Narrow bars

[deluz]

I am thinking of trying narrower bars.
Currently have 3T Superergo carbon 40 cm bars.
I could get them in 38 cm but wonder what other options there are.
I do like the flat-ish tops. Enve SES with the flare is an obvious choice but $400 is beyond my budget. I found these that looked good, but heavy and the reach is way too long:

https://www.pro-bikegear.com/global/...suit-handlebar

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Mark McM]

Pro Bikegear has another version of their Vibe Aero Alloy road bar that has a shorter reach:

https://www.pro-bikegear.com/us/road...lloy-handlebar

[deluz]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

Pro Bikegear has another version of their Vibe Aero Alloy road bar that has a shorter reach:

https://www.pro-bikegear.com/us/road...lloy-handlebar

That looks like a good option. Wish it was lighter but might win over weight.

Thanks!

[rice rocket]

I have the PRO PLT Ergo Carbon in 36.

https://www.pro-bikegear.com/us/road...rbon-handlebar



Flat tops are the best I've ever used, it has the largest palm area and the slight backsweep is real noticeable improvement.

Drops, I don't care for. The extra backsweep on the tops hits your wrists if you're not careful in a sprint, they could solve it with more flare too.

I don't sprint in the drops much though, so they work out most of the time.

[Turkle]

I used 38cm Zipp SL-70 Ergo aluminum bars on my main bike for years. I think they are wonderful.

I am currently using the "40cm" Vision Métron carbon handlebars that actually measure 38cm c-c. They are far and away the most comfortable handlebars I've ever used.

[Spoker]

Originally Posted by deluz

I am thinking of trying narrower bars.
.

For the aero benefit? Just curious since I'm transitioning to wider bars/

[Chris(NJ)]

Originally Posted by Spoker

For the aero benefit? Just curious since I'm transitioning to wider bars/

I feel like narrow road bars is the 2024 version of the ultra-wide MTB bar trend that happened in like 2020 or whatever.

[Turkle]

Originally Posted by Spoker

For the aero benefit? Just curious since I'm transitioning to wider bars/

As for me - I grew up riding 80's ten-speed bikes. Those all came with narrow bars. It's what I'm used to!

When I ride bikes with wide bars, I feel like I'm catching way too much wind. But more importantly, narrow bars make it way easier (for me) to carry myself up a bit and support my upper body without putting too much pressure on my shoulders and neck. To me, that's an important benefit.

[glepore]

I've been on 38's for a long time. There are a number of choices now on aliexpress in 36 with flare similar to the Enve SES or AR, gotta search a bit. They're all under $100. My experience with ali bars has been all positive-I'd stay away from blatant counterfeits for a number of reasons, but generic bars with similar shapes have all been vg to excellent.

[TiminVA]

Originally Posted by Spoker

For the aero benefit? Just curious since I'm transitioning to wider bars/

Me too. I went from 42 to 44 a couple years ago on my bikes.

[mstateglfr]

Originally Posted by Chris(NJ)

I feel like narrow road bars is the 2024 version of the ultra-wide MTB bar trend that happened in like 2020 or whatever.

Ha!
I don't ride much single track, but what we do have around me is twisty and flat river bottom singletrack in the woods and most of it was created over the 20-40 years before the wide bar trend blew up in the late 20teens.
A feature of a lot of the singletrack is that it's narrowly routed between trees and has sharp turns around/thru trees.

My gravel bike's bars barely clear since the drops are flared to about 560mm. I consistently see newer riders(assume) on modern mtbs that have to stop at every tree split because their bars are too wide and they cant/won't shift the bike back and forth to clear one side at a time.




I view the narrow drop width trend as just a pendulum swing away from how bar width had gone in the late 20teens due to wide gravel/adventure designs.
It's just normal behavior- as a trend peaks, enough look around for a different way to skin the cat and often times the opposite rides in popularity.
After a bit, things then largely settle.

Every 80s road bike I have ever rebuilt and/or modernized has gotten new bars because the 36cm bars that were spec'd on 63cm-65cm road bikes back then are woefully narrow and uncomfortable. It's interesting to see we are back to that when speed performance is the leading motivator.

[deluz]

Originally Posted by Spoker

For the aero benefit? Just curious since I'm transitioning to wider bars/

That would be one reason although at 66 years old I am very slow and don't race anymore, but still there is wind.
But I am small 5'8" with 36" chest and have always liked narrower bars.
I have always used 40cm which used to be considered narrow but now are more common. I really won't know if 38cm is an improvement until I try them.

[glepore]

Originally Posted by deluz

That would be one reason although at 66 years old I am very slow and don't race anymore, but still there is wind.
But I am small 5'8" with 36" chest and have always liked narrower bars.
I have always used 40cm which used to be considered narrow but now are more common. I really won't know if 38cm is an improvement until I try them.

I think you'll like them-I'm 5'5 with a 38 in chest, have been on 38's for the past 8-10 yrs.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by Chris(NJ)

I feel like narrow road bars is the 2024 version of the ultra-wide MTB bar trend that happened in like 2020 or whatever.

Sort of. For the pros, the narrow bars are more aero. With puppy-paws being banned, they're looking for anything to put them in that position legally. Thus the release of some narrow but flared bars - narrow hoods for aero, wide drops for control.

For the rest of us? Comfort is still king. You can't go fast if you're miserable.

[deluz]

the Zipp SL-70 Ergo aluminum bars look good.
They are pretty light for an aluminum bar and the shape looks good.
I could not find the Vibe bars anywhere except from an Ebay seller in Taiwan.
They have a a somewhat flatter and wider top.