Biacromial width: across your upper back from shoulder bone to shoulder bone. See guide below.
Gender
Discipline
Shoulder Health
Live Handlebar View
Recommended Width
760 mm
740 to 780 mm
A solid Trail starting width. Ride it for a few sessions before cutting.
How We Got There
McCormack Method
782
mm
Height x 0.440 for men. From a 2018 Pinkbike article that remains the most cited and debated MTB bar formula.
Shoulder-Based
733
mm
Shoulder width x 1.75. More accurate for riders whose shoulders are not proportional to their height.
When the two methods agree closely, your recommended range is tighter. When they diverge, shoulder width usually tells the more accurate story since it directly measures what the bar has to span.
Cut-Down Planner
Stock bar width (mm)
Bar material
Narrow vs Wide
Narrow 680mmWide 820mm
Narrower bars
Better for tight singletrack
Less shoulder fatigue
XC climbing efficiency
Longer effective reach
Wider bars
More leverage on rough descents
Better control at speed
Shorter effective reach
More arm and chest fatigue
At 760mm you are in the Trail sweet spot. Good control on technical terrain without the fatigue that wider bars add on longer days.
These are starting points, not hard rules. Move your grips inward to the target width and ride for at least 2 to 3 sessions before cutting. Carbon bars have a minimum safe width printed on the bar or listed in the spec sheet. Always check that minimum before cutting. Once cut, a carbon bar cannot be extended.