Dead Man
04-05-2014, 04:47 PM
Howdy
I currently have a 40cm EC90 handlebar in 25.4mm
I've recently had some pretty nasty neck/shoulder pain. I'm not sure what made me think to investigate handlebar width sizing... previously, I'd just assumed you should go with the narrowest bar you feel comfortable on, all else equal. It seems there's not nearly as much science to the art of handlebar sizing as there is to most of the rest of the bike, but I have been coming across the recurring idea that handlebars should be either shoulder-width, or shoulder-bone plus two centimeters (both usually being about the same, for guys with cyclists physique).
Surprisingly, my shoulders are wide for my size... I measure 44 across or 42 bone-to-bone. That would put me at a 44cm bar, if we believe it matters. In my research I see that neck/shoulder pain can be alleviated by going from "too narrow" a bar to one that sizes out.
My pain doesn't really increase with riding. I do long-distance commuting, 30 miles each way, and the base of my neck does sometimes get a little tight toward the end of the commute, but I've just attributed this to the fact that 60 miles a day is a fair bit of riding and some mild discomfort is to be expected. My neck usually hurts the worst in bed and sitting at my desk... which makes me hesitate to blame my bike. I'm getting older and have no shortage of aches and pains... I certainly don't want to go changing my otherwise very comfortable bike if my pain is just bad posture off the bike.
Thoughts?
Secondary, related question - what about bar thickness? Should I go up to a 31.8mm bar and buy a new stem? If I'm going to experiment with a 44cm bar, is there an advantage of getting with the times and going up in size? Looks like at some point in the last couple years, everything went 31.8... I was interested in a Crank Bros stem not too long ago and was surprised to see they didn't even offer 'em in 25.4.... I guess it's a sign.
Do you think it wise to ditch the 25.4 bar/stem setup regardless?
Thanks
I currently have a 40cm EC90 handlebar in 25.4mm
I've recently had some pretty nasty neck/shoulder pain. I'm not sure what made me think to investigate handlebar width sizing... previously, I'd just assumed you should go with the narrowest bar you feel comfortable on, all else equal. It seems there's not nearly as much science to the art of handlebar sizing as there is to most of the rest of the bike, but I have been coming across the recurring idea that handlebars should be either shoulder-width, or shoulder-bone plus two centimeters (both usually being about the same, for guys with cyclists physique).
Surprisingly, my shoulders are wide for my size... I measure 44 across or 42 bone-to-bone. That would put me at a 44cm bar, if we believe it matters. In my research I see that neck/shoulder pain can be alleviated by going from "too narrow" a bar to one that sizes out.
My pain doesn't really increase with riding. I do long-distance commuting, 30 miles each way, and the base of my neck does sometimes get a little tight toward the end of the commute, but I've just attributed this to the fact that 60 miles a day is a fair bit of riding and some mild discomfort is to be expected. My neck usually hurts the worst in bed and sitting at my desk... which makes me hesitate to blame my bike. I'm getting older and have no shortage of aches and pains... I certainly don't want to go changing my otherwise very comfortable bike if my pain is just bad posture off the bike.
Thoughts?
Secondary, related question - what about bar thickness? Should I go up to a 31.8mm bar and buy a new stem? If I'm going to experiment with a 44cm bar, is there an advantage of getting with the times and going up in size? Looks like at some point in the last couple years, everything went 31.8... I was interested in a Crank Bros stem not too long ago and was surprised to see they didn't even offer 'em in 25.4.... I guess it's a sign.
Do you think it wise to ditch the 25.4 bar/stem setup regardless?
Thanks