[thats2odd]

I just bought some new Ritchey WCS Carbon bars but they seem a little long.. Can I cut them shorter? If so what is the best way? [URL="

 

[boomn]

Have you tried riding with them yet? Even if you have, sometimes new things feel wrong until you adjust a little.

I recently switched to a 762mm bar on my SS from my perspective I have a hard time imagining yours are too long They did feel really weird for the first ride to the trail head, but after that I adjusted quickly and now love them a lot

 

[alexrex20]

i run 700mm and wouldn't mind riding wider bars. ride your bike with those bars first, before you chop them up. you can always shorten them later, but you can't re-widen them.

 

[thats2odd]

I have not tried riding with them yet. Waiting for the new stem. My question is if I think they are to long is it possible? I don't want to ruin a sweet set of bars.

 

[alexrex20]

it's definitely possible. a fine tooth hacksaw, or a Dremel with a cut off wheel (for plastic, ideally) will easily do the job.

 

[thats2odd]

it's definitely possible. a fine tooth hacksaw, or a Dremel with a cut off wheel (for plastic, ideally) will easily do the job.

Thanks for the info. I will give them a try and see how it goes. They just seem to be at least an inch longer on each side then my stock bars. I like the length of the stock bars but maybe I am just used to that length. Who knows maybe my noobness will love the new length. Question.. Will it affect steering feel?

 

[alexrex20]

handlebars and stem make a HUGE difference in steering feel. go ride your bike with the new bars. hold them at their widest and attempt some slower speed maneuvers. then hold your bars towards the center and attempt the same. you will feel the difference instantly.

 

[anavrinIV]

I find most stock bars to be way too narrow. my eastons came at 685mm and I love them...I could possibly go wider but some of my trails would make that a very tight fit.

 

[gdlals]

wide = more comfort, more stability

try them before you cut them

 

[bad mechanic]

Try them first. Wider is better.

If you do cut them, please wear respiration protection, as carbon dust is fairly nasty stuff.

 

[dr13zehn]

I would not cut the WCS Carbon bars. They have metal inserts in the ends to support barends. If the bar is also not designed to be cut (which this one isn't) there is also a higher chance of permanently damaging it. If you are not really careful you could create very tiny fractures in the ends of the bars which could lead to less than desirable results in the long run.

Having said all that, the WCS Carbon is only 660mm wide which is not wide at all for a modern riser bar. I use the Ritchey Superlogic which has the same width and that is the absolute minimum I am comfortable riding with.
Like mentioned in an above post, with a wider bar you will increase comfort and stability but on top of that you will have more leverage for out of the saddle climbing and I've noticed that this can make a big difference for some very technical knarly climbs.

Long story short, don't cut your shiny new WCS Carbons. Thems are sexy bars and you don't wanna muck em up.

 

[Killertofu]

yes you can cut carbon fiber.
yes you can cut metal

it won't ruin them structurally or anything however you shouldn't cut it before you try it out. thats just nutty.