What width bars are you all using and why that width?

[mikegarf]

Just wondering what width bars people tend to use and what influenced your choices. I've tried various widths and rises etc with various levels of success. Interested to know what works for you guys? Is there a sweet spot?
Cheers.

 

[Mikerb]

I cut my bars to 770 and they are Deity 50mm riser bars.
Firstly most grips add 10mm per side to bar width so a nominal 800mm bar with grips fitted will likely measure 820! I mostly ride forest trails and very wide bars are restrictive when doing slalom through tree lined trails.
I think in general though, bar width is governed by 2 factors....the first is rider shoulder width and the second is bike headset angle. Narrower shoulder width is best suited to shorter bar width. Slacker head angle may need wider bars to maintain steering control.
I would say bar width range on a bike with 64° head angle would be between 800 and 760 for the biggest and smallest shoulder width respectively.

 

[steve_sordy]

I agree with most of what @Mikerb says above.
Getting through tree gaps, tick.
Shoulder width, tick.
Wider bars improve steering control, tick. This was the biggest reason I went wider. Over the years, I went in steps from a starting point on my XC bike of 660, to 680, then 720, then 740, then 780.
My bike has 65.5 deg head angle and I have 780mm wide bars with a 20mm rise, flat stem. The bar end plugs add max 5mm total.
I tried wider bars, but I kept snagging on tree gaps. On popular trails you could see from the gouges in the tree bark that it was a common event for many riders.
My wingspan (fingertip to fingertip) is the same as my height 6'1".
If you go wider, your centre of body mass will move forward, this may alter your ride in a way that you might like, or not. Shortening your stem length can restore this body position.

Note: My grips don't add 10mm per side (yes, I know he said most grips add 10mm per side. It's the "most" bit I disagree with)

 

[irie]

I have 185cm wingspan and have 780mm 10° backsweep 38mm rise bars with 31.8/35mm stem. Wife has 170cm wingspan and has 740mm 10° backsweep 38mm rise bars with 31.8/35mm stem. Both 2022 Trek Rail alloy. Have been shorter but slowly gone longer. Add about 3mm for our grip ends BTW.

 

[Weeksy]

790, so 790 with grips. Why, because they feel right after trying wider and narrower

 

[Julie_X1]

I cut my bars to 770 and they are Deity 50mm riser bars.
Firstly most grips add 10mm per side to bar width so a nominal 800mm bar with grips fitted will likely measure 820! I mostly ride forest trails and very wide bars are restrictive when doing slalom through tree lined trails.
I think in general though, bar width is governed by 2 factors....the first is rider shoulder width and the second is bike headset angle. Narrower shoulder width is best suited to shorter bar width. Slacker head angle may need wider bars to maintain steering control.
I would say bar width range on a bike with 64° head angle would be between 800 and 760 for the biggest and smallest shoulder width respectively.

I had not heard about the effect of the head tube angle but this would explain what I’ve been observing personally.

My first MTB had a relatively steep head tube angle. I adjusted down to a 725mm bar for that bike which felt just right.

So I thought I’d always prefer shorter bars. Nope.

On my Trek EXe with a 64.5 degree head angle, I found 750mm works well.

 

[timo2824]

Deity 50mm riser bars cut to 740mm. I ride in the trees so prefer narrower bars, settled on 740 by cutting them narrower until I liked they way they felt. Took several rides to get them dialed.