don't think I've especially long arms. It does everything from long days on the moors to techy nonsense in the Calder Valley. I run everything a bit in-board of the ends of the bars, so I could probs cut down to 780mm but It's nice to have the extra, never smacked my hands on anything by accident. I could do with a bit more rise if I'm honest, got some Chromag on there and they're a bit flatter than I'd like.

800's on both bikes, with 50mm stems. Probably more like 815 with grips.

6'1", mostly riding steep & rowdy trails, with a bit of racing thrown in too.

Just stuck some death grips on my 760 bars on the trail full suss - bar width now measures 785mm. Spot on and I’m 5’10”

820mm, bimbling

780mm on both of my bikes, and I find that's the sweet spot for me at 5'10 and running 460 reach on the full sus trail bike and 440 reach on the rigid fattie. I find at that width it give me enough leverage to throw the bike around a bit. I wouldn't want to go any wider as it gets a bit sketchy navigating though trees as it is.

6' tall with normal sized arms.
Used to run 800 across all my bikes* but since moving up to the Tweed Valley everything has been cut to 780.
* ranges from hardtail up to 180 Ebike.

hands sat over the brake levers, I often (climb non-technical) like this, holding the master cylinders.

I do this too. Polished all the finish of the master cylinders I do it so much.

Again brakes as far inboard as they'll go so I can only reach the very end of the lever with one finger. Also run the brakes so the levers touch the grip at full pull.

I liked 800, but 760 is more tree friendly around here.

6ft 1 here

760 on all-round 29er hardtail/commuter/Dad/pub/xc bike

770 on 27.5 trail hard tail

780 on 29er big enduro bike

I ended up cutting mine downn to about 770 for my enduro bike

I think my hard tail is 760

Cut at 750mm, with grips 760mm. Around 6ft3 tall on an 170mm bike. Tried to be on trend when 800s became more prevalent several years back but found I lost too much range of movement in the elbows

All my bikes have about 680mm bars, dating from a decade or more back I guess. That's including MTB tandems where the front wheel can take a bit of controlling.

Was a bit of a shock to find 760(?) on my new bike! How fashions change...might be cutting them down a bit but I'll have a few rides first.

I'm not exactly limited in the reach and shoulder-width department either.

680 - flat-bar gravel bike (with barends, so functional width a bit less)
760 - XC/trail bike (750 bar which gains +5mm a side from single-clamp lockons)
790 - enduro bike (780 bar which gains +5mm a side from single-clamp lockons)

6'2/187cm, wide shoulders. Feel right to me. Although annoyingly the gap in the wall on a local trail is 780mm wide exactly...

5'7" with....
750mm on Hardtail
770mm on Full Suss

Also run the brakes so the levers touch the grip at full pull.

This is going to keep me up at night @singlespeedstu

380mm wide drops on gravel rides. Nice and aero for those fast gravel rides.

720mm for me .May go 710

 Also run the brakes so the levers touch the grip at full pull.

You monster. 🙂

Seems I’m like most which is reassuring. Smidge under 6’ tall. 785 bars with ergon ge1 grips so prob 795 total on my trail bike. Previous bike had 800mm bars but longer wheelbase and 1.5 deg slacker ha so felt like needed them to get it to turn. Current bike (aether9) seems very quick to turn by comparison. Same reach and stem length on both. Had some 800mm flat bars with very little back sweep. They were horrible in use. So they languish unloved at back of the shed

You monster.

I remember a few of us at BV one year trying to convince you to try it.
Helps massively on long descents. 😁

Currently using 760mm Renthal Fatbar Lite bars with a 70mm Renthal Apex stem (Giant Anthem 27.5).

Feels bang on for the riding I do nowadays and I wouldn't want to go wider with the bars for XC.

For trail riding, I prefer 780mm / 50mm stem on a bike with slightly more reach (470/480mm).

I was settled on 780mm for a long time, I just recently bought a new bar which is 800mm and it felt so instantly comfortable and familiar that I've not cut it. But the other bikes still feel fine on 780mm. Tried 760mm a little while back and it felt just that little bit unsettling but probably I could get used to it again...

I'm now running 760... I did one side and i got the boy to do the other 🙂

660mm on the xc and 380mm on the cx.
Don't any of you have some narrow gaps to get through?

I had 800mm on both bikes but felt they might be a bit overkill and cut them down to 780mm

780mm feels spot on for the Druid but I've gone back to 800mm on the G1. It's a big bike and just feels like it needs a little more to muscle it around.

jimmy748
Full Member

800mm on both bikes, Renthal push on grips on both, I change hand position a lot when just riding along, either over the end of the grips, or hands sat over the brake levers, I often (climb non-technical) like this, holding the master cylinders. In fact the only time my hands are actually fully holding the grips is during a downhill run or technical trail, then I’m on the full 800mm, with levers a long way in so my finger sits just in the hook of the lever.

This describes me with the exception of ESI grips in place of renthal.

General trail riding - 800mm fat bars with a 35mm stem

Endurance stuff, 840mm as I add some ergon gp2 barends (made it fun over the 820mm wide bridges at twentyfour12).

Did run a SixC bar but was bloody uncomfortable.

@yak how are you calculating your plus 2 ape index?

+2 is pretty incredible using the correct way of wingspan/height , not wingspan- height, which although can be used, is often misleading.

After people kept trying my bike, which had 750mm bars and saying 'they're narrow', I succumbed and bought some 780's. I run ESI Chunky with a lock on to protect the foam and after a few months I noticed that I was nowhere near the lock ons. I've now moved the levers in and I'm back around 750-760mm, just need to get round to chopping them back down before I clip a tree and die!

800 on both of mine, mix of trail riding/XC/enduro. Feels spot on no desire to go any wider thats for sure! 50 stem on the full suss, 30 on the HT as its a newer/longer/larger frame

@howsyoudad1

+2 is pretty incredible using the correct way of wingspan/height , not wingspan- height, which although can be used, is often misleading.

Ah, I thought it was the latter and measured in inches. So wingspan is 2" greater than my height.

760mm, or 775mm over the grips (DeathGrips).

5'8", armspan 2cm longer than height. Bike with 460mm reach and 40mm stem.

Forest trails, natural trails not that steep.

With 780s I found the forward side too far away on tight turns. Also couldn't ride through a few woodwork chicanes on trail exits onto fire roads.

I keep meaning to experiment with narrower/wider, but these are just fine so haven't been motivated to.

Just stuck some death grips on my 760 bars on the trail full suss – bar width now measures 785mm. Spot on and I’m 5’10”

@filks Are you sure of those numbers, have you pushed them all the way on? I and others on this thread have DeathGrips adding 15mm total.

I’m 5’11” with +4 ape index and broad shoulders.

Is that +4" or +4cm? If the former that is indeed very ape like 😀

I'm same height & +8cm ape index but still on 720mm bars, I think the mtb tandem is even narrower too

810mm Deity bars on all my bikes.
Trail riding and Park.
Size = Wookie

760 for trail/enduro-ey riding.

But it depends on how wide your shoulders are really!

770mm on my trail bike.
750mm on my jump bike.

Usual sort of trail riding, Surrey hills sort of stuff.

Last bike (sold about a month ago) was about 650, new bike came with 780s and they feel too big. Other tinkering going on so trying not to change too much at once but I’ll take them down in 20mm increments and will likely end up at about 720.