Mountain Bike Handlebars Explained

Most modern handlebars measure between 27 and 31 inches wide with the more aggressive bikes using the wider bars and the lighter trail and cross country bikes opting for the narrower ones.

Mountain bike handlebars explained. Bar width not only adjusts how wide and stable your grip feels but also how low your torso and overall center of gravity are distributed on the bike. Mountain bike handlebars are typically configured with zero rise flat bars all the way up to 100mm roughly 4 inches. The stem of these systems will have a single bolt on the top. Bars with 100mm rise aren t very common anymore so these days high rise bars are usually in the 40 50mm range about 1 5 2 inches.

Handlebars come in all shapes and sizes they are offered in different widths upsweep back sweep rise and clamp diameters. Trail and enduro riders fall into the middle of those two ranges. Bar height like suspension setup is highly subjective and depends on your own personal physiology height bike choice and the chosen terrain. Choosing the right amount of rise usually comes down to rider position on the bike.

Mountain biking is not the same as road cycling the position is more dynamic and as such there is no recommended ideal bar height. These systems are more common on older bikes single speed bikes and those with fixed gears. If your mountain bike has a continuous piece of metal connecting the handlebars to the body of the bike you have a threaded headset system.