Roadbar Width

[jambee]

I'm pretty sure that this can not be the first time this topic came up but the search function did not reveal much threads so here goes:

Is there a guideline for width of the bars? I have been riding strange bars for a while and am looking to optimize the setup so am looking for advise.
By strange bars I mean Nitto Rando bar which is very narrow on top and wide on the drops. On my Seven All-Road Mudxium I use a shallow Dada Zero at 42mm. It feels great but somehow I believe that someone in my size (shoulders width around 44mm) should have something wider.

Is wider better? Is 44mm the way to go or 46mm? What's a good guideline when it comes to flaring bars like Salsa's Cowbell or Sim Works Wild Honey bar?

Many thanks!

[stephenmarklay]

I would say it is very subjective. The place that most fitters will at least start is to match the bar width to you shoulder structure. If you have a 44cm shoulder width than a 44 bar would be a good choice.

I posted about a few weeks ago inquiring about the trend by some to narrower bars to be more aero. I ride a 42 on my go fast bike with a 44 shoulder width.

It was only a few decades ago in the 60’s and 70’s 38-40 was really common and they managed.

You will get the argument that a wider bar allows you to open you chest to breath. That does not seem to matter to most however.

In reality there are so many bars and widths and bends etc that I would just use what you like.

[oldpotatoe]

I'm pretty sure that this can not be the first time this topic came up but the search function did not reveal much threads so here goes:

Is there a guideline for width of the bars? I have been riding strange bars for a while and am looking to optimize the setup so am looking for advise.
By strange bars I mean Nitto Rando bar which is very narrow on top and wide on the drops. On my Seven All-Road Mudxium I use a shallow Dada Zero at 42mm. It feels great but somehow I believe that someone in my size (shoulders width around 44mm) should have something wider.

Is wider better? Is 44mm the way to go or 46mm? What's a good guideline when it comes to flaring bars like Salsa's Cowbell or Sim Works Wild Honey bar?

Many thanks!

In a word, no. Put 3 people in a room and ask about hbar width, get 4 or 5 opinions. A place to start, just to start..measure the 'points' of your shoulders, the front pointy place, stand up straight, measure that and add 2cm..place to start is all, cuz when you reach for hoods or drops, arms will be straight.

[berserk87]

Agreed on the posts above. You can adapt to about any width, within reason. By the book of "shoulder width", I would ride 46's. I bought into the idea that narrower bars offered better clearance in a tight group. for racing, some time ago. I'm not sure if that mattered at all, but I became accustomed to riding 40's and have been on them ever since. If I test ride a bike with wide bars, it feels awkard to me now.

[David Kirk]

If it feels best it is best.

dave

[nooneline]

Yeah, go with what feels good.

A lot of people say something about shoulder width, but that is a rough rule of thumb at best. What part of the shoulder? A lot of people say something about wider bars being better for breathing, but I find that when people are on narrow bars, their shoulder structure is exactly the same - it's their arms that just come in from the elbows. Doesn't affect breathing.

Keep in mind that bar width will affect reach comfort. Though it makes a small difference, wider bars are effectively a longer reach, and narrower bars are a slightly shorter reach.

Personally, I'm 38 on the track, 40 on the road, and 40-41 for cross.

[FlashUNC]

Feel, all about feel.

And that feel can vary widely on application. I ride 44cm bars on the road, and 40cm bars when I raced on the track.

The shoulder bit is a good starting point, then experiment from there.

[pinoymamba]

I ride 36cm c-c for both road and track.

[alancw3]

in my experience over the last 50 years of cycling this is one of the most important measurements in cycling comfort. for years i used 42 bars because that is what came on the bikes i bought and when i became aware of bar width i bought 48mm c-t-c zinn cycle bars and also 46mm easton ec90 carbon bars. wow what a difference in comfort and not getting a numb feeling in my hands aftar many miles of cycling. like a prior post said start with shoulder points + 2cm. also note that some bar manufacturers use e-t-e and others c-t-c as a measurement.

[soulspinner]

If it feels best it is best.

dave

This. Had a fit from Peddlers, a local bike shop that recommended 39-40 width bars. Only part of their fit not with me today is 40 width bar. I just think 42 feels best.

[fiataccompli]

I've found that >42cm is not comfortable or at least feels awkward. 42cm at the ends (sometimes flared with something like 40cm tops & 42cm ends) has ended up feeling ideal through a lot of trial and error. <42cm is OK...not uncomfortable or awkward, but not that "just right" feeling either. So, either I have a 2cm window of proper width/fit or I have trained myself to that preference. This paragraph represents a bit more than the proper consideration I should give the topic henceforth.

[Hindmost]

Personally, I'm 38 on the track, 40 on the road, and 40-41 for cross.

The type of riding you do is a major factor. Riding in tight bunches? Genuine sprinting? Off-road?

I found upon returning to road riding after a few years of almost exclusively mountain biking that a wider bar on the road bike was more comfortable for general purposes that included trail riding.

[bcroslin]

ditto on everyone else comments. my fitter says I should be on a 42 cm bar but I'm in the process of switching to a 40 because of where my hands always end up when on the hoods.

one thing to think about with Deda bars - they measure different than every other bar manufacturer so the 42 you're on is actually a 44.

[guido]

I'm 6'1" with broad shoulders. I experimented with a 46 on my SanMarcos, it hasn't been more comfortable and I think there is more wind resistance... I use a 44 on my Merlin and Grand Randonneur (though that bar has lots of flair so the ramp position is ~40)

I'm going to try a 42 on my MB-2 rebirth project...

[stephenmarklay]

ditto on everyone else comments. my fitter says I should be on a 42 cm bar but I'm in the process of switching to a 40 because of where my hands always end up when on the hoods.

one thing to think about with Deda bars - they measure different than every other bar manufacturer so the 42 you're on is actually a 44.

Thats a good point to keep in mind. There is no standard on bar measurement.

[jambee]

For the specific bike I'm talking about, the riding rules are: if I can roll on it, I will ride it.

It's used for Brevets and off road light touring and gravel roads and also for road riding. I do not race and rarely ride in a tight peloton.

The bar should also have room for Swift Paloma bag...

maybe a 46mm Salsa Cowbell 3 is not a bad idea :-)

[dcama5]

I would say it is very subjective. The place that most fitters will at least start is to match the bar width to you shoulder structure. If you have a 44cm shoulder width than a 44 bar would be a good choice.

I posted about a few weeks ago inquiring about the trend by some to narrower bars to be more aero. I ride a 42 on my go fast bike with a 44 shoulder width.

It was only a few decades ago in the 60’s and 70’s 38-40 was really common and they managed.

You will get the argument that a wider bar allows you to open you chest to breath. That does not seem to matter to most however.

In reality there are so many bars and widths and bends etc that I would just use what you like.

My guess is that this does not matter to most because it is nonsense - some kind of old wives tale from long ago that stuck somehow. Creating a restrictive lung process cannot happen when the arms are fully extended just due to the hands gripping the bars a few centimeters narrower. In order to actually restrict lung movement, and therefore inhaled volume, you have to apply something directly to the chest, like a belt tightened around the chest, or move the arms in very tightly to the chest and apply some sort of inward compressive force. If that point was actually true, the newer time trial bars, where racers place their arms tightly together over the bars, would impede lung capacity so much that they would be useless.

[LouDeeter]

Most bars are measured from the ends, either C-C or E-E as mentioned above. Regarding flaring bars, I'd say use the measurement that best fits where you spend most of your time placing your hands. If you spend most of the time on the hoods, then you're going to need a wider flared bar than a standard bar to get your hands in the right place.

[fuzzalow]

I am an advocate of the droopy shoulder, arms hanging from the shoulder sockets no weight on the hands method with regards to how the handlebars are used. So with a 4-6cm spread between narrowest to widest bar, it won't make all that much difference with what any rider can adapt to. IMO.

If there's weight being pressed into the bars, that's different. Riding this way, especially on the descents, is a lotta work and twitchy handling to boot. When there is funky stuff like this going on, all bets are off for how to choose a bar. Because when the bars are incorrectly used as a weight-bearing platform, whatever feels most stable, or comfortable, is all that counts. Often results in the use of a wider bar - splays the arms out and stabilizes the torso. It isn't a great, or correct, way to ride but that is the way it is for many. Riding like this just seems like a lotta work and it makes bars even more important than they really need to be.

[berserk87]

My guess is that this does not matter to most because it is nonsense - some kind of old wives tale from long ago that stuck somehow. Creating a restrictive lung process cannot happen when the arms are fully extended just due to the hands gripping the bars a few centimeters narrower. In order to actually restrict lung movement, and therefore inhaled volume, you have to apply something directly to the chest, like a belt tightened around the chest, or move the arms in very tightly to the chest and apply some sort of inward compressive force. If that point was actually true, the newer time trial bars, where racers place their arms tightly together over the bars, would impede lung capacity so much that they would be useless.

Nicely done and thank for taking the time to eloquently post this. It is the most well-worded argument that I have seen to counter the claim that wide bars assist with respiration.

I recall that Armstrong changed to wider bars at one point, claiming that they aided his breathing. It seemed that this sparked some of the trend that ensued.

[bcroslin]

Nicely done and thank for taking the time to eloquently post this. It is the most well-worded argument that I have seen to counter the claim that wide bars assist with respiration.

I recall that Armstrong changed to wider bars at one point, claiming that they aided his breathing. It seemed that this sparked some of the trend that ensued.

Pretty sure it was the EPO that aided his breathing.

I'm on day 2 of going to a narrower bar (40cm) and I'm so much more comfortable. I also feel much more stable for some reason.