Racing XC with wide flat bars?..

Kerrmit1992

Hi guys,

I'm just curious if many people on here race XC with wide flat bars? I had wide riser bars before and I enjoyed them, but I have recently cut them down for the XC racing I have been doing thinking it was a great idea. however, at the race at the weekend there i felt very uncomfortable with all the twists and turns as I didn't feel I had much control.

The guy who I speak to in the LBS who was an XC racer says wide is better despite a lot of people saying go narrow as its aerodynamic?

Anyway, I noticed not many flat bars come in wider widths, mines at the minute are 600mm and a lot of the carbon flat bars are all narrower than this?

I don't know what I should do here so looking to see what use would do.

Cheers
Craig

Dave_P1

I prefer having riser bars fitted for XC racing as I find it gives me more control through the technical stuff.

Some of the guys / girls were chatting about this recently on xcracer

http://www.xcracer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9142

Kerrmit1992

That was actually an interesting read. I notice how people are mentioning that wider bars are getting popular for XC. Well, when I was racing on Sunday there, I actually came off my bike on a steep bit of downhill because I felt unstable on the narrow bars.

Don't get me wrong, they are great for the long run up the hill. but then again, a lot of people are saying that the wider bars actually aid breathing.

The reason I'm wanting to opt for the flat bars is to give a more racing position on the bike, i feel the riser bars make me sit too upright, I need to get a shot of flat bars though as have never tried them.

Myster101

Just use what you feel comfortable with, not sure why you would try anything else.

danlikesbikes

I have a set of flats with small bar extensions on my dale which I have raced and find it really easy to control, but my full sus scott has a bit of rise to it.

Guess its each to their own though & what you feel comfortable with.

Kerrmit1992

That's a good point. I guess I thought the change would aid my performance but it has actually slowed me down lol

Cheers
Craig

danlikesbikes

Kerrmit1992 wrote:

That's a good point. I guess I thought the change would aid my performance but it has actually slowed me down lol

Cheers
Craig

I do agree with you about the position though. When I first bought my scott it had a bigger riser bar & I just couldn't get used to it & it didn't feel as responsive, have swopped it over or a wider and shallower rise & it works a treat for me.

Personally I wouldn't bother with shorter ones, but having small bar ends on does help a lot as you can sit on them like I could on the hoods of a road bike. Might help you get the control feeling back if you have already cut your bars down?

supersonic

The guy who I speak to in the LBS who was an XC racer says wide is better despite a lot of people saying go narrow as its aerodynamic?

Is a load of balls, is purely preference on what is best.

scarbs85

So...is there really any difference between a flat bar and a riser? I'd always thought it as simple as lowering the contact points. So really, a flat bar could sit high or a riser low using spacers and stems.

Or do you get more comfortable sweeps on risers which you cant on flats? I just dont see why it would alter handling, comfirt or anything else if the bars are the same width and height.

Kerrmit1992

The only difference is that a riser has an up-sweep on it.

Don't get me wrong, risers are great for normal trail riding. but for racing I'm looking for a more racing position.

My problem is that as well as racing I also play rugby so I have quite wide shoulders, therefor, this whole narrow bar thing makes me feel like my arms are narrower than my shoulders.

I've spotted a nice crank brothers carbon flat bar at 780mm wide :-)

The Rookie

But very few flats are truly flat, both mine have a slight upsweep and backsweep 9set in the marked neutral position by the 2 different manufacturers)

Kerrmit1992

Yeah I notices that on some of them.

Do they still provide that racing feel?

junglist_matty

I don't race as such, but like to ride "fast" on my XC bike, I've got 680mm flat bars (29er).

Kerrmit1992

do the flat bars still give you good control?

The Rookie

Flat or riser doesn't directly affect control, width does, weight distribution does affect it but that is about more than just flat or riser bars.

Kerrmit1992

Hi guys, sorry I didn't want to start a new thread for a similar topic.

Would it be possible for you XC guys to share your stem lengths also?

height-wise, I'm 180cm. I'm running a 110mm stem with 600mm bars and I'm getting lower back pain when i'm riding, usually always on the uphill.

I read somewhere that lower back pain can be caused by a stem that is too long as it is causing you to activate more of your core.

I was thinking of ruducing the length to around 70/80mm.

What do use think?

kenan

On my On-One scandal 29ER i'm running a 750mm wide flat bar with 60mm stem. It works for me ant the bar is very light as it's carbon (and looks great). I got mine here: http://www.carboncycles.cc/?s=0&t=2&c=94&p=1062&

End of the day it's what suits you.

supersonic

635/90 on the Zaskar.

Greer_

660/100mm for me. But I'm tempted to try a flat bar .... would have to be the same width at least though, don't like narrow bars.

But I noticed during the UCI round yesterday that most people on 29ers were using negative rise stems and flat bars - looked really weird in some cases!

bennett_346

I think that's to get more weight over the front, something 29ers seem to struggle with.

Greer_

bennett_346 wrote:

I think that's to get more weight over the front, something 29ers seem to struggle with.

I can see why - had a go on a 29er and felt more like I was sitting in the bike, than on it - made it hard to get over either wheel!

pilch

Greer_ wrote:

I can see why - had a go on a 29er and felt more like I was sitting in the bike

That's why they are so good... you need to spend a little time with the setup, stem length, slam the bars, - rise etc.. when its right they are superb, particularly for xc... just my opinion like...

Greer_

And I won't argue with your opinion! I'm sure i'll have to get one at some point as all racers are going that way, but I think it will just become a race bike. I like how I can throw a 26er around (albeit not very well!) Will definitely give it a go though.

Back to flat vs riser though!

Edit: Pilch, what's your stem/bar setup on your 29er race?

pilch

Greer_ wrote:

what's your stem/bar setup on your 29er race?

Truvativ Handlebars Flat Noir T30 Flat Bars 2012 700mm 5deg - bit too wide, could do with shortening a little

On-One Ultralight CNC Stem 80mm

bennett_346

I couldn't tell you what's better/faster, but i really like the feeling of being "on" the bike not "in" it. For some reason i feel like i have more control and can move my weight around less with a greater effect from smaller movement. Easier to control airtime and jumps too, for me.

Greer_

My thoughts exactly! Will be a 29er for racing and a 26" for having fun and enjoying rides!

ddraver

This is pure anecdotal evidence, but I was watching the Olympic XC race, and also a WC last weekend and I noticed that the majority of the competitors were using wider bars. Now I know that these guys have minescule upper bodies and so the visual comparison is a tad dodgy, but I don't think there were many (if at all) on your old school 580mm and bar ends

(oh and I agree with the 26/29 thing)

Greer_

I very rarely ever see bar ends!