Handlebar width - 29er hard tail

slowbike

No idea if the hard tail or 29er bit makes a difference ... but that's what I've got.

I'm predominantly a road rider - so used to the narrowness of drop bars. Bought a 29er a few years ago (nothing special - although it does have Hydro disk brakes ) just to bimble about ...
I'm starting to use it a bit more now - I'm not doing anything more on it than riding off road - so no tricks/jumps (intentional ones anyway) - but find after an hour or so that my arms ache from holding the bars on the grips ...

so is there a recommendation on handlebar widths for MTBs ?

tia!

whyamihere

What width do you have at the moment? Bar width is quite a personal thing - I like 720-740mm personally, it's wide enough to give good control but narrow enough to fit through gaps easily.

slc123

It may not relate solely to the width. It could be to do with the reach and you are just not in a comfortable position. You would need to consider stem length and stack height. Other factors could be how tight you are holding the bars and how you've got the suspension setup - Does it feel like you are getting a lot of vibration through the bars?

In terms of width, it's definitely a preference thing. What leads you to believe the width is causing your aches?

steve_sordy

Adopt the press up position and do a few to get comfy.
Measure outside the little fingers and that is your minimum bar width.
You can go even wider if you want, and with great effect. A wider bar gives you more leverage to resist the trail obstacles from deflecting your front wheel from where you want it to go. Many bars come with a range of cut marks, so that you can buy an even wider bar and give it a try. You can slide your grips in and out to try a variety of widths before finally making a decision and shortening the bar. I am currently at 770 mm. From fingertip to fingertip I measure 1750 mm, so bar width is 44% of my span. I didn't plan it to be that, it just turned out that way, but that could be a guide, maybe?

Assuming your new bar is now wider than it was, your centre of gravity will have moved towards the bars. If this works for you, stop there. If it doesn't then try a shorter stem. A shorter stem will go restore your CofG wholly or partially. A shorter stem will also make steering corrections a lot easier and quicker. No? Imagine if your stem was a foot long and imagine how far your hands would have to move in order to move the wheel a specific amount. Shorter stems mean reduced hand movements for the same effect on the wheel.

mattyfez

Yeh there's quite a lot of factors involved as mentioned above.
If you feel a bit too stretched out and your bars have a bit of rise/sweep, you could rotate them slightly (and then rotate your brakes /gear levers accordingly) to shorten the overall reach a bit.
Then there's stem length which is a reletivley cheap thing to change for a slightly shorter one or one with a slightly different angle rise.
This is all assuming your frame is the right size, give or take.



I've put wider bars and a shorter stem on mine and it's been positive but they are a touch too wide now.
So at some point I plan to cut maybe a cm off each end.

slowbike

thanks for the reply guys - some things to look at - and probably a good start will be to measure the bars!

They feel too wide because the tops of my arms begin to ache - and it feels more comfortable to grip over the brake housing - although not the right place to ride off road I know ... I asked because I wasn't sure if like in road riding - neck ache is normal to start with - you just need to train the right muscles ... or it was the setup I needed to check.

billycool

Slowbike wrote:

thanks for the reply guys - some things to look at - and probably a good start will be to measure the bars!

They feel too wide because the tops of my arms begin to ache - and it feels more comfortable to grip over the brake housing - although not the right place to ride off road I know ... I asked because I wasn't sure if like in road riding - neck ache is normal to start with - you just need to train the right muscles ... or it was the setup I needed to check.

Probably a bit of both.

As has been said, there are a few variables you need to check. Bike fit, stack/reach (c@ckpit size) and then the bars, stem etc. Something is putting you in a stress position, although as a roadie, you might just need toughening up!

The Rookie

If you think they are too wide, just loosen the controls and grips and slide them in a bit, try it and then slide in or out until you're comfy.

For XC type riding narrow bars are fine, the more technical and physical the riding the wider you may want them to get the right leverage, I have found that moving to a larger wheel diameter (26" to 29" in my case) the steering loads go up and hence you may want wider bars for the leverage.

slowbike

The Rookie wrote:

If you think they are too wide, just loosen the controls and grips and slide them in a bit, try it and then slide in or out until you're comfy.

Might try this - if I get a moment to adjust them - as I should be out on it this week...

The Rookie wrote:

For XC type riding narrow bars are fine, the more technical and physical the riding the wider you may want them to get the right leverage, I have found that moving to a larger wheel diameter (26" to 29" in my case) the steering loads go up and hence you may want wider bars for the leverage.

The sort of riding I'm doing now is very basic - don't need much more beyond a CX ...

The Rookie

While you may be doing basic XC now, don't rule out moving to something tougher in the future.

That said reasonable quality used bars are cheap on ebay if you want to go wider again.

slowbike

measured the bar last night - 700mm - and the grips have bar ends on them - so can't just slide them up (bum).
Still half wondering if it's just because I've spent years on narrower drop bars.

Just sat at my desk putting my arms out where I'd expect to do a pressup - the width is >700mm - so perhaps the bars are just fine and it is me not being used to the position.

I doubt I'll do much more than general off-road riding - I'm not into adrenaline stuff like downhill (I'd end up wrapped around a tree) or any other stunts - I quite like the wheels in contact with the ground. I do want to increase my confidence bike handling off-road - but I think most of that is just me getting used to the bike moving in different directions than I'm used to!

mugensi

My 29er came with 720mm bars which I thought were going to be too wide for me but I have since changed them to 760mm bars as I found I was positioning my hands on the very ends of the bars and wanted an inch or so more to be in the perfect position.

steve_sordy

Slowbike wrote:

...............

............... I do want to increase my confidence bike handling off-road - but I think most of that is just me getting used to the bike moving in different directions than I'm used to!

One of the best ways to generate confidence is to feel in control of the bike. For that you need some leverage on the bars so that you can stop the trail from deflecting the front wheel from where you want it to go. Have you got your saddle too high? You are not riding a road bike now where efficient pedalling is the be all and end all. This is one of the reasons why the dropper post has been such a success. It enables riders to get the saddle out of the way when the rougher stuff arrives. It enables you to move your body about without the saddle catching on your shorts or your wedding tackle. Without a dropper post, make sure that you have a quick release clamp on the seat post and not a bolted one. This will enable you to quickly adjust the saddle height. Try dropping the saddle next time you come to a section of trail that makes you feel nervous. Try it!

robertpb

Confidence comes from riding outside your comfort zone, it's as simple as that.

slowbike

ta - early days (less than 300 miles recorded on it) - I only recall noticing the hand location when on the road - probably when I've got time to think about it.

I'm still fiddling with the seat position - it's probably too high right now.

steve_sordy

Slowbike wrote:

..................

I'm still fiddling with the seat position - it's probably too high right now.

Try this Bike Radar article on setting up your mtb for the perfect fit.

https://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/ ... fit-29498/

slowbike

steve_sordy wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

..................

I'm still fiddling with the seat position - it's probably too high right now.

Try this Bike Radar article on setting up your mtb for the perfect fit.

https://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/ ... fit-29498/

That's suggesting a high saddle height - what I'd use for the road bikes - not impressed with the rest of the article either...

This may be caused by being sat too far forward on the bike but it can also be down to sitting too far back,

let's just get wishywashy with the causes ..

Ok - I know it's a short article trying to cram bike fit into a few words ... but ...

JBA

Saddle height for a mountain bike is the same as for a road bike. I use the knee-straight-when-heel-on-pedal-at-lowest-point method and it works for me.

robertpb

I've always used 109% of inside leg measurement, pedal to top of saddle for all my bikes.

Pedaling efficiency is the same whether a road, mtb or whatever bike.

The Rookie

Slowbike wrote:

That's suggesting a high saddle height - what I'd use for the road bikes

Yep, because best pedalling efficiency is best pedalling efficiency regardless of bike type

Slowbike wrote:

let's just get wishywashy with the causes ..

Unfortunately it can't change the fact it's true, but it does at least explain why so someone with a bit of common sense can work.....argh yes I see the issue!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

They aren't as cheap as they were a few years back, but also worth looking at bar material as well as the width and reach. Even with the fat wheelset fitted, I instantly noticed the reduced road buzz on a local rough road, when I fitted 747mm On One "chewy" Knuckleballs to my Voodoo.