Curious to see what everyone's preference for handlebar width is. I just got some new bars and they measure 27.5 inches wide. My last pair were 25 inches, so these feel a bit wide. I'm considering cutting like an inch off of each side, just haven't decided yet.New bars are the We Bicycles Gov handlebar with 9 inch rise, 3 degree up/back sweep. I'm still playing around with their adjustment, like adding/subtracting stem spacers, which stem I'm using, how forward/back they are, etc. I'm liking the feel of the bars, just seeing what works best. And trying to decide whether to cut them or not.
I’d leave them at the stock width. I think you’ll find them more comfortable if they are wider bc they can Better support your arms / shoulders. I have the s&m intrikat 9” bars which measure about 27 wide and I would never go smaller than that because of all the stress that nose manuals put on the upper body
I got mine from flatlandfuel, I didn't even realize you could buy it from their website. I just checked it out, they've got some nice stuff for sale.I'll probably cut them, might do it a little at a time until I get it to where I want to be. I might start with like 1/2 or 3/4 inch of each side. Probably around 25 is where I want it to be, I just need to make sure I leave them wide enough that I can still have my brake levers on the straight part.
What's the preferred way of cutting bars? Hacksaw then clean up with a file if needed? Or like a tube cutter or something else? I'll probably just do it with a hacksaw, I think that's how I've done it in the past - Just sometimes when cutting stuff with a hacksaw the cut doesn't always turn out straight.
This is good advice everyone, I'm definitely going to ride them for a couple weeks before deciding. I don't like making permanent adjustments, like cutting, if I don't have to.My session today was a pretty good one, today being my third day riding since switching to the new bars. So I'm already adjusting to them nicely but I did have some trouble with a couple tricks due to the extra width. Like going from a forward switch handed steam roller - turbine - tomahawk. I had a hard time getting my leg around the bars during the transition into tomahawk. I think with some more practice I can get used to them. Certain tricks - like hang nothings - feel extra stable and more comfortable with the extra width. Even back wheel tricks like peg wheelies in a circle feel nice too.I'm starting to think the biggest problem though might be the height, not the width. This setup is about 1/4 -1/2 inch taller then my previous handlebar/stem setup. It feels a little too high for certain tricks, same thing though: I will give it a couple weeks before I decide to cut down the steerer tube, I'd really rather not if I don't have to. I've already taken out as many spacers as possible, if I want it shorter I need to cut the steerer tube, find a stem with less rise or go with shorter bars. We'll see.Still curious to hear other people's handlebar width preference if anybody else feels like sharing.