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My new bike...

#1
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7/7/09 at 5:37am
  • Joined: September 2000
  • Location: NTS, PA
  • Post Count: 21,815
...or it is at least feels like a new bike. I went riding with Johnny Style on some great singletrack that he personally cut. I have had this 04 Liquid 25 for 2 years or so and never realized that the handlebars were cut down to the point that all that was left under the grips was "ow Bar" from "Crow bar", a good 2" was cut off of each side. Yesterday I installed a new Easton 265mm handlebar, going from a 22" bar to a 27" bar dramatically changed the handling of my bike to the point where it now feels like a completely different bike.  There is pluses and minuses, in the tight trees the bike was no where near as nimble to the point i missed a couple of tight turns but on the downhills, the bike was vastly more comfortable and with much more control. I will be able to adjust to the lack of nimbleness by looking ahead and better anticipation and better technique. But for $40.00, it feels like a have a whole new bike. 
Edited by Philpug - 7/7/2009 at 07:29 pm GMT
Click. Point. Chute.  
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#2
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7/7/09 at 8:13am
  • Joined: March 2008
  • Location: New York City
  • Post Count: 781
Pretty good deal! 

I always thought the bike messengers here in NYC were a little crazy to have handlebars barely wider than their fists. Then again, these guys hitch rides off of cabs and MTA buses on a regular basis! 


More Ovaltine, please!
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#3
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7/7/09 at 8:59am
  • Joined: November 2005
  • Location: Michigan, oop nort in da land of trolls
  • Post Count: 22,525
After reading your TR with Epic, with the review of the handle bar difference, and seeing the pics, I can understand how that much difference would impact your riding.  How did you do in the tight trees on the demo bikes with wider bars?

Because handlebar width is something I had not paid attention to until your TR, I measured the bars on my Liquid (25") and Fuel(26.25").

Soooooooo, last night on my ride, I psyched myself out going through trees knowing that the fuel is 1 1/4 inch wider, Doh!
Good news is, I made it through the trees without racking my knuckles and the extra width is no problem.

I'm very stoked about riding right now.  It's been a great way to clear my head after a long day at work.


 

Surviving is essential, thriving is incredible!
EpicSki Academy

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#4
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7/7/09 at 9:09am
  • Joined: February 2005
  • Location: Stowe, Vt
  • Post Count: 6,115
wider bars are the closest you can come to buying skill on a MTB.

I personally run 28 on my SS, and 27 on my geared bike.

The bike will actually be more nimble, more powerful while pumping turns and you can BRAAP(bike ride aggreesively and powerfully) more. With wider bars its actually possiable to ride a totally flat parking lot with no pedaling at all.

With narrow trees I find my bike is almost allways carving while in tight tree so while the bike is sideways the handlebars are effectively narrower.

"Trading the future for the moment, one powder turn at a time"

pbfootnit.blogspot.com/ <<< the start of something good!

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#5
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7/7/09 at 9:20am
  • Joined: October 2003
  • Post Count: 10,814
The downside being when you get tired, say 3, 4, 5 hours in and the bike becomes less stable?

Now on Mondays.

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#6
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7/7/09 at 9:36am
  • Joined: November 2005
  • Location: Michigan, oop nort in da land of trolls
  • Post Count: 22,525

Quote:
Originally Posted by BushwackerinPA View Post

. With wider bars its actually possiable to ride a totally flat parking lot with no pedaling at all.

 
Well, good because riding my mt bike on a flat parking lot with no pedaling is my goal. 

Surviving is essential, thriving is incredible!
EpicSki Academy

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#7
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7/7/09 at 9:42am
  • Joined: October 2003
  • Post Count: 10,814

Quote:
Originally Posted by Trekchick View Post


Well, good because riding my mt bike on a flat parking lot with no pedaling is my goal. 
 

As It should be.   The carving fall and catch and reverse are quite similar to skiing.

Now on Mondays.

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#8
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7/7/09 at 9:44am
  • Joined: January 2000
  • Location: NJ & on my way To Steamboat
  • Post Count: 5,338
its a matter of adjustment, The wider bars provide more balance and higher degree of leverage when turning so you should see that after some time they feel even more nimble and allow tighter turns; move/turn/lead with your core body to the inside for even tighter turns leading with the inside knee; Just like skiing...

Better for climbing as well.
Be More Like Your Dog...
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#9
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7/7/09 at 9:57am
  • Joined: August 2002
  • Location: Folsom, CA
  • Post Count: 1,404
yep diggin wider bars here too.  I have really wider bars on my 29'er SS as well.   The increased leverage when standing and climbing is a big positive IMO (especially important on a single).
Waste Your Time, Read My Blog:
www.onegeartwoplanks.com
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#10
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7/7/09 at 11:23am
  • Joined: December 2007
  • Location: The Bull City
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Tight bars are great for tight spots.  But, since my arse won't get through anything tighter than my bars... se la vie..

Smell that?  Winter's coming!
 

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#11
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7/7/09 at 12:21pm
  • Joined: July 2002
  • Location: Toronto, Ont
  • Post Count: 6,271
The downside of wide bars in traffic is that a car mirror will more easily clip your handlebar.
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#12
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7/7/09 at 5:10pm
  • Joined: January 2005
  • Location: Bondi - life's a beach
  • Post Count: 589

Quote:
Originally Posted by BigE View Post

The downside of wide bars in traffic is that a car mirror will more easily clip your handlebar.

Which is not a problem for a MTB.

Interesting observation as the bars on my Kona Kula were very wide compared to my Scott Spark (can't measure the Kula as some bastard lifted it).
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#13
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7/7/09 at 9:32pm
  • Joined: January 2006
  • Location: Cadillac, MI
  • Post Count: 553
I discovered a love for wider bars last year while building my SS. I had been cutting down my bars to about 23", but slapped a pair of Titec Hellbents on my SS without cutting them down first. WOW!!!

I'm now working on replacing the rest of my bars with the same or similar (Synchros fiXed at 690 and Salsa ProMoto carbon at 660). I'm also seriously diggin on bars with bigger bends, like 9-11* instead of 3-5*. They give me more power and control with less numbness.
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#14
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7/8/09 at 7:42am
  • Joined: April 2007
  • Location: Media, PA/Snowmass Creek, CO
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Kudos to Phil.  I took him on a pretty twisty and gnarly run through the trees on the side of an abandoned quarry.  It is very tight with about ten good hairpin turns and Phil took them all with ease.  Not the easiest way to break in a new set of bars, but at the same time you also know what the bike can do now in terms of handling.
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#15
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7/8/09 at 8:10am
  • Joined: September 2000
  • Location: NTS, PA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Style View Post

Kudos to Phil.  I took him on a pretty twisty and gnarly run through the trees on the side of an abandoned quarry.  It is very tight with about ten good hairpin turns and Phil took them all with ease.  Not the easiest way to break in a new set of bars, but at the same time you also know what the bike can do now in terms of handling.
I went back over this AM for a short ride. Got lost. 3-4 times. We will have to do it again. 

Click. Point. Chute.  
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#16
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7/8/09 at 8:58am
  • Joined: April 2006
  • Location: Central Sierras
  • Post Count: 997

Something else:

With wider bars I felt like it can breathe better. Like it opens up my rib cage so I can take in more air

And I agree with the observations above. My own observation is that wider bars effectively slow your steering down (longer radius in relation the steerer), which give me a more stable feel.

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