Handlebar width for a 29er?

Since I likely still have a month or more before my bike arrives I am filling my time obsessing about things related to my bike. :p

I suspect the stock bars on my Salsa El Mariachi 3 will be way too wide, but I have no clue how wide would be ideal for me. My first road bike had 38cm bars. Current bike is a men's frame and has 40cm bars. I have really narrow shoulders and shortish arms.

I have read that bars that are too wide don't allow a rider as much elbow flex or upper-body movement. On my road bike I tend to have my elbows pretty flexed for comfort. Definitely not locked-out like many of my friends.

Would I want to mimic the width of the bars on my current too-small 26er, or would I want wider bars for a 29er? I feel like the bars on my current bike are a good width, but I don't have much to compare it to. Here's a photo of me on my bike.

Thoughts?

I don't know the exact measurement of mine, I believe they are just a titch wider or the same as my shoulders. The LBS had me do a few test rides before we trimmed 'er down. They moved the shifters and grips around until we found a width I was comfortable with. After a few rides to confirm we finally trimmed them.

I preface this by saying that I'm no expert. I can't even tell you for sure how wide my own bars are (26 inches maybe?). :rolleyes: But my suggestion would be to try the stock bars as is for a ride or two and see how they feel to you. Ride them on trails typical to the type of riding you do. Be mindful of accidentally clipping a tree if the stock bars are wider than you're used to.

For me, I wanted a bar with a bit of rise and backsweep, so width might be only part of the equation for you. Don't cut anything down until you're otherwise content with the bars and even then, cut conservatively and go for a ride before cutting any more (making sure to also read any manufacturer instructions for the bars). I'd add that I also have very narrow shoulders. On my road bike, I use some of the narrowest bars you can buy (Deda 4 Girls). In retrospect, I could probably have handled a slightly wider bar, but at the time, I was more afraid of clipping a tree than getting really good leverage.

Indy, that strikes me as very sound advice.

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

Indy, that strikes me as very sound advice.

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Thanks. Sometimes I wonder what business I have advising on anything mtb related, but well, I'm opinionated, so I do! :D

I'm excited for you and your new bike. I've had my Santa Cruz for a year or so now, and every time I see her, I get happy. Mountain bike are so.... cool! I hope you like your new bike as much as l like mine!

I have Salsa bars by the way. I really like them. So, if you end up needing to replace your stock Salsa bars, be sure to look at the rest of their offerings.

I did have mine trimmed down I was accustomed to the width of my 26er so the bike shop modified my new bike's handlebar to the same width.

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Originally Posted by indysteel

Thanks. Sometimes I wonder what business I have advising on anything mtb related, but well, I'm opinionated, so I do! :D

I'm excited for you and your new bike. I've had my Santa Cruz for a year or so now, and every time I see her, I get happy. Mountain bike are so.... cool! I hope you like your new bike as much as l like mine!

I have Salsa bars by the way. I really like them. So, if you end up needing to replace your stock Salsa bars, be sure to look at the rest of their offerings.

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Excellent! And to think maybe 16 months ago I said I'd never mountain bike. Let me tell you, I have friends that rib me about that every chance they get. I could totally see myself giving up my roadie ways (at least in part) for more time grinding along on the dirt! :p

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Originally Posted by beccaB

I did have mine trimmed down I was accustomed to the width of my 26er so the bike shop modified my new bike's handlebar to the same width.

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I kind of think that if I don't like the width of the stock bars that I will tell our LBS to just cut them down to the length I currently ride (or maybe a hair wider), which I suspect is ~60mm, if the bars are the same as what they put on the 2010 version of my bike (can't find the spec for the 2009).

I'm still a little ambivalent about mountain biking. Originally I wanted us to use them as a way to get stronger for our long road rides, by using the mountain bikes to climb knarlier hills. But I did create a monster in my husband. I don't like technical at all. The dirt roads are ok. I got through Iceman with a very slow time, and we are signed up to do it again. I can't get around the dread, in fact I hope I live through it! There is one complication, the husband has possibly broken a bone in his foot so there goes my training partner. If I'm not well trained, I'm not gonna try to kill myself doing it.

It still definitely scare me to pieces. I haven't really done anything technical, either. I'd like to do Iceman this year (I have a friend who has an entry that she will likely not use due to a slow healing knee), but I won't likely have my new bike in time to do any decent training...and I'm just not comfortable riding real long on my current bike, since it's so small.