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.

 

[ZillaG]

It’s a guideline. But TL;DR from the video below, it's your-height-in-centimeters x 4.4. Example

height = 5'7" = 170.18x4.4 ~ 750, so 750mm

What I do is cut it down to 780mm, try it. Then keep cutting about 10mm until it suits you.

 

[CarbonMan]

In the old days criterium racers used hip-width bars, the idea being if the bars fit through an opening so would you. That would work here too- if the bars fit between the trees so will you.

 

[Astro66]

My Merida came with 780mm bars. But many of the single trails I ride have really tight trees in them, and I was forever clipping the trees, as I had to literally turn the handlebars to fit through. My concern was I was going to clip them properly, the impact turning the handlebars, and spear off into another tree.

So I took 30mm off each side, shortening to 720mm. This made an enormous difference, and I rarely clip trees now.

My mate who rides with us bought the exact same bike as mine. And after 2 rides, asked to come over to my place, so I could make the same modification.

So whilst you can make all the calculations you want to get the correct handlebar width. The width you choose, must be compatible with the trails you ride.

 

[Bones]

780 for me as i managed to hit everything under the sun with 800s.
Clipping trees is part of the fun of mtbing

 

[irie]

780 for me as i managed to hit everything under the sun with 800s.
Clipping trees is part of the fun of mtbing

Our problem is that a lot of our riding is terrain without a lot of close tree cover, but some of it is. So we just put up with sometimes clipping trees as a penalty to be paid for increased control when going down quickish in the open. Would be nice (maybe ) to have a button to lengthen and shorten bars according to terrain. Or maybe not, just more shite to maintain and break!

 

[mikegarf]

I was using 800mm Renthals with 30mm rise on my Large Orbea Rise which were Ok but maybe a bit too much. I've recently cut them to 760mm and overall they are a better fit for me. I can definitely feel the wheel twitching more and the steering is slightly quicker but not in a bad way. I clip a lot less obstacles on the trail too which gives added confidence.

 

[Ou812]

It’s a guideline. But TL;DR from the video below, it's your-height-in-centimeters x 4.4. Example

height = 5'7" = 170.18x4.4 ~ 750, so 750mm

What I do is cut it down to 780mm, try it. Then keep cutting about 10mm until it suits you.

This was pretty much spot on for me, I’m 170cm and have been on 750 bars for as long as I can remember.

 

[Stihldog]

…to have a button to lengthen and shorten bars according to terrain. Or maybe not, just more shite to maintain and break!

Ah man…you took my idea . I was thinking that it could be incorporated with the AXS Flight Attendant and optical sensors.

I settled for 770mm mainly because of the trees or openings on our trails. If I based the width on my hight and arm span …well I haven’t figured that out yet.

Busting my knuckles on an object helps me decide on a preferred bar width …trial and error.

 

[irie]

Ah man…you took my idea . I was thinking that it could be incorporated with the AXS Flight Attendant and optical sensors.

I settled for 770mm mainly because of the trees or openings on our trails. If I based the width on my hight and arm span …well I haven’t figured that out yet.

Busting my knuckles on an object helps me decide on a preferred bar width …trial and error.

Yeah, not going below 770mm so at most will cut 5mm off each end.

 

[steve_sordy]

It’s a guideline. But TL;DR from the video below, it's your-height-in-centimeters x 4.4. Example

height = 5'7" = 170.18x4.4 ~ 750, so 750mm

What I do is cut it down to 780mm, try it. Then keep cutting about 10mm until it suits you.

My height of 6'1" (185cm) gives a bar width of 816mm!!!
I'd be in hospital by now if I'd followed that guideline.

 

[HandsomeDanNZ]

I've been running 800mm Renthal fatbars for a few years - although I am only 176cm tall, I found the combo of backsweep and upsweep to be 100% perfect for me.
My Merida came with 780mm bars and are a degree out on backsweep, so they're OK and about right according to my height, but I find them sometimes a touch narrow when descending - mainly because I have gotten so used to where to have my arms and shoulders, based on hand placement from years of Renthal abuse.
I may upgrade again at some stage - could be the excuse I need to get some carbon bars for a change.

 

[irie]

My height of 6'1" (185cm) gives a bar width of 816mm!!!
I'd be in hospital by now if I'd followed that guideline.

With Lee McCormack's rule better to use your wingspan I think.

 

[mikegarf]

My height of 6'1" (185cm) gives a bar width of 816mm!!!
I'd be in hospital by now if I'd followed that guideline.

I know what you mean. That calc does seem to give bars on the wider side of what works in reality. Didn't work for me either.