What is it with these wide bars....

Wily-Quixote

Look I'm not a troll looking to inflame debate... but I'm puzzled with these extra wide bars that are getting around. I have no particular aesthetic objections to the trend but why are they necessary? I bought a new bike a year ago and initially was riding with my arms at this ridiculous angle which meant i couldnt muscle my bike around on climbs or over obstacles... I've since cut the bar down to 2005 bike trend levels and I'm now struggling to see how anyone riding wide bars can call them comfortable. I can understand the 'control' point, but if you need more leverage changing the stem has a similar effect... i certainly see no loss of control of my 29er with my bars at a more manageable width.
Is this just a fashion like riser bars became or does it have real biomechanical advantage? My understanding of biomechanics would make me think that any deficiencies in 'control' (by this I'm presuming ability to propriocept feedback from the trail and apply leverage to the bars) would be easier achieved by using biceps rather than triceps (ie using bar ends or some other forward bar extension). Anyway like i said not trying to annoy people..I'm from the 'whatever works' school, clearly it must have some merit for everyone to now use them but I don't get it.

warpcow

Like everything, it's a combination of various factors, of which the actual width of the bars is just one. I find wider bars, only about 710mm so unfashionably narrow if you believe everything on the net, give me more control (leverage when the wheel is being forced by the trail). That's effected by my size, my bike's size and geometry, etc. Changing stem length to achieve the same also changes the weight distribution over the front axle, which has to be taken into account too.

Though I've always had barends on at least one bike, I wouldn't say they give more 'control' in general.

Giraffoto

I'm pretty new to MTBs (recent ones, anyway) so I came in with no preconceptions and a bike with 640mm bars. I found while riding on a straight flat stretch that I felt most comfortable with my hands in a position just a bit wider than the bars - holding the end of the bar with thumb and index finger (don't try this on a fast decent or a rough trail) so I've swapped for a pair that are 720mm wide - that's only another 40mm at each end, but it makes a big difference to comfort.
So to conclude - wide bars have all sorts of uses, and it's not just a fashion thing. And I didn't realize that riser bars are a fashion either - they seem to be perfectly functional to me

styxd

And I didn't realize that riser bars are a fashion either - they seem to be perfectly functional to me

Of course they're a fashion. If you want to have higher bars, then the obvious engineering solution is to make the bars flat and give the stem some rise.

felix.london

After not being on a bike for about 17 years - when I bought my Rockhopper in 2009 the 685mm riser bar looked ridiculous to me and I thought I'd definitely need to cut it down to a more 'manageable' size - when I was mountain biking in the early 90's it was all about shorter, flat bars (and bar ends). But as soon as I rode the bike I noticed the comfort and control advantage the bike had

Since then I've ridden a Spesh Enduro which had a 750mm bar and now own a Session 8 which has 720mm bars and I feel (for me at least) this is the sweet spot. So I'll be swapping the bar on the 'hopper for a 720mm at some point

milfredo

I went from 680 to 720 and found the control of the bike suffered massivly. This became more apparent in short steep shoots where the bike levels out quickly at the bottom. I found the bike hard to keep under control and sometime wanting to whip me off. I cut them down to 700mm and this is my sweet spot. 20mm made all the difference and is purfect for me. Also on single track in my local woods I found that the 720mm bars hard to pass through a lot of tight spots 700mm is just about manageable but I still can't fit through one gap on the fastest trail which is a bummer. A friend of mine had the Renthals 770mm and they were just silly. He's now chopped them back as well to 720 and might go further still.
I say buy wide and be prepared to get out the saw.

bluechair84

Mine are a massive 780, and I'm not even a tall guy. It fits my riding style nicely by bringing my weight forwards whilst decreasing the effect that trail rocks have on steering. Not much can knock me off line! But it's all personal preference and riding style rather than fashion.

sandy771

milfredo wrote:

I say buy wide and be prepared to get out the saw.

This is what I have done.

I went from 690 to 780 (just because that was the size of a bar that was recommended) with a view to shaving a bit off. I have been out with the 780's a few times and really like the feel but think I might knock a little off and drop it to 740/750 later today. As said above it probably lowers my riding position a little (just raised slightly by shortening my stem), give me more control on the bumpier bits and seems much better on the slower technical turns. I am concioous of the extra width through the trees and gates though but I expect that this will change over time.

Looking at it simplistically I would think that wider bars would suit people with wider shoulders, some of my riding buddies are prob 10cm narrower across the shoulders than I am so our perception of what is right would naturally be different and to suggest that we should all ride with narrower bars would seem daft. Those mates who have had a brief go/feel of the new position and liked it are the bigger ones i go out with.

Thewaylander

TO be honest it's partially riding style and bike set, and also you own shoulder width that defines the width.

If you ride a 29"er as a generalistation, your probably far more into mile eating that gravity based work, and a narrower bar would suit this ideal, but on rocky rooty steep terrain a wider down often a dgree of control over the front end of your bike.

There does come a trade of poitn when there to wide for your shoulders, but most people will hit 720-740 for that.

Yet again a horses for courses thing, and not everyone rides like you OP, for instance i climb on my bike but i see at a thing i do to get to teh decents and i'm certainly not worried about times on the up. So a wider set up makes alot of sence for me.

mrmonkfinger

Who'd have thought, different sized people need different sized bike bits on different bikes...

styxd wrote:

If you want to have higher bars, then the obvious engineering solution is to make the bars flat and give the stem some rise.

You want straight bars, use them, nobody is stopping you.

But
1 ) won't work very well if you have a 40 or 50mm stem.
2) I like the slightly cranked ends on a riser bar, so I'll stick with them.

stubs

I have 700mm bars and I find a lot of trees on my routes are 698mm apart.

Anonymous

Partly fashionable, but there is a valid reason for them depending on how and what you ride and if it fits you comfortably.

Up to 750 now which came with the bike and I'm finding they make quite a difference, in part compensating for a short stem, but in the main I've been going a lot faster on the new bike on twisty singletrack and descents, and the wider bars just feel a lot more comfortable and in control. Change of riding style however as you do need to be going faster and you need to learn to lean.

If your big thing is slower riding on the twisty & steep, straight trails, or big climbs, maybe go shorter. Might want to have a longer stem though, and suspect many will have a shorter stem as that is another fashionable trend (though to me a shorter stem stopped it steering like a bus).

FWIW, I've got 750 on my big rig and feels great for the kind of riding I do on that, but 685 on the hard tail which is used a bit differently, different kind of trails and riding, and it's just right on that.

Gaps between trees? Have to learn to wiggle the bars through rather than heading straight on. Only one that I'm not happy with is a jump between two trees that are just a few mm wider than the 750 bars, and just don't want to risk it.

Rise or lack of on bars - down to fit. Huge rise on wide bars is generally going to be uncomfortable. Shorter less so but depends. In my case on the hard tail the top tube is long and the stem low so I use bigger risers to get it comfortable. A different frame and I might go with flatter.

bennett_346

Had 680 with 60mm stem at first, tried 720, thought it was alright. Got a new bike with a much longer stem (90) and 660 bars and so far it's the best combination i've had.

oodboo

milfredo wrote:

I say buy wide and be prepared to get out the saw.

This

milko9000

deadkenny wrote:

Gaps between trees? Have to learn to wiggle the bars through rather than heading straight on. Only one that I'm not happy with is a jump between two trees that are just a few mm wider than the 750 bars, and just don't want to risk it.

Xmas pudding/Clawhammer? Pff, can get a bus through there!

Anonymous

milko9000 wrote:

Xmas pudding/Clawhammer? Pff, can get a bus through there!

Yeah, that's the one . I know it will fit as plenty with 750 bars do it. Just I know I'll clip it if I try and with that in my mind it's certain to happen.

mcnultycop

I like to think I'm pretty intelligent but I had to Google "propriocept".

jehannum5

@oodboo.. don't know what looks sillier... the funny little wheels or the clownish bar.... dude buy a bigger bike.

ilovedirt

styxd wrote:

And I didn't realize that riser bars are a fashion either - they seem to be perfectly functional to me

Of course they're a fashion. If you want to have higher bars, then the obvious engineering solution is to make the bars flat and give the stem some rise.

Riser bars are make trailside repairs easier when you have to flip the bike upside-down


Widers bars feel more comfortable to me, and give me more control. They're also more stable at speed. Simples. I'm not a small guy, so any bars narrower than 710mm just don't work for me. Mine are at 750mm on both my XC and my downhill bike. Most of my riding is gravity-based (my XC bike is more of an AM bike, climb up just for the gnarly descents, etc), so it makes sense for me.

.blitz

Modern trail bikes are very heavily influenced by DH bikes. DHing is sometimes seen as the purest and fastest form of MTBing and if it works for DH racing, then it must be OK for trail bikes.

Powerful brakes, wide grippy tyres, highly tuneable suspension, bomb proof components, short stems and wide bars. We all need them.

supersonic

But we don't all need DH weight. Though weight isn't the reason why I use 635mm bars - the reason is they feel most natural to me and handle the best on my bikes. Any wider and my arms and shoulders feel splayed out, reducing my control. Climbing feels choppy, and you have to move the bars further for an input. I simply prefer the narrower, more powerful feeling stance of these bars. But too much narrower and they do become too twitchy.

I think most people have a sweet spot which works for them. I certainly agree with starting wide and chopping down.

oodboo

jehannum5 wrote:

@oodboo.. don't know what looks sillier... the funny little wheels or the clownish bar.... dude buy a bigger bike.

Whooosh....?

YeehaaMcgee

.blitz wrote:

Modern trail bikes are very heavily influenced by DH bikes. DHing is sometimes seen as the purest and fastest form of MTBing and if it works for DH racing, then it must be OK for trail bikes.

Powerful brakes, wide grippy tyres, highly tuneable suspension, bomb proof components, short stems and wide bars. We all need them.

Sadly, you're probably bang on the money. Just the same as how it seems you must have a gigantic Toyota landcruiser to drop little timmy off at the primary school, 300 yards from where your house is.

bennett_346

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

.blitz wrote:

Modern trail bikes are very heavily influenced by DH bikes. DHing is sometimes seen as the purest and fastest form of MTBing and if it works for DH racing, then it must be OK for trail bikes.

Powerful brakes, wide grippy tyres, highly tuneable suspension, bomb proof components, short stems and wide bars. We all need them.

Sadly, you're probably bang on the money. Just the same as how it seems you must have a gigantic Toyota landcruiser to drop little timmy off at the primary school, 300 yards from where your house is.

+1

I'd be willing to bet most people would find trails way easier and ride much faster if they bought "racier" bikes compared with what most "AM" bikes now are..

ricardo_smooth

I ride the width that feels most comfortable for me. Being 6ft 5 and quite wide shouldered denotes the 711's felt too narrow for me the 750's immediately felt spot on during any type of riding. They also helped me with my bike control due to me not feeling like im 'pulling in' on the bike all the time

andy_welch

I may be wrong (I usually am) but it seems to me as though wide bars are sometimes used to cure the problem of twitchy handling that results from using a shorter stem. Which raises the question "why not just use a longer stem"? That way you get the extra leverage (and reduced sensitivity to bumps) that you get from wide bars, but can still fit through gaps.

Cheers

Andy

ricardo_smooth

Sometimes it can work. Sometimes a longer stem just gives you backache, sometimes a longer stem leaves you feeling like you are leaning over the front a lot (not good when descending but helps when climbing). Suppose it's a personal preference

Anonymous

bennett_346 wrote:

I'd be willing to bet most people would find trails way easier and ride much faster if they bought "racier" bikes compared with what most "AM" bikes now are..

Funny you say that. When I got the Nomad, I now find gnarly trails I ride a fair bit faster and they are easier for me.

Could be I've just gained confidence or the bike is acting as a skills compensator. But then I ride the same trails on the hard tail and I can't blast down the same stuff quite the same way. Not at least without causing an injury or just plain getting very exhausted.

However if I was into riding loads of long and sweeping open country trails and big on climbs, then I'd agree with you

Or to put it another way, if I rode the Olympics MTB course I'd be faster on a racier bike. I'd also be wearing lycra. :P

ilovedirt

bennett_346 wrote:

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

.blitz wrote:

Modern trail bikes are very heavily influenced by DH bikes. DHing is sometimes seen as the purest and fastest form of MTBing and if it works for DH racing, then it must be OK for trail bikes.

Powerful brakes, wide grippy tyres, highly tuneable suspension, bomb proof components, short stems and wide bars. We all need them.

Sadly, you're probably bang on the money. Just the same as how it seems you must have a gigantic Toyota landcruiser to drop little timmy off at the primary school, 300 yards from where your house is.

+1

I'd be willing to bet most people would find trails way easier and ride much faster if they bought "racier" bikes compared with what most "AM" bikes now are..

Depends what the trail is like. I rode a trail yesterday that i usually ride on my AM bike on my DH bike and found that it was definitely nicer to ride on the AM bike due to the tighter more pedally nature of it. There are other trails that I've also ridden on both, and the steeper, rougher stuff is always easier on the downhill bike. Horses for courses. My AM bike gets ridden on everything, long XC epics to uplift days, it's the perfect compromise for me when I don't want to pedal my downhill bike out to the trails. It is essentially a mini downhill bike. 170mm fork, fat-ish tyres, single ring, powerful brakes with big rotors, but it suits my riding style. If I wanted a racy hardtail or something, I'd buy one. (I did have a hardtail up until about last november when the fully replaced it.)

It does seem to me though that it depends what forum you ask on as well... Bikeradar seems to be mostly XC riders or weekend warriors. Southern Downhill is mostly downhill riders, and their idea of an 'XC' bike will be slightly different, as will their setup. The setup on my AM bike in general is of a similar feel to my downhill bike, so that it doesn't feel too strange switching from one to the other.

IT66T

Wow these bars are really wide that your all talking about as the ones i had on my Muddy Fox Explorer back in 1989 were 610mm and i found them more comfortable after i trimmed them down to 482mm and i didn't have any trouble out on the trails while using them as i found the steering to be more responsive which i really liked .

felix.london

I realised on my ride yesterday why my 685mm bars feel a bit narrow; When I'm in the attack position, in order to get my elbows out my hands are on the bar at an angle of about 30° (hands pointing inwards, towards front wheel)

This means the heel of my palm moves further out, and my hands have to move further in - towards the centre of the bar so that my whole palm is on the bar and not hanging over the end of it

I'm moving my hands inwards by at least 20mm on each side. I presume this is why the 720mm bar on the DH bike feels better