Gravel / Drop bar MTB bar width

[Overshot]

What is everyone using on mild off road stuff for bar width? The same width as road only or are have you gone wider?

I ask as I am working on a new rig and trying to land on bar width. I run 42 bars on my road bike and that feels good. I also ran 42 bars on my previous Cutthroat which also felt good. This bike will be very similar to the Cutthroat and trying to weigh out going to 44 bars or holding on to the 42's. I will be using the Enve Gravel bar regardless.

Just trying to buy right the first time to avoid swapping bars shortly down the line.

Thanks for the input

[spoonrobot]

I ran 42s for a long time on my gravel race bike. Now I run 50s and like them a lot better. I'd try 44s, just to see.

[uber]

You probably already know that the Enve gravel bar has an extreme wide taper from brake hoods to drops. Pretty dramatic compared to most brands.

[2metalhips]

I have a Cutthroat V2 and I have the stock 44s and like them very much. I think it's dependent on how you use the bike. I have 42s on a Warbird and another road bike for straight up gravel and dirt roads and road riding. With the Cutthroat I ride a mix of gravel, chunky double track and easy to challenging single track. If you are descending chunky double the 44s really help the handling and stability. Going from 42 to 44 may mean a slightly shorter stem.

[Hilltopperny]

I have gone back and forth between 42 and 44cm bars on my road and gravel bikes. The discrepancy being how they were measured. My current set up is with a 42cm bar but it is measured c-to-c which a lot of manufacturers would call a 44cm.

I would go wider if the terrain you plan on riding can get rough as that is where the advantage of a wider bar will be more prevalent. If you are planning on riding smoother dirt/gravel/pavement and more manicured trails then your regular bar width will likely be just fine.


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[NHAero]

I run the Whisky No.7 12F alloy bars in 42 on my dropbar 26er. I have the bars high so I can ride the drops comfortably, and I really like the flared bars for descending chunky trails.

[Overshot]

Good input. Seems the 44’s would favor chunkier terrain, and the 42’s slightly smoother terrain. As with everything it comes down to compromise at some point. Because the Enve Gravel has a moderate flare to the drops I think I am going to stick to those in a 42 and use the drops for additional width and control as needed.

As always thanks for the sound input👍🏽

[Smitty2k1]

What are some fit/comfort cues that drop bars are too wide or too narrow?

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[fourflys]

knowing the possibility of igniting the wrath of some folks here, I'm going to revive this not-too-zombie thread..

Since the last post in this was right about two years ago, I'm curious how/if anyone's thoughts have changed?

I know the current trend in road is to go more narrow (folks who used to ride 42s are now riding 38s, etc), what are you doing comparative with your gravel bikes?

Thanks!

[spoonrobot]

I'm still happy with 50cm handlebars. I experimented with wider and none of my gravel bikes have enough trail to work well with larger than 52cm.

I've seen some people at events optimizing for aero with 40/38 and possibly narrower and it's always a little starting to see them on the descents. It takes a lot of skill to race well (here) with 38s on gravel.

[weaponsgrade]

I use the same bar width as my road bike so 40cm for me. I had 42s, but it always took some time to get used to the different widths when switching between bikes.

[EB]

Keep in mind that if you decide to experiment with wider bars, you may find that you need to shorten your stem by a cm or two to compensate for the decrease in your effective reach as your arms go wider. This will also change how your bike steers - you may find this welcome, or not, depending on your objectives and riding style.

[livesadventure]

My opinion has changed.

I never found widely flared bars to be comfortable. The stance was nice, but compared to my wide, flat bars on my mountain bikes the difference was negligible.

Now to closely match the fit of my road bike that has 40cm Enve compact bars, I have 40cm Enve AR bars on my gravel bike. If the drop bars are not flat bars, might as well lean into it...

[Alistair]

40cm Zipp SL70 Xplr on road and gravel bikes.

[m_sasso]

Being used at the recently popular Unbound gravel race, makes Envy look conservative.