handlebar length?

barty81
barty81 Posts: 145
edited December 2011 in MTB general
Hi, got a 90mm stem and some 660mm handlebars coming in the post tommorow. should i give this length a try first? before attacking them with the pipe cutters. Im mainly going to be riding xc woodland singletrack (thetford) so im thinking these might be to long and to cut them to around the 600mm mark? may be a good start point. Just interested in what length you guys are running and your thoughts on my proposed plan.
Giant xtc
Canyon nerve am 7

Comments

  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Might as well set at 660mm and try - can't add it on later ;-)

    Is very much personal preference, I prefer about a 635mm bar.
  • I'd try it and see how you get on, I thought 711mm would be comically wide when I first put them on, now anything narrower feels odd, though I favour the shorter stem.
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  • ljs1977
    ljs1977 Posts: 247
    Just got a 50mm stem and 750 bars - feels wicked.

    I am not an XC monster tho'
  • 90mm stem and 660mm wide bars here, and i love the combo. Although i dont only ride xc, they are decent at xc type rides.
  • andymc06
    andymc06 Posts: 245
    Just changed the bars on my 2005 Enduro from standard 660 mm to RaceFace Atlas at 725 mm. They felt a little odd at first but they do seem to offer more control and a better riding position for me. Recently read in one of the major mags that they favour 730 mm bars for their long term test bikes for general trail use.
    If at first you don't succeed, spend some more money on kit!

    Giant Trance X3 2011
  • stuisnew
    stuisnew Posts: 366
    Nothing to be gained from cutting them from 660 without trying them, so give them a whirl. There is a tendancy for magazines to tell you you need more than you sometimes do, for xc especially.
  • t0pc4t
    t0pc4t Posts: 947
    I'm going the other way with my anthem, 100mm stem as standard and 680mm bars and I'm thinking about trying a Nukeproof warhead stem and bars at 60mm and 760mm respectively.

    If I don't like it I'll just sell the bits on on Ebay.
    Whether you're a king or a little street sweeper, sooner or later you'll dance with the reaper.

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  • more of a wideboy myself, got some 680's on my curreent bike that i want to junk in for some 740's but its personall preference :)
  • timpop
    timpop Posts: 394
    Keep the 680 length for at least a few rides. you might really like it. I prefer the wider bars, using 710mm at the moment which was standard on the Spicy so 680mm should be great for XC specific riding. Enjoy!
    Many happy trails!
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    There's not many places where 660 will be too long- assuming you mean in terms of gaps etc. Whether you like it or not, is just taste as's been said but you can't cut bars longer.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • ilovedirt
    ilovedirt Posts: 5,798
    I run 750mm bars, anything narrower than 700mm is just daft IMO.
    Production Privee Shan

    B'Twin Triban 5
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Daft, why is that?! I can't stand bars that wide!
  • ilovedirt
    ilovedirt Posts: 5,798
    I just feel like I don't have proper control of the bike, particularly at a bar width under 660mm. It just feels twitchy and uncomfortable. It is personal preference though mostly, I like 750mm, I wouldn't go any wider than that though, I do shoulder-barge my fair share of trees :P
    Production Privee Shan

    B'Twin Triban 5
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    I find the opposite - too wide and you need more movement to turn, and they flap about on the climbs, reducing control for me. Also pulls my weight further forward than I like. Is preference, but certainly not daft lol, is the way I like 'em!
  • Post deleted: can you please not use all capitals and txt tlk, thanks.

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  • ilovedirt
    ilovedirt Posts: 5,798
    supersonic wrote:
    I find the opposite - too wide and you need more movement to turn, and they flap about on the climbs, reducing control for me. Also pulls my weight further forward than I like. Is preference, but certainly not daft lol, is the way I like 'em!
    I use a 40mm stem (could probably do with a little longer tbh), so my weight isn't too far forward, as for the front wheel wandering a little on climbs, it doesn't really bother me!
    Production Privee Shan

    B'Twin Triban 5
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    660 isn't wide at all. Should be no problem in terms of gaps to get through. Rest of it is preference. XC guys seem to like narrow bars to huddle over the stem with, but depends what you mean by XC. Doing trails round a forest may not be the kind of XC that people go for narrow bars with. Distance slogs and climbs perhaps.

    Try it and see, and I'd give it a little while before thinking about chopping them.

    Myself, I'm getting quite used to the 750 on my full sus. Close calls in some woodland bits but feels nice and controllable with a short stem, and gets me to move the body and bike more than just flicking the steering about, which is supposedly a better technique. 685 on the hard tail, and worried that it might be short, but fine enough for what I use it for. I wouldn't go any shorter though.

    Does all depend on your build, size, reach and preference though.
  • ADL
    ADL Posts: 138
    I ride XC/trail on a 100mm hardtail, stock stem/bars were 110mm/620mm, but my current 90mm/660mm feel much better.
  • Been using some 815 Blackspire bars on my hardtail, found them ok to be honest until i found i couldnt keep up with my 4 yr old through the trees at Delamere the other day, they are now 730, much more acceptable.
  • i have 640 mm flat bars on a 120 stem on my ht. find this a bit twitchy . was thinking of changeing to 90 or 100 mil stem on 660 low risers bar. what do you reckon for xc raceing would this help :?:
  • I've got 720mm ones on my XC/general hardtail with a 70mm stem and 710mm bars and 70mm on the Spicy. I'm think about going for a 60mm stem and 740mm bars or something simailir for the Spicy as a bit more leverage is beneficial with the slacker head angle. I wouldn't go back to short bars. I'm with ilovedirt!
  • sheepsteeth
    sheepsteeth Posts: 17,418
    i have 680mm bars and they seem fine, i had 710mm bars on my prevous bike and they were fine wen coupled with a 45mm stem.

    give the 680 bars a go first and see if you like them. if they feel too wide, what you can do is run all of the equipment further inboard and move the grips to a narrower position to check if you like the feel of the same bars in a narrower format (itll look odd having spare bits of bar hanging outside of your grips for a ride admitedly) there's no point choppng them down before you take advantage of the opportunity to try the shorter position.