Originally Posted by gauvins

I've changed my handlebars following this summer's trip, from butterfly to flat. I am curious as to what width you settled in, and perhaps your rationale.

For context - I've had butterfly handles for the past 5 years and felt OK with them. This year (solo trip, riding 150+kms every day), however, I started to feel uncomfortable after the third week and tended to grip the handle at angle for some reason. I've searched a bit and found discussions suggesting that some backsweep makes things better. So I went ahead and indeed, backsweep + inner bar ends feel like it'll improve things, albeit I haven't tested this configuration on a long tour so it might turn out that any configuration may feel uncomfortable in the long run and that the answer is to raise the handlebars to reduce pressure somewhat.

I am asking because the width of flat handlebars vary quite a bit, apparently depending on the type of activity. For touring, I'd assume that wide as a drop-down bar is the more reasonable option, but I'd like to get feedback.