Concerning handlebar width, many ’cross riders like to go wider. Brandon Dwight, the current 40+ National Champion and owner of Boulder Cycle Sport, runs 44 cm bars! Normally, Dwight would use 40 cm bars on his road bike. But coming from a mountain-bike background, he runs wider bars to help with balance and stability through technical sections (imagine trying to balance on a wobbleboard in a push-up position with hands together versus with hands out wide) and also to help with cornering. With wider bars, he can really counter-steer with the inside arm, the extra width allowing for better leverage and traction. Also, wide hand-position helps keep the chest open, thus allowing for — surprise surprise — greater power output.