Mountain Biking - Handlebar Widths

Hey all,

I have a hardtail that I use as a general purpose recreational bike for everything from single tracks to road riding. Can anyone give me an indication of how wide the handlebars should be? Is there any sort of standard length for any particular type of riding? I have been given a new handlebar that I would really like to put on the bike, but it is a 670 width I think, which is MILES longer than the handlebar that came standard on the bike.

Thanks loads.

Cheers,

Cadnams

just try different widths by moveing the brake/shifters in then get a pipe cuter and cut it off. Unless its carbon fiber then I am not sure if it can be cut

There is a huge variation in widths being used. Small women seem to ride with their arms triangulated out. Big guys ride with their hands as close together as possible. Experiment and use whatever you find comfortable. You may also want to play around the the height/reach, to get a good relaxed shoulder an delbow position.
A narrower position will make you more aerodynamic and have quicker steering response.

I don't know anyone anymore who rides with bars narrower than their shoulders. Thats usually a good starting point. Personally mine are slightly wider (27.5inches). I prefer wider as it provides less twitchy steering and more controlled turning on skinnies and DH. XC guys tend to like narrow...not sure why as the steering feels horrible to me.

I recently had the chance to ride my cousins bike with 25.5inch handlebar and couldn't control the steering in technical situations to save my life. I ended up crashing because it was just tooo twitchy...

play around and find out what you like/need :)

Cut it to the same length as the bars you have now. Or if you want to experiment, cut a little at a time until you find what feels best. Just remember, once cut you can't fix it if you decide it is to short.

No need to go supper short though unless you do a lot of ridning on single track in super dense forest.

:beer:

Is it OK to cut aluminium bars to

Is it OK to cut aluminium bars to length? It seems like a logical approach (to get the best possible length for your riding style and size) but I wondered if this might cause a problem with the strength/safety of the bar.

I went from a very narrow 580 mm width bar , up to a 710. Didn't cut it as I thought I'd do it in stages to get the right width. First couple of rides felt wierd, and I was over correcting most of the time. Mind you, when I settled into the new bar it was marvellous. Far better control, and quicker response. Tried the old bars back on to see what the difference was, and put the 710 width on all my other bikes.

Yes you can cut alloy bars, but do it with a plumbers pipe cutter for a cleanner cut.

just try different widths by moveing the brake/shifters in then get a pipe cuter and cut it off. Unless its carbon fiber then I am not sure if it can be cut

Just wanted to add that carbon fiber tubing can be cut. To prevent splintering, just wrap tape around the area where you're cutting and use a hack saw type blade to cut through the tape and then the carbon tube. Also, carbon fibre dust is a carcinogen. You probably won't make a lot of dust while cutting. But if you're very conscientious about that kind of thing, then some protection over the mouth might be a good idea.

I ski with carbon fiber poles and have cut their length a few times already ...millimetering my way to the perfect length.

Thanks very much everyone. I have heeded your advice and trimmed the bars to my desired length. I haven't take off too much in the first instance. I ride some single tracks where there are small (but tall) tree trunks bordering either side of the track, making it a very narrow track indeed. So, if I feel comfortable I might trim some more off later (after a few more test rides). But so far, all feels great! The new set up (with new stem/bars/saddle/etc...) is all good. Now just need to tweak the front shocks and I will be set (more travel and lower preload is the go)!

Thanks again.

Cadnams