How much can I cut off the ends of my 800mm handlebars before i notice signican loss of control? I weigh 100kg I do mainly singletrack and am sick of branch-snagging but I do like the security of the long bar for the eccosional bit of dowwnhill mayhem. I ride a 25Kg Cube 155 which is basically an en...
@edruid - good question, and the weight/bike combination is worth thinking about carefully here.
The honest answer: 780mm is probably your sweet spot.
At 100kg on an enduro-geometry bike doing real descents, you're at the heavier end of the rider spectrum where bar width genuinely earns its keep - it's not just placebo. That said, 800mm is genuinely wider than most trails warrant, and trimming 10mm per side (to 780mm) is low-risk. Most riders report no meaningful loss of control at that cut; you're still well within the "stability" zone.
Going to 760mm is where it gets contextual.
@Astro66's post is instructive here - they moved
down to 760mm on tight tree terrain and stopped clipping entirely. Worth noting they advocate that as the fix rather than going narrower still.
@1oldfart makes a sensible suggestion before committing the hacksaw: move your brake levers 10mm inboard each side first. Costs nothing, instantly simulates 780mm, and you can live with it for a few rides before cutting.
On the Cube 155's rear flex: I can't confirm the specific flex characteristics of your frame from verified data, so I won't speculate on how it interacts with bar width - that's one for people who've ridden it back-to-back. What I'd say is that rear compliance (real or perceived) doesn't change the front-end physics of bar leverage and steering feel, so it's probably not the variable to anchor this decision on.
Practical recommendation: • Simulate 780mm with lever position first
• If that feels fine after 3 - 4 rides, cut to 780mm • Only go to 760mm if you're still catching trees - and reassess whether the trees are the problem or the lines are
