Trend towards narrow bars

[stephenmarklay]

I have read that some racers are going narrower to be more aero. What is your take on it?

I most comfortable ride a 44cm but have run 42cm as well. Today riding a 42 I felt somewhat confined but also more aero with my elbows pulled in.

Since I want a new bar I am wondering if going narrow makes sense for a race bike.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

Went from a 44 to 42 bars last fall. Feit totally normal after a few weeks.

[azrider]

I'm 6'2 with pretty broad shoulders and ride 40s.....love em

[Ken Robb]

Some people think they can breathe better with bars wide enough to "open their chest". There is probably a sweet size for everyone with the outliers using 38cm and 48cm bars. I seem to like 44-46cm best and feel pretty cramped on 40cm bars.

Of course I am more likely to be gasping for breath than seeking the ultimate aero advantage at 16 mph. :-)

[Dead Man]

Makes sense to me, which is why I am been surprised in the (perception I have anyway) trend of going BIGGER with bars in the last decade. I roll 38s, but I'm a little guy... Everyone else I ride with are giants and sport 44-46 bars, and even dis on my 38s. Keeping the chest open and better torque/control over the wheel are the reasons I hear. The trend is also for wider and wider bars on flat-bar bikes, for the same reasons... But I guess these sorts of things are going to sub-trend in different circles.

I like to be narrow/aero, and I don't think width plays an iota into road bike handling ... At least not the kind of riding I do. I can't sprint for ····, so wins come from solo breaks - te narrower the better! Maybe wide bars are better for sprinting?

[Muffin Man]

The 38cm FSA bars I have are like 36cm at the hoods because of the flare, and I love it.

[RedRider]

The most important aspect of selecting the bar width is your ability to breathe. Increasing aerodynamics is worthless if you are in a position that restricts your chest.
In discussion of bar width, it's important to distinguish either the brand or the method of measurement. As fitters, we always quote center-to-center at the drops. If I've determined that a client works best with a 42 C-C, I also know that he will be a 44 in a Deda bar which is measured and sold as Outside -to-Outside. Some of the new bars, Zipp for example, have flared drops that can be as much as a cm wider at the drops than at the lever mounts.

[stephenmarklay]

Thank you for the very interesting input. The narrow trend is very new. For sure over the last decadebars of gotten wider.I don't think I can go less than a 42 and remain comfortable. I'm built like an all-arounder. I did some hard sprints today and the 42's are no problem. The reason I got away from them was that they gave me a little more fatigue in my shoulders when climbing standing up

[cbresciani]

I've always used bars that were pretty much the same width as my shoulders. I tried some wider bars but really disliked them. The whole aero thing I think may come into play if you ride a bike for a living but for us mere mortals I don't think it really matters.

[Dead Man]

The whole aero thing I think may come into play if you ride a bike for a living but for us mere mortals I don't think it really matters.

What if you just like to win?

[bcroslin]

What if you just like to win?

While doing bike musical chairs last year I ended up on a build that had 40's that I thought were 42's which I normally ride. They felt strange for a day or two and then they didn't. I only found out they were 40s when I sold the bike and the buyer informed me. Oops.

[mhespenheide]

Personally, I think it's either completely bogus or so small that there are many other marginal gains to exploit first. Are you riding the the drops almost all of the time? Are you riding deep-drop handlebars? Is your stem slammed? Do you stretch your glutes regularly, and do enough yoga/pilates to ride with a flat lower back?

If not, ride what's comfortable for you. I'm 6'4" and happen to love 46's. I rode for a decade on 44's, then tried 48's and they were too wide. Tried 46's and was happy.

[enr1co]

Have been basing my fit on the ol' Greg Lemond book of Cycling with shoulder measurement to be consistent with bar width. Started w/ 42 but have been riding 44 for the past couple decades as its what is comfortable for me. There is no way I would go to a more narrow bar just because a few pro riders are trending it.

[stephenmarklay]

Have been basing my fit on the ol' Greg Lemond book of Cycling with shoulder measurement to be consistent with bar width. Started w/ 42 but have been riding 44 for the past couple decades as its what is comfortable for me. There is no way I would go to a more narrow bar just because a few pro riders are trending it.

I really like that book. Lots of good info.

[false_Aest]

Any mortal who's choosing bar width based on aero properties probably has too much income and too much time on his/her hands.

Or you should be, at the very minimum Continental Pro.

[stephenmarklay]

Personally, I think it's either completely bogus or so small that there are many other marginal gains to exploit first. Are you riding the the drops almost all of the time? Are you riding deep-drop handlebars? Is your stem slammed? Do you stretch your glutes regularly, and do enough yoga/pilates to ride with a flat lower back?

If not, ride what's comfortable for you. I'm 6'4" and happen to love 46's. I rode for a decade on 44's, then tried 48's and they were too wide. Tried 46's and was happy.

1. I do ride in the drops a fair bit.
2. My stem is low but not slammed.
3. I do not use deep drop bars. With longer legs I am about as low as I can be while allowing my hips to be open enough.
4. Yes I do Yoga and yes I stretch my gluteus :)

[stephenmarklay]

Any mortal who's choosing bar width based on aero properties probably has too much income and too much time on his/her hands.

Or you should be, at the very minimum Continental Pro.

So I guess you have not fallen "prey" to carbon wheels, light bikes, light saddles etc ?

[Dead Man]

Or you should be, at the very minimum Continental Pro.

Yep.... but despite my strength, drive, and natural ability, the gods had other plans for me. I get to raise a family of 8 and run a construction company instead.

I still want to absolutely crush, when I do get to race. moar aero, plez

[false_Aest]

So I guess you have not fallen "pray" to carbon wheels, light bikes, light saddles etc ?

I'm Continental.

http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/video/video.snl.com/SNL_0925_04_The_Continental_EST.png

[stephenmarklay]

I'm Continental.

http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/video/video.snl.com/SNL_0925_04_The_Continental_EST.png

Well then I am too :fight:

[rnhood]

As stated above, the ability to breath on the bike especially when under distress is the metric for determining bar width. Contadore rides 44 bars, and that's the reason. If you typically don't push yourself then it probably doesn't matter what size you use.

[Look585]

As stated above, the ability to breath on the bike especially when under distress is the metric for determining bar width. Contadore rides 44 bars, and that's the reason. If you typically don't push yourself then it probably doesn't matter what size you use.

Horses for courses. Hoy, Bauge, Pervis, Kenney and nearly every other track sprinter is on 35cm or narrower. Plenty of crit specialists on 38s or 36s.

If your event is about maximum oxygen uptake while going up mountains at <20mph, then yes breathing is probably the right metric. If hitting >45mph and squeaking through shockingly small gaps at the end of a keirin or crit, then 44s will be a hindrance no matter how well you can breathe.

[ergott]

I'm curious about this. If you ride with good posture, how is moving your hands 2cm narrower/wider effect your breathing? The difference never effected my breathing and I think that is one of those explanations thrown around a lot without much science behind it. Heck, you can vary your hand position/width along the bars all the way to the tops near the stem and still compensate with your arms from the elbows on up to your shoulders. Who here can't breath well with their hands on the tops of the bars?

Now if you prefer wider bars for how the bike handles or the difference in leverage I can see that. Me, I prefer 40-42cm bars (depending on how they are measured).

[shovelhd]

My shoulder width is 40cm and I ride 40cm bars. Back in the 80's narrow track style bars (Cinelli Criterium etc.) were very popular. I rode those in 40's too.

I get a chuckle out of guys that are riding bars too narrow for them. When they're on the rivet their elbows splay out, negating the gains.

[Dead Man]

I'm curious about this. If you ride with good posture, how is moving your hands 2cm narrower/wider effect your breathing? The difference never effected my breathing and I think that is one of those explanations thrown around a lot without much science behind it. Heck, you can vary your hand position/width along the bars all the way to the tops near the stem and still compensate with your arms from the elbows on up to your shoulders. Who here can't breath well with their hands on the tops of the bars?

Now if you prefer wider bars for how the bike handles or the difference in leverage I can see that. Me, I prefer 40-42cm bars (depending on how they are measured).

I don't know... when I'm gasping my way up a climb, my elbows automatically shoot out, opening up my chest up way more than a couple CM

But.. to use a line of reasoning I'm seeing here in this thread... if your VO2 max score isn't above 90, what do you need extra air for anyway? :p

[ergott]

I do ride a pretty aero position already. I happen to enjoy being on the front, elbows at 90, in the drops and emptying the tanks. It's not like narrower bars cost more money.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

I'm Continental.

http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/video/video.snl.com/SNL_0925_04_The_Continental_EST.png

You'll be hearing from my lawyers shortly, imposter.😜

[11.4]

This has been a trend in track for years that has been copied in road for the last couple years or so. There have been extensive threads on the subject both here and in other forums. Here are a few points to consider:

1. When moving to narrower bars, you are rotating your arms at the shoulder joint, not crunching your chest. Narrower bars don't meaningfully reduce upper chest volume unless you have bad posture or you are pulling your elbows right into your chest.
2. Your primary breathing is through your diaphragm, which means down below your rib cage. Bar width has nothing to do with that.
3. What is your shoulder width for purposes of measuring your bar width? From outside of deltoid to outside of deltoid? On me that's 46 cm. From center of rotation of one ball socket to center of rotation of the other? On me that's 38 cm. Is either measurement relevant anyway? I've never seen real substantiation for any particular relationship between shoulder width and bar width.
4. If you ride narrower bars and stretch out your stem a centimeter or two, you raise your rib cage up off your diaphragm so your lungs have more room to expand freely. That can increase your riding ability significantly.
5. More importantly than aerodynamics, look at how you'd lift a heavy weight like a barbell. Wouldn't you pull so your arms were straight up and down, rather than stretched out to the side? Same idea here. Think about bike positioning as putting hands the same distance apart as your pedals so you are pulling straight up from your pedals. If you don't do it this way, you have to tilt the bike to accomplish the same effort, which costs energy. This is how track sprinters and kilo riders have learned to ride and are delivering such amazing faster times these days. Same idea applies to climbing a hill, or whatever.
6. With narrower bars, you can get through narrower gaps in a field sprint and with your shoulders on the outside of your profile, if you bump somebody it will more likely be on your shoulders than on your bars. And if you haven't noticed, if someone hits your elbow or bars while riding, it turns your bars and makes you crash. Let your shoulders protect you with a narrower position.

There's lots more to discuss, but the idea is to consider (1) the correct reasoning for going narrow, (2) how one should measure the correct width anyway, and (3) what else it does for your position to help you breath better, apply power better, and ride better.

[charliedid]

It's irrelevant,if you are not running aero cable housing and brake deflectors.

[berserk87]

I don't know that it's a new trend - hasn't the preference for narrow bars been around before? That was before the wide bar trend became a thing. The wide bar was alleged to allow one to breathe better by flaring the arms away from the body and opening up the ribs more. I have not seen evidence of this and it appears anectdotal to me.

When I did mass-start races years ago, narrow bars were the thing. I was advised to go with narrow bars as to allow more clearance in the peloton. I switched from 44's to 40's. Again, whether the extra coupe of centimeters made any difference in my ability to shoot and exploit gaps is debatable.

I still ride 40's just because I am so used to that size. I would never allege that it makes a difference via aerodynamic advantage. I have never noticed any.

[stephenmarklay]

This has been a trend in track for years that has been copied in road for the last couple years or so. There have been extensive threads on the subject both here and in other forums. Here are a few points to consider:

1. When moving to narrower bars, you are rotating your arms at the shoulder joint, not crunching your chest. Narrower bars don't meaningfully reduce upper chest volume unless you have bad posture or you are pulling your elbows right into your chest.
2. Your primary breathing is through your diaphragm, which means down below your rib cage. Bar width has nothing to do with that.
3. What is your shoulder width for purposes of measuring your bar width? From outside of deltoid to outside of deltoid? On me that's 46 cm. From center of rotation of one ball socket to center of rotation of the other? On me that's 38 cm. Is either measurement relevant anyway? I've never seen real substantiation for any particular relationship between shoulder width and bar width.
4. If you ride narrower bars and stretch out your stem a centimeter or two, you raise your rib cage up off your diaphragm so your lungs have more room to expand freely. That can increase your riding ability significantly.
5. More importantly than aerodynamics, look at how you'd lift a heavy weight like a barbell. Wouldn't you pull so your arms were straight up and down, rather than stretched out to the side? Same idea here. Think about bike positioning as putting hands the same distance apart as your pedals so you are pulling straight up from your pedals. If you don't do it this way, you have to tilt the bike to accomplish the same effort, which costs energy. This is how track sprinters and kilo riders have learned to ride and are delivering such amazing faster times these days. Same idea applies to climbing a hill, or whatever.
6. With narrower bars, you can get through narrower gaps in a field sprint and with your shoulders on the outside of your profile, if you bump somebody it will more likely be on your shoulders than on your bars. And if you haven't noticed, if someone hits your elbow or bars while riding, it turns your bars and makes you crash. Let your shoulders protect you with a narrower position.

There's lots more to discuss, but the idea is to consider (1) the correct reasoning for going narrow, (2) how one should measure the correct width anyway, and (3) what else it does for your position to help you breath better, apply power better, and ride better.

Thank you for the very informative and thoughtful post.

[stephenmarklay]

I don't know that it's a new trend - hasn't the preference for narrow bars been around before? That was before the wide bar trend became a thing. The wide bar was alleged to allow one to breathe better by flaring the arms away from the body and opening up the ribs more. I have not seen evidence of this and it appears anectdotal to me.

When I did mass-start races years ago, narrow bars were the thing. I was advised to go with narrow bars as to allow more clearance in the peloton. I switched from 44's to 40's. Again, whether the extra coupe of centimeters made any difference in my ability to shoot and exploit gaps is debatable.

I still ride 40's just because I am so used to that size. I would never allege that it makes a difference via aerodynamic advantage. I have never noticed any.

Yep back like bell bottoms :eek:

[oldpotatoe]

This has been a trend in track for years that has been copied in road for the last couple years or so. There have been extensive threads on the subject both here and in other forums. Here are a few points to consider:

1. When moving to narrower bars, you are rotating your arms at the shoulder joint, not crunching your chest. Narrower bars don't meaningfully reduce upper chest volume unless you have bad posture or you are pulling your elbows right into your chest.
2. Your primary breathing is through your diaphragm, which means down below your rib cage. Bar width has nothing to do with that.
3. What is your shoulder width for purposes of measuring your bar width? From outside of deltoid to outside of deltoid? On me that's 46 cm. From center of rotation of one ball socket to center of rotation of the other? On me that's 38 cm. Is either measurement relevant anyway? I've never seen real substantiation for any particular relationship between shoulder width and bar width.
4. If you ride narrower bars and stretch out your stem a centimeter or two, you raise your rib cage up off your diaphragm so your lungs have more room to expand freely. That can increase your riding ability significantly.
5. More importantly than aerodynamics, look at how you'd lift a heavy weight like a barbell. Wouldn't you pull so your arms were straight up and down, rather than stretched out to the side? Same idea here. Think about bike positioning as putting hands the same distance apart as your pedals so you are pulling straight up from your pedals. If you don't do it this way, you have to tilt the bike to accomplish the same effort, which costs energy. This is how track sprinters and kilo riders have learned to ride and are delivering such amazing faster times these days. Same idea applies to climbing a hill, or whatever.
6. With narrower bars, you can get through narrower gaps in a field sprint and with your shoulders on the outside of your profile, if you bump somebody it will more likely be on your shoulders than on your bars. And if you haven't noticed, if someone hits your elbow or bars while riding, it turns your bars and makes you crash. Let your shoulders protect you with a narrower position.

There's lots more to discuss, but the idea is to consider (1) the correct reasoning for going narrow, (2) how one should measure the correct width anyway, and (3) what else it does for your position to help you breath better, apply power better, and ride better.

WELL said. In the shop, saw 'put 3 people in a room and ask about handlebar width or crank length, get 5 opinions", a lot. I doubt 2cm handlebar width will have a meaningful impact on riding unless it's not comfy. I went from 42cm c-c to 44 and they just feel better..so that's what I use.

For a place to start for a new-ish rider..measured 'points' of the shoulder, front of the shoulder, that width, added 2cm..

[benb]

I just downsized my bars independent of any trend.

All the searching I had found indicates studies (as opposed to fitter anecdotes) show that narrower bars do not actually effect breathing.

If they did my guess is aero bars would have to be pretty different.. you think Wiggins was just riding the hour record with restricted breathing? I don't. No one rides a drop bar as narrow as aero bars and yet the Tri & TT guys don't have trouble breathing.

Do a pushup and hold yourself in the up position.. see if it's easier with your hands directly under your shoulders or with them splayed out a couple inches. It's definitely easier with them directly under your shoulders. We don't run/walk with a wide stance either, and neither do animals that run on all 4s and have a similar shoulder structure to us.

If the bars are too wide it is way to easy to end up with your wrists cocked at extreme angles too.. lots more hand/forearm/elbow/shoulder strain.

I have generally run 42 or 40.. my current bike came with 44.. I should have downsized it a long time ago. Every time I buy a bike it seems to come with bars too wide.. I get lazy and ride the wide bar for a while and it always seems to contribute to some sort of strain/injury after a while.

Interestingly the bars I have on my MTB are at least 60cm wide. But when I put my hands on the grips the inside edge of the grip is at about 38cm width. I tried a wider bar on the MTB and there was tons more arm strain.

[mg2ride]

Don't have a clue what the bar width is on any of my bikes and can't even really say I was aware they varied.

[KWalker]

The most important aspect of selecting the bar width is your ability to breathe. Increasing aerodynamics is worthless if you are in a position that restricts your chest.
In discussion of bar width, it's important to distinguish either the brand or the method of measurement. As fitters, we always quote center-to-center at the drops. If I've determined that a client works best with a 42 C-C, I also know that he will be a 44 in a Deda bar which is measured and sold as Outside -to-Outside. Some of the new bars, Zipp for example, have flared drops that can be as much as a cm wider at the drops than at the lever mounts.

The breathing argument is probably one of the most illogical and stupidest road equipment arguments of all time. On a road bike your elbows are not fixed into position. The ability to breathe is actually controlled by the stability of your phaisic muscles, not your hand position with unlocked shoulders or even scapular retraction. Therefore, bar width has no affect on this ability, overall posture on the bike does. On a TT bike with elbows locked in or on verrrry narrow bars this is an exception.

If you don't believe me then think of this example of this fallacy- why would anyone climb on the tops of their bars if hand position affected breathing? This would close their lungs even more, yet its extremely common.

Narrow is not only usually more aerodynamic, but its also better for racing in tight spaces such as crits or track races. I would argue that if you go too narrow and the elbows splay outward you might end up less aero, but the extra inch or so could provide a bit more wiggle room. I say usually more aerodynamic because it all depends on your ability to rotate your pelvis and maintain a narrow horizontal profile so when I see guys on really narrow bars with their elbows outward to the side its just defeating the purpose.

GB track runs 36s and most track riders are on something in the 36-40 range.

I was first sized to 44s or 46s when I started riding and it always felt a bit "weird". I accidentally bought some 42s, which felt pretty solid and then later bought a 42 O-O and it felt awesome. After finding out it was a 40 I've ridden 40s ever since and even a 40 O-O once, which wasn't bad.

[dzxc]

I was on my stock 44s and had some weird arm pain after longer rides. On a friend's recommendation, switched to 42, which is my shoulder width. No longer get the weird pain, and feel more aero and smaller on the 42. After a year on the 42, I am still very happy.

[dzxc]

If you don't believe me then think of this example of this fallacy- why would anyone climb on the tops of their bars if hand position affected breathing? This would close their lungs even more, yet its extremely common.




When I do my 20 minute power tests, I always make more power on the hoods than the drops, and a little more even on the tops than the hoods. Supposedly has to do with the torso angle opening up more breathing room, or allowing more power to be put down. I don't know. But if I'm climbing such that aerodynamics only barely come into play, I'll be in the position that lets me put out the most power: on the tops.

[11.4]

GB track runs 36s and most track riders are on something in the 36-40 range.

Actually most British and Aussie sprinters are on 34 cm c-c Scattos unless they have custom bars, in which case the most common width is 29 cm c-c. Hoy won the 2012 Olympic medals on 29 cm. There are some who have them even narrower, and the French have tried narrower as well.

[fatallightning]

I'm 6', 185 lbs, so broad. I ride 40cm on the road, 38cm on the track. Pretty much a crit specialist. Narrow bars don't close your chest off imo, you just bend at elbows. I'm usually elbows out when push comes to shove anyway, so that reduced aero isn't a concern. When I'm bridging or pulling hard at the front, I have my hands on the hoods, elbows at 90*.

[Dead Man]

When I'm bridging or pulling hard at the front, I have my hands on the hoods, elbows at 90*.

Word - I meant to address this earlier...

Personally, I think it's either completely bogus or so small that there are many other marginal gains to exploit first. Are you riding the the drops almost all of the time? Are you riding deep-drop handlebars? Is your stem slammed? Do you stretch your glutes regularly, and do enough yoga/pilates to ride with a flat lower back?

Riding on the drops isn't aero - you're way more aero back flat, hands on the hoods, forearms level to the tarmac. When I'm flattened out pushing hard on the flats, hands go UP, not down.

This is the reason for the emergence of the "compact" or shallow-drop bar in the last decade - slam the stem, get the HOODS low so you can get flat on them. But with traditional drop bars, the drops were then too low to use - so we shortened the drop

[zap]

Riding on the drops isn't aero - you're way more aero back flat, hands on the hoods, forearms level to the tarmac. When I'm flattened out pushing hard on the flats, hands go UP, not down.

This is the reason for the emergence of the "compact" or shallow-drop bar in the last decade - slam the stem, get the HOODS low so you can get flat on them. But with traditional drop bars, the drops were then too low to use - so we shortened the drop

hmmm, I'm good with forearms level with terra firma when hands are on the hoods, but if I'm going for hard efforts and drop hands too drops, the drops need to be low enough………these shallow bars are useless. But try getting a carbon composite bar with a 15cm drop these day's.

[benb]

It seems like there are way too many absolute statements in this thread...

[azrider]

"A paper published by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers says that gripping the hoods and keeping your forearms horizontal can reduce the required power while cycling by 13.4%, while lowering your eyes and head can actually increase drag when you are using the drops or short handlebar extensions."

http://road.cc/content/news/133598-want-ride-faster-hunker-down-hoods

[stephenmarklay]

A lot of very cool info here. Thanks

[KWalker]

Actually most British and Aussie sprinters are on 34 cm c-c Scattos unless they have custom bars, in which case the most common width is 29 cm c-c. Hoy won the 2012 Olympic medals on 29 cm. There are some who have them even narrower, and the French have tried narrower as well.

Whoa, I had no clue! I can't imagine 29s, that would just be so much narrower it would feel completely different.

[benb]

"A paper published by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers says that gripping the hoods and keeping your forearms horizontal can reduce the required power while cycling by 13.4%, while lowering your eyes and head can actually increase drag when you are using the drops or short handlebar extensions."

http://road.cc/content/news/133598-want-ride-faster-hunker-down-hoods

For anyone who doesn't want to read the article the 13.4% is versus riding on the hoods without crouching down.

At 28mph for the particular rider they tested with a 0 degree wind angle:
Normal Riding on hoods = 430w
Riding in Drops but not crouching = 417w
Drops with Crouch = 385w
Psuedo Aero-bar posture with horizontal forearms on hoods = 372w. (More like 3% savings over crouched in the drops, not 13.4%)

Take that for what it's worth along with it being a lot easier to stay safely in control in the "Crouched in Drops" position. Arms gotta stay 100% horizontal for the psuedo aerobar position to beat the crouched drop position.

I think we all knew dropping your head and staring at the stem was bad.. interestingly it isn't always bad if you're on aerobars.

[fatallightning]

For anyone who doesn't want to read the article the 13.4% is versus riding on the hoods without crouching down.

At 28mph for the particular rider they tested with a 0 degree wind angle:
Normal Riding on hoods = 430w
Riding in Drops but not crouching = 417w
Drops with Crouch = 385w
Psuedo Aero-bar posture with horizontal forearms on hoods = 372w. (More like 3% savings over crouched in the drops, not 13.4%)

Take that for what it's worth along with it being a lot easier to stay safely in control in the "Crouched in Drops" position. Arms gotta stay 100% horizontal for the psuedo aerobar position to beat the crouched drop position.

I think we all knew dropping your head and staring at the stem was bad.. interestingly it isn't always bad if you're on aerobars.

Just positing here, but I think the difference between drops and flat forearms on the hoods in terms of aero slickness isn't a flatter back, which is probably the same, but presenting less frontal area.

[Bstone]

I love it when journal articles confirm what I think. Thanks for sharing this.

[stephenmarklay]

For anyone who doesn't want to read the article the 13.4% is versus riding on the hoods without crouching down.

At 28mph for the particular rider they tested with a 0 degree wind angle:
Normal Riding on hoods = 430w
Riding in Drops but not crouching = 417w
Drops with Crouch = 385w
Psuedo Aero-bar posture with horizontal forearms on hoods = 372w. (More like 3% savings over crouched in the drops, not 13.4%)

Take that for what it's worth along with it being a lot easier to stay safely in control in the "Crouched in Drops" position. Arms gotta stay 100% horizontal for the psuedo aerobar position to beat the crouched drop position.

I think we all knew dropping your head and staring at the stem was bad.. interestingly it isn't always bad if you're on aerobars.

This is a very cool and very relevant study! I actually would not have guessed about looking down being a problem. This speaks to bike fit also. To get into the hoods with arms horizontal requires a smaller cockpit or more forward on the seat. I dig the science.

[azrider]

Seems as good a place as any to ask, but does anyone else do what I do when on the hoods? I have a very odd (or odd to me) tendency to grab my hoods with palm of my hands and then rotate my wrists in and rest my forearms on top of handlebar???

[Dead Man]

Seems as good a place as any to ask, but does anyone else do what I do when on the hoods? I have a very odd (or odd to me) tendency to grab my hoods with palm of my hands and then rotate my wrists in and rest my forearms on top of handlebar???

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab6/bkb0000/IMG_14501_zpscmzpaztv.jpg?t=1434320046

This?

[azrider]

no....like this

[shovelhd]

It seems like there are way too many absolute statements in this thread...

No kidding.

[shovelhd]

no....like this

Looks like a good way to break your wrist and/or forearm.

That study was done on one rider? Now that's a well done study.

[cloudguy]

That's a weird position, but your arm looks to be in way better shape and more aero than B's.

[Dead Man]

That's a weird position, but your arm looks to be in way better shape and more aero than B's.

OH HELL NO

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab6/bkb0000/IMG_14531_zpsir7mckwa.jpg

[berserk87]

It seems like there are way too many absolute statements in this thread...

I recall from Star Wars that only a Sith deals in absolutes. I sense infiltration by Sith Lords.

[OtayBW]

2. Your primary breathing is through your diaphragm, which means down below your rib cage. Bar width has nothing to do with that.

With all due respect, I think a substantial component of breathing when cycling, particluarly when under high O2 demand, comes from much shallower, upper chest breathing - not lower 'belly' diaphram breathing. Perhaps on a track, and certainly when riding tempo even at high sustained effort will the diaphram breathing dominate. In a sprint, up a sharp uptick in grade, and when you're approaching LTH, you're as likely to be breathing shallow breaths from the upper chest before things calm down into a more predictable rhythm.

Beyond that, we each have a comfort zone. I ride 44 bars and probably have ~42 shoulders, and that works for me.

[Elefantino]

I think we all knew dropping your head and staring at the stem was bad.
Not all. (http://chrisfroomelookingatstems.tumblr.com/)

http://41.media.tumblr.com/b6340f3bc0541b5423a0404f766fcd4c/tumblr_mryy4dRMFt1sfv65yo1_1280.jpg

[professerr]

no....like this

When I'm solo, I'll ride like that on my old bike with cinelli crit bars that are too wide and the stem too short. On my newer bike I have narrower bars with a long stem and just rest on the hood, like god intended.

[teleguy57]

I think we all knew dropping your head and staring at the stem was bad.. interestingly it isn't always bad if you're on aerobars.

Not all. (http://chrisfroomelookingatstems.tumblr.com/)

http://41.media.tumblr.com/b6340f3bc0541b5423a0404f766fcd4c/tumblr_mryy4dRMFt1sfv65yo1_1280.jpg

benb's point proved

[paredown]

This thread made me curious--when I started back with a 'modern' bike, I read the fitting threads in different places and kept thinking the 'wider bar--better breathing' didn't make a whole lot of sense.

My conspiracy theory is that too many mountain bike riders switched over.:banana:

So I started on 42 c-t-cs (a little narrower than modern fitters might put me on).

For fun, I measured the bars on my old racing steed that is a wall hanger now--40 c-t-c. (I know my old track bike was narrower yet)

Now I'm tempted to try modern 40s and see if they still feel right.:)

[stephenmarklay]

Seems as good a place as any to ask, but does anyone else do what I do when on the hoods? I have a very odd (or odd to me) tendency to grab my hoods with palm of my hands and then rotate my wrists in and rest my forearms on top of handlebar???

I grab mine in all manner of ways :)

[stephenmarklay]

OH HELL NO

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab6/bkb0000/IMG_14531_zpsir7mckwa.jpg

Ok don’t get me started :)

[azrider]

On my newer bike I have narrower bars with a long stem and just rest on the hood, like god intended.
+1

I grab mine in all manner of ways :)

ha

OH HELL NO

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab6/bkb0000/IMG_14531_zpsir7mckwa.jpg

Dude do you even work out bro? :p

[bikingshearer]

FWIW (and it ain't much) I go strictly by what feels right to me. In my case, and with my rather broad shoulders, I use 46cm or 48cm wide Nitto Noodles. They are roughly as wide as my shoulders and allow me to have my arms be pretty straight from shoulders to hoods or drops. I like that.

Of course, I am not very fast except for going up hills, when I am veeeeery slooooow. Aero rarely enters into the calculus for me, and shooting narrow gaps at 45mph never does, so anyone who wants to go fast may be best served by doing the opposite of what I do.

[stephenmarklay]

FWIW (and it ain't much) I go strictly by what feels right to me. In my case, and with my rather broad shoulders, I use 46cm or 48cm wide Nitto Noodles. They are roughly as wide as my shoulders and allow me to have my arms be pretty straight from shoulders to hoods or drops. I like that.

Of course, I am not very fast except for going up hills, when I am veeeeery slooooow. Aero rarely enters into the calculus for me, and shooting narrow gaps at 45mph never does, so anyone who wants to go fast may be best served by doing the opposite of what I do.

And thats a wrap!

[stephenmarklay]

I have been riding my new “race” bike with narrower 42cm bars vs my normal 44 for about 3 weeks. They feel good if not a tad narrow. I do feel aero and supported in way no unlike doing a plank in the gym.

Today was the first day I rode my other bike with 44cm bars and they feel positively huge! I guess you get used to what you ride with. Having said that they feel too big and I am going to switch them to 42cm also.

[regularguy412]

My first Cannondale came with 40 cm bars. Rode that for about 3 years. Switched to 42's on my next bike purchase. Have stuck with 42's for many years. When I built up my Soma fixie, I first had some bull horn bars on it (think they were 42's), but eventually switched to some drop bar 40's. Man, I've tried to like them, but I just can't get comfy on those bars that are only 2 cm narrower. I guess it's just me. Really like the feel of 42's. Never tried anything wider than 42.

Mike in AR:beer:

[stephenmarklay]

My first Cannondale came with 40 cm bars. Rode that for about 3 years. Switched to 42's on my next bike purchase. Have stuck with 42's for many years. When I built up my Soma fixie, I first had some bull horn bars on it (think they were 42's), but eventually switched to some drop bar 40's. Man, I've tried to like them, but I just can't get comfy on those bars that are only 2 cm narrower. I guess it's just me. Really like the feel of 42's. Never tried anything wider than 42.

Mike in AR:beer:

I am sure its all relative. I feel like the 42 may be a tad narrower than my shoulders while the 44 a tad wider. I am sure a 40 would feel too narrow.

[enr1co]

Thought of this "narrow bar trend" thread while watching TdF coverage over the past few days and the many front shots of the peloton.

With the views, noticed the majority of riders with shoulder width bars or wider- arm/elbows loosely outward. Not too many narrow bars to be seen?

[stephenmarklay]

Thought of this "narrow bar trend" thread while watching TdF coverage over the past few days and the many front shots of the peloton.

With the views, noticed the majority of riders with shoulder width bars or wider- arm/elbows loosely outward. Not too many narrow bars to be seen?


I noticed the same thing.

[bcroslin]

Just swapped from 42's to 40's and I'm so much more comfortable and no issues climbing. Bike feels a little more stable as well.

[benb]

no....like this

Great way to give yourself tendonitis of the forearm flexor muscles.. horrible injury. (Still struggling to get rid of it after a year)

I see a lot of people with bars too wide riding on the hoods with their wrists deviated like that too. :(

Let's all keep in mind the hoods need to stay in position so you can operate the brakes without bending your wrist oddly.

[Wayne77]

I'm always behind the curve. I thought wide bars were the thing and now everyone's telling me narrow bars are the thing.
http://www.freeborn.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/super-wide-bar.jpg