Bar Width for All-Mountain/FR Riding?

[powderboy]

I'm typically VERY finnicky with the rise, upsweep and backsweep of my bars, but I haven't had so many choices in width until now.

I've got a Cannondale Gemini that's coming next week and it comes stock with the FSA XC-280 riser bar at 660 mm width. I've never been a fan of FSA risers to start with because they don't have enough upsweep, but 660 mm width seems a bit narrow.

I'm going to replace it with a Truvativ Holzfeller 50mm rise in either the 680 mm or 710 mm width.

I guess my question is, if 680 mm is pretty much the "standard" width for most FR riser bars? I'm thinking that's the width of most bars I've used in the past (Easton EA70, EA50, Truvativ Team, Azonic World Force, etc.).

If I were to go with the 710 mm width, would that be too wide for an all-mountain rig? Do you think it would slow down the steering a bit too much, or would it just stable the bike out a bit more?


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[Wumpus]

Going with a wider bar doesn't neccesarily make the bike more stable. Think of the bars as levers. The longer the lever the easier it is to move something or in this case turn.

[BigStonz]

680-2" rise on the hardtail, 700-1.5"rise on the Bullit

Alot depends on the terrain you ride. Twisty singletrack through trees = narrower bars. Wide open trails with high speeds = wider bars.

[skyst3alth]

You could always buy the larger bars, and then cut them if they didn't suit you well. Personally i would go for the narrower bars, but that's purely personal preference.

-Adam

[budgetrider]

I used to ride bars that were shoulder width because that was the tightest space between two trees you could fit through. But nowadays everyone rides wide bars... "sniff" the good old days...

[springfield1911]

The 710 will do just fine, but I'm more comfortable with a 680mm bar, since I'm not that tall of a person and my arms like the 680mm better. Besides, it's easier to do those precious x-ups with a narrower bar when you are jumping off stuff...just a thought

[VA2SLOride]

I'm 6' and skinny, and love my 27" bars. They just give you more of a feeling of control and stabilty.

[caputo1989]

All opinion.

[scrublover]

another vote for the wide bars here. 27" on my hardtail and full squish, 28" on my SS. no problems in skinny trees either; it's something you get used to.
your riding technique will adapt.

once you get used to them, they are quite nice. i can't imagine riding with the 22" skinny bars i started with 12 years ago. much prefer the handling of wide bars now.

and yeah caputo, it's all opinion. what's your point?

[powderboy]

Well, thanks for the input here. I know it's all opinion, but that was my point... I wanted to gather some opinions on bar widths, etc. I ended up with a the Truvativ Holzfeller DH 2" riser in the 710mm width for my new Prophet. What a major improvement from the FSA narrow bars that were on there. They were risers, but lacked any upsweep that makes the bars feel more comfortable.

I've had limited saddle-time, but I do notice that the bars may be a titch too wide. But, I'll likely keep them as-is because I really don't feel like cutting them right now.

In the end, it is all personal preference, but I believe that I can always learn from the experience of others. I had never really thought about bar widths in the past because I typically ride a 2" riser. Most 2" risers are about 680mm wide, so when I got the Prophet and it had such a narrow width, it got me thinking about widths.

Well, in my opinion, the width makes a HUGE difference... I'm glad I got wider bars with a better upsweep. MUCH more comfy. :)

[ioscope]

I have absolutely no say in the subject, mind you, but wide is better.