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Bar and Stem Length Trends for XC?

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Seems like there's a lot of discussion on the benefits of moving to wider bars and shorter stems for general riding but I haven't seen a lot of change in the XC scene.

I could be missing something, but it seems like the majority of any change in regards to bar and stem length was due mainly to the move towards 29er's and their geometry. People wanted to get lower on 29er's - but not a lot else changed.

Now 29er's are firmly established in the race scene but with the increase in 1x setups; the geometry of 29's is changing to make them nimbler and overall more responsive.

Do you guys see any trends in your local XC race scene or have you changed bar and stem lengths and found any real benefits you were missing before in terms of handling and stability without losing climbing efficiency?
 
#2 ·
Wider bars.... I swapped from a 660mm the past 2 seasons to a 720 & 730mm this year. After spending some time on my enduro bike with 720 this past fall, I put a 720 right away on my ht & new bike came with 730. Really liking the extra leverage and just the handling capabilities overall. We don't have too many trails aligned with narrow trees out here in CO, so ride em' wide.

Stem lengths are just adjusted to the bikes to ensure proper fit. Other than shortening it up on my enduro bike, it's still pretty standard sizings
 
#3 ·
Definitely see most people running wider bars...including myself. In PA, we do have some trails where it gets a little tight, so I haven't gone wider than 710 though.

Haven't really noticed much change as far as stems. I run 110-115 on my bikes. I have short legs and a long torso, so on a large frame I need the extra top tube room. I would say most people I've seen have the same 100-110 stems that they've been running for years.
 
#4 ·
I tried wider bars and went back to what I've always used - shoulder width. With bars much wider than that I feel like I'm driving a truck. I've never been too worried about what the latest trends are.

Bar width I suppose is a preference but stem length is related to overall fit. Getting a real fitting done by someone qualified is highly recommended.
 
#5 ·
zrm said:
I tried wider bars and went back to what I've always used - shoulder width. With bars much wider than that I feel like I'm driving a truck. I've never been too worried about what the latest trends are.

Bar width I suppose is a preference but stem length is related to overall fit. Getting a real fitting done by someone qualified is highly recommended.
Click to expand...
This!

For the OP, I seriously wouldn't worry about trends and what the kid next door is riding. I would worry more about skill and working on that no matter what bike or parts you are using.

That being said, if you ride tree lined tight singletrack - going wide with the bars and short with the stem may not be the trend an XC rider really wants to find themselves invovled in following.:cool:
 
#6 ·
Decided I was turning into a retro grouch a couple years ago so I forced myself to buy a plastic frame, 2x10, wide bar (700ish mm I think), 29er to prove to myself it wouldn't be any better. Didn't like the way the wide bars with a lot of sweep looked so swapped to my normal shoulder width straight/flats. Blew through turns on my home trails like nobody's business. Partially b/c I was going into them faster and partially b/c I couldn't get enough leverage on the bars to make it turn.

Put the wide/more sweep bars back on with a longer stem to get into the right position and it just clicked. Might be the 29er wheel, might be the bikes geo or some combination but it just works. Like it so much my new custom steel frame geo mirrors that bike and has 710mm bars on it.

I do think the bike industry (like many) tend to sell us one thing for a while then tell us that the other thing is the thing we can't live without, until we all have one, then we go back to the original thing, and so on and so on.
 
#7 ·
I run 740mm bars on my XC HT... Run what u like...

The only reason I see wide bars being negative in XC races is if u have to squeeze between tight spaces between trees etc at speed.

Other than that, run what u like.

Personally, I really enjoy the wider bars.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
 
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#8 ·
I'd been riding 590 mm bars. My new bike came with 660s, and I decided to leave them alone for a while and see if they grew on me.

They have. I feel a lot more stable. They're not going to be seeing a pipe cutter anytime soon.

My hardtail has even wider bars lately - got 'em from a coworker. 720 maybe? I don't have that bike quite dialed, but those are working pretty well for me too.

I think I haven't fundamentally changed my riding position, but I like having my hands further apart.
 
#10 ·
I have been running 685 mm bars with a 90mm stem. I like the widers bars much more than the narrow bars I used to ride, but don't really know why. Ride some pretty tight trails and have never had any problems with bars at 685.
 
#12 ·
My XC (and only) bike came with 660 bars. I went to 710 last year and liked it a lot. Just recently moved to 800 and it seems to really nice too (super stiff bar). With each move up in width, I've shortened the stem. I now have a 60mm stem and it seems really nice. Time will tell.

I like having a wider cockpit. Feels more stable to me. I haven't run into the tight tree issue. Bike is rigid/geared...FYI.
 
#16 ·
I gradually moved from 620 to 700 to 740mm bars and from 100 to 80 to 60mm stem. Bike felt better with each change. At 165cm I'm quite short and ride pretty tight singletrack daily but bike control and fit are better than ever.
Bike is a 26" 100mm ht with classic xc geo. The new cockpit makes it feel like a new bike and has improved handling in every aspect of riding,esp. turns, out of the saddle pedaling and control on the rough.
 
#18 ·
For those who pay attention to such things, what's the trend on the World Cup circuit? I see some riser bars but am curious if they are being paired with short(er) stems or not.

I have to admit, I'm on the Thomson flat bar (730mm), and I just swapped a 100mm stem for a 110mm to try out today because I feel very "knees in the bars" when standing and climbing. It's also hard to weight the front wheel when riding out of the saddle (which I do a lot when climbing).

I'm on a Santa Cruz Blur Xc Carbon with 27.5" wheels. Large frame, 5'10". Wondering if: a) the wide bars plus long-ish stem will make it handle like a barge (the short wheelbase notwitstanding, and b) maybe the short-ish top tube length (24") for a large SC frame might be the issue.

Is it accepted that it's wide bars OR long stem, and mixing the two will suck? Just curious.
 
#19 ·
well go figure

20 years ago I had a very flat and long 150mm stem...I laid low low low over the bars and didn't think I was missing anything. roadie on an MTB is how flat my back was

10 years ago I was convinced by others I needed a shorter stem and a little wider bars, so I tried it. hated the wide bars but stuck with the shorter and higher stem, and i sat a bit more upright. oh yeah downhills are suddenly a bit easier so I think great !

5 years ago my first experience with back strain slowing me down and taking the fun out of the tail end of long rides (30 miles or more) and started trying all sorts of crap to fix my back...am I just getting older ? wtf....

well, recently I just dumped my stem and went old school. long, low, flat and 150mm, laid way out over the front like days of old....back problems evaporated

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tl;dr use what YOU like and just 'run what ya brung', and if it doesn't make you happy, experiment. blindly following a 'trend' may lead to a dead end. in my case shorter stems and a bit more upright didn't work. If I had started out that way things might be different...but my body is now 'molded' to certain preferences
 
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