Bar width - how wide is too wide?

dazz

dazz

Downhill Dazz
Just watched this and found it kind of interesting.


How does everyone here work out what width to run? I know bars have gotten a hell of a lot wider since I used to race and it was something I wanted to change back in the day. Coming from a dirtbike background, I always felt like it was sacrificing a fair bit of stability/control for being able to thread through the trees. But that was what everyone ran at the time so I just tried my best to get used to it.
 
rangersac

rangersac

Medically diagnosed OMS
I run 760mm on one bike and 780mm on two others, at 188cm tall. Anywhere between 740 and 800 works for most blokes, and the actual width you choose probably comes down to a combo of personal preference and the trails you regularly ride. I find the 780mm bike is too wide for my local tracks as there's a lot of trees involved, but it comes into its own at Maydena.
 
moorey

moorey

call me Mia
Depends. 800 on the DH bike. 750/760 for trail/enduro/xc (Tried wider, didn’t work for me). 173cm, but pretty broad shouldered. Felix likes 800 on everything except commuter. Have watched vids like that. Still always comes down to preference…much like rise, reach, crank length etc.

@dazz, what you running? I have probably got spares to try if you want to experiment.
 
Isaakk

Isaakk

Likes Bikes and Dirt
187cm tall, 780mm bars on the trail/enduro, 760mm on XC (with a 50mm stem so YMMV, I need a fairly upright seated position). Used to run 800 for trail but found it just a little bit stretched out, and found the extra clearance handy through trees, gaps, etc as a bonus.
 
Tubbsy

Tubbsy

Packin' a small bird
Staff member
dazz said:
Vid I linked in OP is also Lee. Works out to 790ish wide for me which I think would suit me pretty well based on how comfortable I feel on MTB 'vs' dirtbike. I think it would definitely give a boost to the confidence levels.

Thanks @moorey will be in touch.
Click to expand...
Ah didn’t click the link.

Lee’s formula may well have some merit for people around his height, but IMO he’s tried too hard to come up with a ‘theory’ and is doggedly sticking by it.

I’m 193cm and run 780 wide which works well enough for me. Might give 800 a go next time I’m shopping, but 850 if even a available would be absurd.
 
dazz

dazz

Downhill Dazz
Tubbsy said:
Ah didn’t click the link.

Lee’s formula may well have some merit for people around his height, but IMO he’s tried too hard to come up with a ‘theory’ and is doggedly sticking by it.

I’m 193cm and run 780 wide which works well enough for me. Might give 800 a go next time I’m shopping, but 850 if even a available would be absurd.
Click to expand...
Yeah, trying to thread your way through trees would get pretty interesting at 850 wide. I remember some of the tracks at Buller had some narrow gaps that were a bit hairy at speed!
 
fjohn860

fjohn860

Alice in diaperland
My bars are cut to 770mm but with the Deity supracush bar ends being 5mm thick it works out at 780mm. I'm 182cm tall and this feels much better than the 800mm (810mm with the grips). Felt like I was too stretched out and feel like it was too hard to get the bike leaned over enough on some corners.

Another way to get a ball park figure for width I have seen is to lay a tape measure on the floor in front of you like handlebars. Kneel around a metre back from the tape measure and fall forward stopping yourself with your hands. Then check where your hands ended up landing.

I tried this out of curiosity a few times (had already previously cut the bars to 770mm anyway) and ended up 5-10mm from 770mm every time.

Not very sciency I know...
 
R

RealizE

Likes Bikes
I am drowning in confirmation bias when it comes to bar widths. A couple of weeks ago, I broke my hanger and whilst waiting for a replacement to arrive borrowed my brother's bike. After a couple of rides, I was at the bike shop convinced I needed a new "longer, lower, slacker" frame as the other bike felt so much roomier and more comfortable than mine. So I checked the frame geo charts and there wasn't really that much in it. When taking a tape measure to compare the relationship between the bar, seat and cranks they were almost identical. The only real difference was the 760 vs 820 bars.

After my hanger arrived, I swapped the bars from one to the other and instantly my bike was the best thing I had ever ridden. I straight away ordered some new bars the same size.

I've since watched some of Lee's videos, read about Moir's tiny bike on PB, ape index etc. and yesterday swapped back to 760 for another test. Instantly, best bike I have ever ridden.
 
Scotty T

Scotty T

Walks the walk
I was running 720, my mate who is shorter and has a normal ape index has those now, and I have his 760 which he felt were too wide, they work nice, but I am of the era where 660 was heaps wide.

I've ridden a couple of 800s on bikes and because I have about 1.1 ape index at 186cm they are OK, *except that one time I rode @HamboCairns bike and ate shit hooking up on my watch band.

* it likely would have still happened on the 760's
 
Minlak

Minlak

custom titis
I am 186cms and feel most comfortable with 760mm bats - that’s my everything feels like it’s where is should be setting. Did a thing with the E-Bike and bought new bats that were 820mm wide - didn’t like them so took them down 10mm each end at a time and went for enough rides in between to know if I liked it - ended up at 760 like all my other bars :)
 
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