Effect of Handlebar width on steering

[Andyman_1970]

Question: what effect does handlebar width have on steering? I know a shorter stem will speed up the steering, but I have gotten conflicting info on handlebar with and it's effect.

Thanks.............. :cool:

[IronJim]

my felling is the wider the better

[S3C]

The wider the bar, then more control you will have. You have more leverage on the front wheel and where its pointing. A shorter bar width will give you quicker steering, but less control.

[Spunger]

The wider the bar, then more control you will have. You have more leverage on the front wheel and where its pointing. A shorter bar width will give you quicker steering, but less control.

I also felt like anything shorter than 26" and your shoulders move in, causes some funny feelings in your upper chest/shoulders. When I went to a wide bar it felt more.......normal.

Usually the longer width bar also helps with leverage. Shorter bars if you need narrow, tight trails to navigate. After riding a short width bar I'd never go back. I just ride full 26" bars now :)

[zane]

If your bars are narrower than your shoulder with your arms will point inward, causing a funny feeling.

Wider= more stable, more leverage on the wheel but slower to turn
Narrower= Better clearance through trees, quicker steering but harder to turn

[Kornphlake]

Wider bars keep your shoulders from hunching over and open your lungs for more efficient breathing. Bars too wide force you to move your body forward to be able to reach the outward grip on a turn. Some BMX guys claim narrower bars make the bike easier to jump, hop, manual and such, others swear that wider bars are better for the above maneuvers. I think it really comes down to the body structure of the rider and personal preferance.