So I ordered a cheap Kocevlo (I like that brand) in some monstrous 700 or such size and cut down the ends to make it 500mm. Once I have the full kit I might actually cut it down to 440mm and see how it works.

Hello to everyone , my first post here .
I did the same path few month ago , converting a road bike to a urban bike .

I bought the shorter handlebar in Aliex ( 600mm ), but it can be shortened only a few cm ( 3 or 4 ) because towards the inside the diameter increases compared to the standard 22mm and it is difficult to mount brake command , so better to check before cut !
Have a good ride ! Mike