Handlebar width

[clubby]

Difficult to pin it down to just bar width. Depends on physical size and personal preference but also bike geometry and stem length.
Don’t cut any new bars down straight away. Give wider bars a chance and slowly move grip and controls inwards to try narrower before cutting down.

Bikes from more than 4-5 years ago don’t suit wide bars (740+) but modern bikes need them for the handling to work. I’ve gradually gone wider as I’ve had newer bikes and settled on 780 as a sweet spot. 760 work for me too but had to change the 740’s on the hardtail to a 780 as it just felt too narrow.

My retro ride feels hilarious as they are sub 600 and also have bar ends. So narrow the bar adjusters on the v brake levers almost touch.

 

[thebenjordan]

I’ve been running 785s on my Kona Dawg build and it really opened it up. It was a lot wider than the original Kona kit and really lets me throw it about and also opens up my chest area - I felt constricted on my first ride and breathing was well off. Only thing is you gotta watch yourself on tight tree lined single track!