% like wide bars. they are really nice for in the saddle climbing, lots of room to put your hands...its nice. although, you shouldn't be gripping the bars really hard while climbing. you should be resting them on the bar tops like you're playing the piano. I just got a heart-rate moniter and I have been looking for ways to keep my heart rate down on climbs, and I found that my HR is a good 5 beats lower if I keep a loose grip on the bars as opposed to a death grip.