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Randy80

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I have been watching some videos on GMBN about handlebar width for XC should be between 700 - 740mm.

My bike is Giant Talon 1 , hardtail, 29ner, travel 100m, size small ,I'm 5'5" with 41 inch chest and don't have any problems with my hands while I ride. Handlebar width Is 780mm, is this too long for me or how do I find out what handlebar length is right for me?

I ride XC and trail.
 
#2 ·
Randy80 said:
I have been watching some videos on GMBN about handlebar width for XC should be between 700 - 740mm.

My bike is Giant Talon 1 , hardtail, 29ner, travel 100m, size small ,I'm 5'5" with 41 inch chest and don't have any problems with my hands while I ride. Handlebar width Is 780mm, is this too long for me or how do I find out what handlebar length is right for me?

I ride XC and trail.
Click to expand...
Only one thing matters IMO, and this is whatever you like.
Same with saddles.
Same with pedals.
Same with shoes.
Etc.
=sParty
 
#4 ·
Randy80 said:
Whats the consequences for having the wrong handlebar width?
Click to expand...
Discomfort.
That and if you ride where the trees are tight and your bars are too wide, you can get crushed knuckles.
Other than that, anything goes -- pick whatever's most comfortable for you.

Back story: bars have gotten wider over the years because head angles have gotten slacker and stems have gotten shorter.
It seems more leverage on the steering axis provides better control. But many riders feel that 800mm bars take things a bit too far.
If your shoulders are narrow, you're more likely to prefer narrower bars.
If you're The Hulk, you'll likely want them wider.
Generally speaking.
=sParty
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
Sparticus said:
Discomfort.
That and if you ride where the trees are tight and your bars are too wide, you can get crushed knuckles.
Other than that, anything goes -- pick whatever's most comfortable for you.

Back story: bars have gotten wider over the years because head angles have gotten slacker and stems have gotten shorter.
It seems more leverage on the steering axis provides better control. But many riders feel that 800mm bars take things a bit too far.
If your shoulders are narrow, you're more likely to prefer narrower bars.
If you're The Hulk, you'll likely want them wider.
Generally speaking.
=sParty
Click to expand...
My shoulders and chest are quite wide for my height, my only issue I suffer is pain in my lower back and have ergon saddle which does help sometimes. I haven't got a clue whether small bars would be better for myself.
 
#8 ·
Randy80 said:
My shoulders and chest are quite wide for my height, my only issue I suffer is pain in my lower back and have ergon saddle which does help sometimes. I haven't got a clue whether small bars would be better for myself.
Click to expand...
There are a lot of ergonomic changes you could make that could help (or worsen) your back discomfort.
Shorter or longer stem.
Higher rise or lower rise handlebar.
Handlebar with more backsweep.
Slide the saddle forward or rearward on your seatpost.
Angle the saddle nose up or nose down on your seatpost.
The cockpit of a mountain bike is quite adjustable.
The hard part is figuring out what you want to do.
Some bike shops offer bike fitting service / advice.
Good luck. You gotta be comfortable on the bike.
Hopefully your frame isn't too big or too small.
That can't be fixed with anything but a different frame.
=sParty
 
#9 ·
It really depends how you're built... Try a pushup in standard position then one with your hands a few inches further. You really lose a lot of strength. That's one of the downside of using too large bars. In general, most folks your height would run something more around 750-760. But as Sparticus mentioned above, it really is down to your preference. If you have grips with double lock on, you can try them inboard to feel what shorter bars would feel... Personally, I'm 6'2'' and run 800mm on my Ripmo and 780mm on my hardtail and fatbike.
 
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#11 ·
Really simple move everything in 20 or 30 mm (grips, brake ect..) and try 750/740 for a few rides. If you like you can then cut the bars down to the length you like.
I like 750 myself, find wide bars limits my range of motion side to side/back to back, and 750 provides plenty of leverage.
 
#12 ·
5'6 here.
Started with 740mm. Then cut down to 720mm.
Then again to 710mm. Now, it's dialed. I no longer think it's too wide. The thing is, I'm below average width, so don't just copy me. On road bike, I also use 380mm bar rather than the more common size 400mm.

Watch video below for some ideas, pros and cons and think for you yourself (i.e., don't simply believe everything they say).
 
#13 ·
I'm taller at 5'11" of 800 is perfect. I can handle 780 but I feel more comfy at 800. It takes a few rides to see what you prefer. I'd guess you may be fine with 760-780. If you are having no shoulder or comfort to handling issues, I'd leave it as it is. What will you benefit if you like the current width?
 
#14 ·
In my experience, if you feel like you are getting knocked around and having a hard time keeping the front wheel straight, that's a sign your handlebars are too short. If you feel like you are constantly in a pushup position and it's hard to turn the bars, they could be too long. As Sparticus noted, there are a lot of other things that can go into it, but my s/o is around your height, and cut her bars down on her size small bike (that also came with 780mm bars) down a couple times before settling in at 730 or 740 (forget exactly which).
 
#15 ·
if you are comfortable with it I would stay at that width or experiment with moving the controls in a little bit and see if it feels better than what you currently have. I started out at 780mm and went down to 750mm on two bikes and 760 on another.
 
#16 ·
I wouldn't overthink this. If you're comfortable on the bike, the bar width is perfect.

I bought 780mm bars, I thought i'm gonna cut it down, but I wanted to try it for a few rides. That was almost half a year ago and I kinda forgot about the whole bar width thing because it just works. The bike feels great, no discomfort even on all day rides.
 
#18 ·
I think there's a pretty wide sweet spot, the difference between 700 and 800mm is about 4", or 2" per side. Take your hands off your keyboard and pretend you're holding your handlebars, move them 2" in, then 2" out, that's not really a huge difference. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that 650 is probably a little too narrow, and 850 is probably a little too wide. Backsweep complicates things. And I've see guys go really fast on xc courses on cx bikes with 440s.
If you have lock on grips, you can probably move everything in a bit and see if you like it better.
 
#19 ·
Hot take: handlebars can be too wide for a rider's proportions, but not too narrow. Too wide can lead to discomfort and even injury. Too narrow can lead to poor handling (mostly stability) but, within reason, won't actually hurt the rider.

Lee McCormack's guide is a good place to start. Look that up.

Lee claims he promoted the "push up test" early on and now admits that it is 100% nonsense. Please don't try to size your handlebar by you push-up stance. That means nothing.
 
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