Bars too wide? Chop 'em!

If you are going to trim your handlebars down in width then here we’re going to show you the best way to go about it.

You don’t need an awful lot to cut your bar down (you may not need all of the tools listed below) but there are a few essentials to do the job properly.

Tools you may need

  • Allen keys
  • Cutting guide
  • Hacksaw
  • Carbon hacksaw blade if cutting carbon bars
  • File
  • Deburring tool if cutting aluminium bars
  • Fine wet and dry paper
  • Electrical tape
  • Tape measure

If you get a new bike or a new bar it’s always our recommendation to ride them at full width to begin with. If you find they’re too wide you can – if they’re open-ended – start to move your grips in a bit just to get a feel as to what a narrower bar might ride like.

Bars come in some pretty crazy widths these days and for some riders they’re just too wide. If you ride super tight trails or you’re a smaller rider then you might want to trim your bars a little bit.

If you like it you might want to go ahead and cut them down. But you might be surprised and you might like the feel of a wide bar, they do really aid control.