Handlebar Width

[Jim Crenca]

I'm happy with my TAG CR hi bend bars but think they are a little too wide for long trail rides. At 5'10" & 175 lbs. my aching shoulders and the tight tress are not having fun. Any suggestions?

PS - The only info from a search showed a few replies at about 31" in width.

 

[fatty_k]

My Renthals are cut down to 28". Not including bark busters. I love them this width. Last thread about this, the average is about 28.5" I think.

 

[bwc352]

I bought my bike with the bars having already been cut down to 28 inches. They felt like a joke they were so narrow, and for a short time I felt that their narrowness contributed a bit to my arm pump. But, I now love that width. My arms have gotten used to the width and it is clearly beneficial in the woods. I even believe that it helps me in MX in some of the choppy tight sections where I have to change direction quickly. Regular bars that are 31 to 32 inches now feel like wheelbarrows to me. I doubt that I ever go wider than 28 again unless I go to pure MX.

 

[Dan Reed]

I love my renthals, they are the KX80 bend and are considerably narrower than most w/o cutting them down.

 

[Cactus Jim]

Each to his own, and it all depends on what type of riding you're doing. I have long arms and love Renthal's "desert" bend, which is about 33.5". It really helps in stability at high speeds. Also, no trees to worry about! ;)

 

[GREENBEAN]

I cut mine down max, Pro-Tapers CR-Low, so I can barely get my handguards and controls on. only about inch on one side and half on the other... or was that even 3/4 eachside ... hmm

 

[mackay]

I ride a mix of woods trails and fire roads and find 30" to be a good width...I have thought about narrower but worry about my ability to limit head shake on the fire roads( no steering dampner (sp?))