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Handlebar upgrade

blackke17

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So i currently have factory bars on my Felt Virtue 60 ( Felt MTB double-butted 6061 aluminum, Ø31.8mm, 15mm rise x 9° sweep, 720mm width)

I constantly found myself holding my hands on the far edge of the bars and even hanging my pinkies off the ends so i'm looking at wider bars.

wondering if i should upgrade my stem and bars to 35mm ? i do alot of jumping . wondering if its worth the upgrade.

love the overall feeling of the cockpit on the bike - current stem = 70mm Felt MTB 3D-forged threadless 1-1/8'' +/- 7° rise

- been looking at some Chromag Fubars OSX handlebars in 31.8mm.

thoughts?
 

Ron

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It certainly sounds like the bars are too narrow it wouldn’t hurt upgrading to a 35 but I don’t know anything about jumping. A 70mm stem is pretty long but what makes the fit work is best.
 

Tom K.

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I'm a pundit regarding 35 mm bars. It's really a cosmetic thing, and almost without exception, they are stiffer in a not really that good way.

And those Chromag bars you're looking at are also really stiff. I just did some reading on a relatively new bar from PNW, whose approach to just about everything I love. Check it out:


I'm also a bit of a retro-grouch on super-wide bars, but at 720 you're really narrow by today's standards. Grab a pair of 780s. Ride them 5 times before you decide whether or not they need a trim.
 
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blackke17

blackke17

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thanks for the input - easy upgrade going to the chromags. ill give them a try.
 

Josh Matta

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My guess is your bike is just too short
 
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blackke17

blackke17

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My guess is your bike is just too short

interesting . u think so?
got an 18" frame on it , im a little over 5'9 - i really feel comfortable on it doing shuttle laps and hitting big features on . but i guess that's where u want a shorter setup

Eric, i would say my shoulders are just average width for someone my size

the stock bars on my Felt are 720's
 

EricG

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You could easily go wider & shorter stem. If you buy a 800mm bar and cut to a width your happy with. just slide the grips in and keep playing with width. Once you find the right width cut em. unless you are short legged your 18” is probably ok,

heres a good article about width:
 
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blackke17

blackke17

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havent put them on the bike yet, too busy sliding around the mountains on 2 planks
 

bmurray

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I'm 5' 9 1/2" and ride 750mm. Stop in your LBS and see if they will let you demo a bar (they should), as long as your not just using them to shop it and then turn around and buy online. Try different stem/bar combos.
 

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