Mtb on road

Moonbiker

Anyone else feel slightly unsafe due to the huge width of the bars compared to road bikes?

Was trying my mtb out on country lanes, and it was abit scary when idiot drivers close pass (both directions) as bars are loads wider so slick out further into road...

Had to slow more and dive into hegdes etc to avoid them.

hdow

Bars on mountain bikes have got wider over time and sometimes ridiculously so. Often get same bars across the range of sizes.

Can always fit narrower ones or saw a bit off each end. May actually end up with a better fit anyway.

meanredspider

I think it must be psychological because the difference can't be that big and, whilst I commuted most winters on MTB with Icer Spikers, I never had that sensation. Do you use bar-ends? I'm not particularly familiar with MTB bar differences - mine's a X-country "race" configuration (more "stretched out" and "aggressive" according to the guy at Square Wheels when I bought it - ideal for road commuting in Highland winters)

k-dog

No, there's a big difference - most MTBs now have bars in the 700s - downhill bikes can go to 800 but they're not great on the road obviously.

That's quite different from the 440 or so of a road bike - almost 6" each side.

fat daddy

I only find it an issue when filtering in heavy traffic and cant fit in between the gap left between bus and lorry ..... the rest of the time, having 5" of front and back suspension and gigantic 2.3" tyres, makes for a very amusing commute, jumping up and down the kerbs, ploughing through potholes .... oh and the track stands .... just stop, don't get out the saddle and the bike stays upright.

the only downside is the amount of work you have to put in to try and keep up with road bikes .. its the workout from hell

But generally I feel safer on the MTB, its so stable in the corners thanks to the relaxed geo, the road surface NEVER unsettles the bike ... I look forward to my Monday MTB commute

w00dster

I'm with fat daddy on this one, I feel safer on my MTB on the road than on a road bike, not that I feel particularly unsafe on my road bike. When I ride off-road I have approx. 6 or 7 miles of road as part of my loop, I use a 650B+ bike with 3" tyres with a 730mm bar. It is obviously much wider but also significantly slower so I don't bother trying to filter or get to front of traffic, but where I live / ride that really isn't much of an issue.
The bars do stick out more, a lot more to be fair, but cars shouldn't be coming that close to me to cause an issue. Normally my MTB is fully laden with my bike packing gear and its surprising how I differently cars behave towards me, much more respectful when in baggy mtb clothing and full bike packing guise as opposed to being in lycra on my road bike. Strange really.

roger_merriman

w00dster wrote:

I'm with fat daddy on this one, I feel safer on my MTB on the road than on a road bike, not that I feel particularly unsafe on my road bike. When I ride off-road I have approx. 6 or 7 miles of road as part of my loop, I use a 650B+ bike with 3" tyres with a 730mm bar. It is obviously much wider but also significantly slower so I don't bother trying to filter or get to front of traffic, but where I live / ride that really isn't much of an issue.
The bars do stick out more, a lot more to be fair, but cars shouldn't be coming that close to me to cause an issue. Normally my MTB is fully laden with my bike packing gear and its surprising how I differently cars behave towards me, much more respectful when in baggy mtb clothing and full bike packing guise as opposed to being in lycra on my road bike. Strange really.

I have a old MTB as a pottering around town bike, have noticed how traffic is better with that, than my CX where I tend to be Lycra or at least look like a cyclist for want of a better term!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I commute on my Wazoo, which has 747mm bars, no issues, but I head in at ~0630 and leave at ~1400. I also choose a route back home that uses the busy roads less, to make the ride more pleasant and similar to riding in the South Downs on my road bike.

solosuperia

I always cut my mountain bike handlebars down anyway.............
My belief has always been that your arms should be at right-angles to your body ish.

Wily-Quixote

I solved the problem of riding my DH rig to work which has 950mm bars. I took the coloured plastic streamers off my daughter's bars and plugged them into my oury's.

Problem solved except I can't get my bike through the door of my office block..