Ross McArthur Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 Im currently running a trial tech stem on extended viz bars (probably around 30inch wide now). Sometimes I think, does having massivly wide bars hold me back a little? In what way would it change my positioning on the bike as aposed to narrower bars?Well id just like to hear your thoughts on wide and narrow bars.Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forteh Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 I changed my extended monty pr bars for trialtechs and the reduction in width from 30.75" to 29.1" hasnt been noticeable, I think the sweep, rise and position of them is more relevant. Obviously if youre still growing or have narrow shoulders then superwide bars will tend to hinder more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross McArthur Posted December 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 I changed my extended monty pr bars for trialtechs and the reduction in width from 30.75" to 29.1" hasnt been noticeable, I think the sweep, rise and position of them is more relevant. Obviously if youre still growing or have narrow shoulders then superwide bars will tend to hinder more.Well I doubt ill grow any more now, ive got fairly big shoulders for my size and tha bars are tilted quite far forward, but ill be bringing them back when i change to my other bike.But does anyone think if I run them a bit narrower it would be better for my riding/make the bike feel nicer?...ok its personal preference but just want to here your opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Dark Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 i cant see the need to go bigger than 29"....i did change to 28" crbons and they did feel noticably smaller...which i wasnt a fan of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidehop Stuart Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 Those white Monty bars for £65 or something are really long, compared to my Onza bars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigman Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 I have just gone from 29inch trialtech bars to 28inch Rockmans and i have not felt any difference in my riding, only thing i realy notice is the extra room i have gained due to the shape of the bars, Generaly it is said that wider bars give you a little more stability, i struggle with monty bars that have not been extended, as i do have very wide shoulders, but the rockmans seem a good middle ground between the trialtechs and monty's.Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross McArthur Posted December 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 I have just gone from 29inch trialtech bars to 28inch Rockmans and i have not felt any difference in my riding, only thing i realy notice is the extra room i have gained due to the shape of the bars, Generaly it is said that wider bars give you a little more stability, i struggle with monty bars that have not been extended, as i do have very wide shoulders, but the rockmans seem a good middle ground between the trialtechs and monty's.AdamSuch a good representative arnt you lol. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manuel Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 well - I cut about 2 inches off my trialtech bars !! I don't feel as stretched with narrower bars and I have more power in the bunnyhops pulling back in more of a straight line ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamR28 Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 As Ali always says - try doing press-ups with your hands miles apart... Really hard work!Wider bars = better control though (more leverage over the forks) in my experience... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aener Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 (edited) I heard that wider = more balance, whilst narrower = more power for sidehops etc.Edit: f**king hell Tarty... ALL the time Do you hate me, or something? Edited December 17, 2008 by aener Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidehop Stuart Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 I heard that wider = more balanceYup, I heard that too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross McArthur Posted December 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 Yes but there must be a point where having really wide bars hold you back from riding to your full potential?Other wise we would be going about like tight rope walkers.It obviously depends on the bike geo and set up but I think maybe bringing my grips in a bit will help me ride a bit better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eskimo Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 As Ali always says - try doing press-ups with your hands miles apart... Really hard work!Wider bars = better control though (more leverage over the forks) in my experience...I'll go with that. But i'll add that it depends on how big your shoulders are.So wider your shoulders, wider the bars, then more upsweep so you aren't stretched out. But if you have big shoulders but want more hoppier bars, you must loose some of the upsweep, small bars with less upsweep allows more room/ less strain.If you don't understand i don't care I'm sure someone will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross McArthur Posted December 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 small bars with less upsweep allows more room/ less strain.I would have thought bars with more upsweep gave you more room?? Or do you mean if the bars have sweep but they are tilted forwards to give more cock pit space? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eskimo Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 I would have thought bars with more upsweep gave you more room?? Or do you mean if the bars have sweep but they are tilted forwards to give more cock pit space?What i'm saying is if you have a short bar and loads of upssweep then your shoulders will be cramped in. Whereas if the bars are the same short length with less sweep then your shoulders can relax and not feel cramped inwards towards your body. Think of the shape of your hands, they aren't flat are they? Ideally you should feel relaxed when holding the bar.But it can feel different to other people because of their height and shoulder width. And the position of the bars can make a difference, like a TGS setup would have you over and above the bars more, whereas a street setup would have you further behind the bars. Which is why flat bars don't feel great to most people.Well that's how i feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben_travis Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 As i have explained to you numerous times McArthur.....you will not notice much difference in the feel of your bike by dropping a half inch - an inch of either side of your bar, the difference will come on the less strain on your shoulders because your bars are closer together.As you know i have extended my monty bars by about an inch either side. I couldnt tell you exactly the width, but when i rode your ZHI, it rode nice, and the only thing i would have recommended was to drop a bit off either side of your bike and they would be wide enough to have good control, but still narrow enough to be comfortable on your back / shoulders.I wouldnt say you have particularly wide shoulders, and certainly no wider than mine. Im a beast remember. Seriously though, just trim a half inch off either side as a start and i think you will find lots of benefit.Now start answering texts. willy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtchell Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 (edited) HhhmmI,d say trim them if them don,t feel right ....Just as your talking about handle bars i wonder if i could slip a quick question in, Hope you don,t mind I,ve just got a Czar 07 long Mod frame and Echo SL09 forks , I,m unsure which handle bars to buy?I,ve been riding a onza t-bird long and it felt perfect, I'm wanting a similar feel to the czar , Could someone please give any advice ?I,m 5'11 if it helps .Cheers Edited December 17, 2008 by Mtchell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossMcd Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 i find that it depends on the length of the bike aswell. I find if you ride monty bars on 221 ti they feel better than they do on a python for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weebryan Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 easy ross push on a wall or fall aginst so your hand come out to stop you and what feels comfortable measure it and thats your size, let your body tell the size not the bike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross McArthur Posted December 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 (edited) easy ross push on a wall or fall aginst so your hand come out to stop you and what feels comfortable measure it and thats your size, let your body tell the size not the bikeOoooooh smarty pants, check out the master of choosing bar length.Tilt yours further back, cos I told you to. Edited December 18, 2008 by Ross McArthur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan GU Posted December 21, 2008 Report Share Posted December 21, 2008 I can olny ride with wide bars because I feel more incontrol, with narrow bars i can't keep my balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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