Changing 740mm wide MTB handlebars to much narrower?

[slope]

Old dog fancies new tricks! And only of the leisure cotton cap, sandals, Brooks B17 type

Thinking of getting a hardtail MTB E- assist 'das panzer rad' thingy with a Bosch CX motor and a heavy 625W battery in the downtube and boingy boingy front forks.

Have an aversion to mud and cleaning bikes after every ride, so considering going gently off road fair weather 'lite', by which I mean reasonably well maintained hardpack forest fire roads in my locale - Beddgelert/Penmachno/Betws etc.

The bikes I'm looking at all have 700 cm ++ wide bars. I wasn't born or physically made to ride flat bars anyway, but that's a beyond comprehension width + won't fit through the bike shed door.

My query is, if one simply replaces said wrist and elbow killers with 45º sept back, 550mm max wide handlebars, will steering still work ok?

Also bearing in mind I'd have to ride up to 20 miles on roads to get to say Penmachno and wouldn't/couldn't have my elbows taking up a whole main road carriageway.

Seriously though, without wanting to cycle anything gnarly or dirty or technical and only having forks with minimal (100-120mm travel), would narrow bars be ok?

[valkyrie]

The steering will still work if you fit narrower bars. All you lose is the leverage that’s sometimes helpful to wrestle the front wheel round when it’s up against a tree root or boulder. Before you buy new bars it’s worth trying just hack sawing a couple of cms off the bars that come with the bike. That’s an easy job.

[sg37409]

The cables/hoses might look a bit untidily long though if that’s worth considering. 

[yoav]

I’ve done this a couple of times. As you say it is easy and made no noticeable difference to the cable run.

[Kim]

Before you buy new bars it’s worth trying just hack sawing a couple of cms off the bars that come with the bike. That’s an easy job.

This worked for me.

[Canardly]

Very timely question. Considering the Whyte hybrid 506 myself.

[rafletcher]

Before you buy new bars it’s worth trying just hack sawing a couple of cms off the bars that come with the bike. That’s an easy job.

This worked for me.

Yep, and a pipe cutter, if you have one, will work.

[JonBuoy]

I introduced the stupidly wide bars on my new MTB to Mr Pipe Cutter shortly after clipping yet another fence post.

[FifeingEejit]

I have an MTB with IIRC 640mm monkey bars and a 100mm stem, and one with 700mm bars and a 80mm stem.

Adjust the stem to suit and it'll be fine.

You'll also be able to show off by riding down the trails usually called "Renthal Run" so named due to them starting the fad in wide bars and their riders suddenly being unable to do the usual tree slaloms

[lissotriton]

Worth trying bar ends as well. Maybe not so fashionable nowadays, but good to get a change of hand positions.