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help with wider handlebar choices
Hi,
as the title suggests i need to figure out if i need wider handlebars (i want them but thats not enough)
I have a 2011 XXL stumpjumper with 690 wide handlebars, however i have noticed that while i am traveling at speed (especially downhill technical sections) my hands tend to move further outwards on the bars to the point where i am holding them with only half of my palm.
also as the ride progresses i tend to find myself moving my hands further out.
just to give you an idea, i am 6'7" about 300lbs and have very wide shoulders (i don't have a measurement currently)
I have been riding the bike for just over 15 months and have definately noticed it more often than not.
cheers 
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Components are often trial and error, if your hands are nudging wider, new bars may be needed, but you won't know until you try some.
Pretty much every brand has bars up to ~790. Can always buy a cheap bar first to try. Or just go straight to top end bar at max width and cut them down if they are really too wide.
Im 6" and built like a climber, so 690 are perfect for me and my brain which seems to be hardwired for 650mm, leaving the odd clipped tree along the way
I have some 750mm Specialized low rise Demo bars at home. Assuming you live in Sydney why don't you try them. If you like them, buy them from me. If not just return them.
I ride 750mm bars on my all mountain bike and could go wider on my DH bike.
Get some wide ones and chop down as required.
Also find the wide bars mean I'm less cramped on shorter stems which are my preference.
I ride 750mm bars on my all mountain bike and could go wider on my DH bike.
Get some wide ones and chop down as required.
My hands used to do the same on 690s and 710s.
Also find the wide bars mean I'm less cramped on shorter stems which are my preference.
I ride 750mm bars on my all mountain bike and could go wider on my DH bike.
Get some wide ones and chop down as required.
My hands used to do the same on 690s and 710s.
Also find the wide bars mean I'm less cramped on shorter stems which are my preference.
Does anyone else get glitches where you post once and get 3 posted?
Matt,
that would be great if i could try them out
out of curiosity what are you looking to offload them for?
Thanks
No idea!!
Will look into it and get back to you. For the time being, PM me where you work or live so we can arrange a handover
Allright so i thought i would update with the progress
I purchased a Kobe front flat bar with 5deg backsweep for $50
the bar is 800mm wide
i have done one short ride on it and so far so good the handling is excellent especially at walking speed for those techy sections, feel a hell of a lot more stable on it now and more confident in control, braking is also significantly more comfortable now - i will get a slightly longer ride on it tonight when i do a night run round narrabeen lakes and hopefully a full run over the weekend
but so far it looks like i will be keeping it wide - at the very least 740wide potentially 760 - 780 will be the final size.
I cut my 800mm down to 770mm after a few months and wish that I didn't.
I would suggest taking at least 6 months of frequent riding before deciding what width you prefer. I'm about 3" shorter than you so you may find that 800mm is close to perfect.
And please don't base your riding requirements on a few laps of Nancy (Boy) Dam. Go and ride a variety of trails.
How do you go with 800 wide bars between trees and posts etc? I found when I went from 600 to 640 I occasionally can't squeeze through gaps at speed, even things like the narrow bridges at Manly Dam after the 19th hole need a little more thought now. Can you ride through those with a 800 bar?
ok so i did a night run last night just around the local streets and down the "mud" trail around narrabeen lakes last night, about 10km's
first thing i noticed is my hands and shoulders aren't as sore as previously expereinced, so a few longer rides should be good.
Technical sections are a breeze and clibing isn't as hard as i thought it would be with the wider handlebars but....
@ discodan - clearence is troublesome in spots and you do need to focus especially when rolling between trees at speed.
however i think that the reduction in shoulder and wrist stress and the extra handling ability gained is well worth the extra focus...
more updates to come so stay tuned
A great tip before making a cut is if using lock on grips just move everything in to where you would intend to cut and then do a few rides. For saftey ensure you have some bar plugs in the ends and pop some gaffer tape over them so they dont come off in a crash situation and bite you. This is a great way to try before you cut if your seriously considering it but not sure.
I make it through the bridge after 19th hole with 750's. Much wider would make me think twice but probably doable.
My bars bounced around a bit either side on the railing the first time I went over the bridge. I was well used to the bars at that stage but hadn't ridden MD in 7 months and got complacent and forgot how narrow the bridge was.
You get used to the width on trail quickly though and given you don't want to smash your hands into trees it all works out. If you get off line and out of shape it does reduce the margins on tight sections but leaning the bike normally sorts this out and has the plus of steering you the right way anyway.