Originally Posted by
hairnet
For the same reason you say hard acceleration would be a pain. No leverage. The hands are too close to the body and not positioned well to manage the amount of counter-steering they do. But hey, that's what makes it a wonky sport.
This is weird. I checked the rules and handle bar width can not exceed 790mm (31"), which is jumbo. But it's obvious in the vids that the guys aren't running anywhere near that. Not even close. So I looked at some UK "How to get started" blogs and found this.
Exactly the opposite of what you and I thought, for both issues. Color me confused.
Handlebars Personal preference plays a part here but a tight wrap-around 'Canadian Benz' style is the basic design favoured by virtually every rider. In the fifties wide 'Cow-Horn' bars were the thing. They were great for helping keep opponents behind you, but not the best for gating and tight cornering.
Edit: First source was wrong. I found the official British rules. 550mm. There is the answer.