Mountain Bike Handlebars Too Wide

The opposite position elbows up shoulders shrugged often caused by a handlebar that s too wide for the rider is less than optimal in regard to muscle activation and can heighten the risk of injury to the shoulder joint.

Mountain bike handlebars too wide. For a short downhill rider a handlebar of around 750 mm is a good place to start while the handlebar width for taller downhillers is around 800 mm. This is a result of the infamous elbows out advice that was born in the days of super narrow handlebars and elbows collapsing into the rib cage as a result. Plus there s the whole issue of getting caught between tree trunks on rides in the forest. You can actually get handlebars that are too wide which will also reduce your upper body stability.

Why are mountain bike handlebars so wide. Think of wider handlebars as having power steering for your car. How to trim your bars. 760mm 800mm bar width.

Almost every rider i see is on bars in the 800 mm range with few if any using bars in the 700 725 mm range. Slide your lock on grips 10mm past the ends of your handlebar use insulation tape to secure any outer collar that is now floating in air. When it comes to mountain bike handlebars wider is better up until a certain point. Has this happened just because times have changed or are there real reasons.

The larger rider is likely to fit a wider 760 or 780 millimeter bar while the smaller rider would probably fit more naturally on a 720 or 740 millimeter bar. Handlebars on mountain bikes are wider because they offer more stability and control. The reasons we have been preaching about wide bars since 1999 are that they simply give you more stability more leverage to fight sudden jerks to the side and more leverage for cornering. Double check the tightness of the inner collar and test the grips for undue movement.

One of the most disheartening things i ve seen over the last few years is the popularity of wide handlebars. As someone who preaches that a short stem and wide bars will give you much better handling on a mountain bike both climbing and descending i get asked that question a lot. Your handlebars are too wide a case study. Handlebar widths for enduro bikes are somewhere in between.

But going too wide on a downhill mountain bike can make maneuvering through tight trails tricky as it gets difficult to avoid obstacles when riding with wide handlebars. If the bars are too wide your body position on the bike may be compromised and you are also at a much higher risk to tag your hands on trees passing by. Some handlebars such as the renthal fatbar carbon provide riders with markings that make cutting their bars to size quick and easy. You may end up purchasing a set of 780mm wide bars upon returning from your test ride.

Mountain bike handlebars started off narrow but over time they have become wider and wider.