Just not for carbon....

@@thesaltlick4057 Ok if it's done gently.

@@thesaltlick4057 If you use it for Carbon bars you will be very disappointed with the result.

For "carbon", it all depends on which process was used. And you can change absolutely every little aspect of a composite item production to your exact liking. I had the chance to do a report at Look factory (frames, pedals, outer soles, aero handlebars, etc.), and those folks confirmed it : "We can make frames a thousand different ways, composite ends up being what you want... there's no obligation.". So... unless you know exactly how this composite tube was made, just don't cut it. Don't. No ! Or ask the factory, and most times they'll reply : "Don't... the end tips participate into the structural properties of your handlebar. If you cut them, you risk weakening... then breaking, possibly.". Unless specific inserts were used, and you receive the OK to shorten them.

Using a pipe tool gives the edge a bevel which CAN punch through your bar end in a severe accident and cause major damage. Just beware of that. At the bike shop we always use a hacksaw and a the park tool SG 7.2.

Lee recommends to go 5% less in his Pinkbike article, which dates back to 2018. Is this recommendation still applicable? Thanks!

I was actually wondering if different skeletal structure and size (shoulder bone to shoulder bone) also play a role to the bar width. For example, I measure 22 inches shoulder to shoulder, which is also the distance from the middle of one palm to the other if I set my arms by my side.

Terrific, thanks for the female ratio. We’ve been trying to figure out where to cut my wife’s bars. She’s 5' and developing a spine hunch.

As a female rider, I do appreciate that you include recommendations for females here in the comments, but it would be really awesome if you could include this in your videos as well! If all these details are so critical to successful riding, please don't treat women as secondary or an after thought. Most mtb content defaults to males and it is challenging to figure out if it applies the same to women given our different body proportions. Where I ride it is 50/50 males/females on the trail, so please include everyone! Anyway, really appreciate the content!!

Didn't lee learn his lesson about arbitrary fudge factors to height with the RAD measurements? Also, it wouldn't even be 4.4, just use 0.44 so you don't even need to think about units. Looking forward to the video in a couple of years when he admits again he was thinking about it all wrong, but we should believe him now.

Welcome to the dirt!!

Thank YOU!!!

Appreciate that! We're trying to put more "why" in the mix. : )

Our pleasure!

Bikes are magical.

That is awesome!

My XC MTB came with 680mm and I went and put on some 800mm today and it was not comfortable at all. It lost its responsiveness. Did you notice the same thing?

How tall are you?

You bet. We love our subs!!! We got the best ones. : )

Glad to help!

Right on!

I've wondered a lot of things about Lee but that wasn't one. But that's not to say he isn't strong. Pretty much a beast. : )

That was funny.

Thanks Jesus!!

Hey Jesus, you may also consider to reduce the stem length. Which gives you a more direct control of the bike, which comes with the cost that it gets more flutter on gravel. Depends on your preferences

Good comment.

Wow, thanks!

I’d like to see that paired with this video

I'm in on that too! I'd love to hear their take on that.

Glad you like them!

I’m in philosophical agreement with this. Too much focus on width and to what end?!!

Intuition and math coming together. Time to make a cut. Measure twice!!

Hahaha. And you forgot to mention Vitruvian man in the thumbnail. : )

@@JoyOfBike just noticed that. I clicked on the vid before even checking out the thumb 😂

Thx guys! Now...to the garage! To measure ALL the bars! 🤓🤙

@@fasterwheels Cool idea to use your front brake rotor as your profile photo🤘🏻

Great!

You wound up in a good spot!!

My height 5.7inch handle size?

6'5" is just over 195cm - I hate it when people take 1cm off my height!

Interesting, since formula from this video suggests your max is 860mm

Yep, see, you prove my point! - Height in CM x 4.00000000

similar: 6'3 here and i do have 800 and im thinking of 780mm to test out. 800 feels "apey" to me

@@tehalexy 6'3, 275lbs, 820mm, feels beautiful.

Great to hear!

Did u measure your handle bars before you cut?

I'm 5-9 as well and my Cannondale Scalpel came with 680mm and today I put on 800 to test and it felt very uncomfortable and the bike lost its responsiveness. It will have to cut them for sure. The formula shows 770. I will start from there... What was the outcome on your bars?

@@Dopeassbikevids no I did not. They were pre marked at specific lengths so I trusted the measurements on them

@@Whatsthe_411 770 feels good and my arms don’t get sore anymore so I stayed at that width.

Spot on? 760-12= 745 against 730. We talk about centimeters, so I think 1,5 cm is quite a difference.

@@seik101 Dude did we fail maths at school? Obviously so, as it’s 15mm in PER SIDE!! 15+15=30. Tadaaaaa! 😂😂😂

@@steveindorset true. And yes and no. I failed Not in Mathe particularly, but in school generaly 🤷

@@seik101 then maybe you should double check your maths before posting such a contentious comment? Have a great day buddy. 😉👍🏻

@@steveindorset contentious ? It´s just wrong. I made a mistake. Happens...

I’m also 6-3 so I calculated the same bar width, it seems a little rediculous. I used to have 740 stock but I cut them down to 720, feels much better that way.

5' 7.5", running 720 mm bars. Started out at 740. Will probably go down to 710 due to rotator cuff injuries.

Some real benefits to narrower are stronger and FASTER pull. And more range of motion. Bring on the table tops!!

@@JoyOfBike i hope so, i'm just learning to jump and am able to clear some sm/med tables! Been working on my row, anti-row :)

Man, I'm also just over 5'7" and switched over to a 45mm stem and 800mm bar last October. Not twitchy enough IMO; resulted in 2 titanium plates, 4 screws and 5 pins in my left wrist later that very same day! I just got back on the bike last week. Will pull the controls in and try again!

Yep same here formula says 800 and I like to run 780

@@brandonreimer184 awesome👌🏻

Think about it...2 people same height=same bar width, right.... wrong. They could have totally different shoulder width and arm length, and the reach and ETT on their bike differ. The formula is, with any common sense, utter nonsense.

Glad it helped!

Thanks!!!

We'll probably get into that. But slacker isn't better -- it's different. It behooves us to pick bikes that fit our bodies, riding styles and terrain.

Slacker is ALWAYS better!!! (That was my April fools joke for this year)

Thanks Mike!!!

Shoulder width is DEFINITELY important. I'm 5ft but due to playing football (US) I have very broad shoulders.

I would imagine shoulder width is THE measurement to base things off of. Perhaps there's some rough correlation between increased height and increased shoulder width, but it's not like we all have the same proportions. Otherwise I wouldn't be so high on the ape-index. :D Also, I'm 6'2" which is 188cm, and I absolutely shouldn't be on 827mm bars. :P

I'm 198cm. What sort of stem have you got? I'm trying to decide if I need to swap mine out. I ride a Whyte Hardtail

65mm length, but recently changed to 60mm riser bar. The riser bar has been game changing for me to get my fit right

@@sixate I just put a Renthal 40mm rise bar. They are 800mm. Feels much better. But I feel I need to do one more tweek

I'm 195. My brand new Trek EX8 XL has 780mm bars and I've been getting wrist pain, so considering reducing 10mm or so. The sizing factor started here makes my ideal size 860mm?

Sending love from CO. USA

Im also 183 and currently riding (XC) with a 690mm bar, I bought a used bike and this bar came into it. I'm looking for a new bar in the past two weeks, I'll go straight to 760 once you said it, I've ridden a friend's bike with a 780mm bar and it felt veeeeeery awkward (due to the lack of twitchiness) but kinda good at the same time (the feeling of riding with my chest open), maybe 760 will work nice for me too

@@danielribas1109 I have a 750 bar with a different rise that I also use.

He's a joy!

Glad you like them!

Indeed!

I'm 5'-5" and my bike came with 780s that I ride uncut. I ride with my hands all the way inboard on the grips which gives me an effective length from the outside of my hands that is well under what is recommended in this video. The difference between an 800 bar and the size of the bar recommended in this video for someone 5'6" is 30mm on each hand which is impercevable to anyone but the rider (and barely perceivable there). You're not seeing anyone 'spread-eagled' over anything.

Wow. You are a handlebar unicorn. Consider experimenting with 750-760

@@JoyOfBike Well, the bar I replaced was a 755. Maybe I'm just weird. I'm used to it. Being weird, that is.

@@JasonFoxLCB Weird just means not following the crowd. I'm a fan of that! I ride 680 ish on my BMX!

@@JoyOfBike That's one reason I went into advertising. If only advertising still wanted the weirdos. But I digress. Back to the trails.

I’m the same way. 5’10” and run narrow. My bike now I increased to 720. Feels odd like my control is slow motion.

I'm working on the Patreon!!

Appreciate you!!! I don't think I will do one. Buy a shirt perhaps? Lee will be doing a Patreon for himself.

Wow, thank you!

I am th worldleader &king of kings in all aspect bicycles. Lol no i dont have videos. I explain it all HERE: (But people wont buy it, they cant) Handlebars, bikes ergonomics engineered by Lucifer. He HATES free energy. 95% humans Lucifers kids, tares. They are not humans. They subscribe, perpetuate false reality stupidity in all things. They are cmputer cntrolled hive mind. But they dont know that. Handlebar must be 29 or 30" 4average adult 5'9" 2 reasons. A front basket HANGING BY STRAPS FROM BARS is how 2transport up2 70lbs. Bicycles are MADE 2COMMUTE STRAIGHT LINE &CARRY THINGS. PERIOD &safety, stability handling. Those are your parameters. Revolve around those. Period. Bars wider then shoulders ONLY. 2 reasons. This forms a stable TRIANGLE required4 stability handling especially once u add weight front basket. Secondly, wide bars allow u carry wide objects like 5 2x4 wood resting on bars strapped 2waist. U can also carry things on long bars such as 5gallon buckets bar ends. Wide bar DRAMMATICALLY improve stability. As does LOWERING LOWERING LOWERING thseat. U must use heaviest ULTRA STRONG STEM. Bicyclists can not be taught. Bcuz they are pharisees. Know it alls. Regarding seat height. Most humans are NOT HUMANS. They are poisonous cmputer programs. Seat height. Lol ypur knees can bend pedaling &efficientcy functions just fine low seat. Lol satan teaches place head 6 feet from pavement, give tiny bars so now u a sky scraper &taller they are thmore easily they fall. Lol. I taught people how 2sit on bike 1980"s. Graeme Obree built bike matching my specs &30 guys broke hour record using my specs. Lol my seat is slammed down as LOW AS I CAN GET IT. This raises your bars essentially. So u NOT bent over but LOWER TO THGROUND 4ridiculous STABILITY &AERODYNAMICS. U will realize 1.5 mph at 21mph top speed electric motor as such even tho u upright but head several inch lower.. WIDE BARZ LOW SEAT, SEAT FORWARD, BARS IN CLOSE 2U PERIOD. Worlds best basic e bike bicycle design is used by me exclusively. This will not see production &not1 person will ask 2c it in comments. Wide would they? They are pharisee tares. Computer animations. Know it alls. Fact. All E bikes are absolutely deploreable contraptions built by Lucifer boys. All manufacturimg &non humans are controlled by Satans BEAST cmputer. That computer revolves around me as its epicentre arch enemy. Meanwhile, all thworlds problems can be solved in thgarden. And 4godsakes sell your stable of 230 horses.

I agree. I am quite short but have wide shoulders so the length based formula doesn’t work for me. Another thing I missed was twitchiness can be adressed with a longer handlebar stem.

I have found its Basically Your Inseam ..... is For Me Anyway 😎

​@@darrinkulyk9560 for my it's a d1ck length basically

Good idea!

This estimates a MAX for shoulder health. Keep with what you have if it's working.

@@JoyOfBike oh absolutely, that’s what I was acknowledging!

The multiplier assumes average shoulder width, upper arm length and hand width. There are more detailed ways to assess optimal bar width. Learn all the details about bar width (and way more) at www.llbmtb.com. Enjoy a free month with the code JOYOFBIKE.

@@lee_likes_bikes Thanks for the incredibly FAST and excellent reply. And thanks again for showing me HOW to HOP for the first time in 25yrs of riding after just 20 minutes trying at age 68!

Heck yeah!!!

Also ape index will be different too..

The multiplier assumes average shoulder width, upper arm length and hand width. There are more detailed ways to assess optimal bar width, especially if you have special proportions. Learn all the details about bar width (and way more) at www.llbmtb.com. Enjoy a free month with the code JOYOFBIKE.

@@lee_likes_bikes Thanks Lee. btw I have your book Mastering Mountain Bike Skills and smiled when you referenced the pushup test in the video. I'm a fan of your teaching, thanks for the joyofbike trial.

That's what I'm getting at